November 2019 – Rudolph and Leo Blitz, twin brothers from Lincoln, Nebraska, joined the Navy together in 1938. Less than three years later, on December 7, 1941, they also died together aboard the USS Oklahoma battleship when it was sunk by Japanese bombers. Their remains were unearthed in 2015, and the brothers were identified earlier this year through DNA provided by their remaining sister, 93-year-old Betty Pitsch.
Pitsch and dozens of nieces and nephews who never had a chance to meet their uncles attended the twins’ back-to-back services at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery on August 10. According to Navy Times, the memorial ceremony included two flag-draped coffins, two 21-gun salutes, two invocations, and two flags given to their sister in honor of the twins’ sacrificial service.
