Veteran Killed in 1941 to Return Home

After more than eight decades, the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. Lester H. Libolt will return to Nebraska for burial with full military honors. Libolt, who was killed during the Japanese attack on Hickam Field in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, had been buried in Honolulu beneath a headstone marked only as an unknown.

Libolt was born March 11, 1920, near Gregory, South Dakota, and later moved with his family to the Newport area in north-central Nebraska. He graduated from Newport High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1939 at age 19.

A memorial service honoring Libolt’s life and military service will be held Friday, Nov. 13. Following the service, Libolt will be laid to rest with full military honors at Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell. Family members say the burial marks the end of an 85-year journey and the long-awaited return of a Nebraska serviceman who gave his life during World War II.