World War II
-
MIA
Fallen

Mandan, ND

County:
Morton

Date of Loss:

Branch of Service:
Navy

Rank:
Fireman 2c

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent:
USS West Virginia

Circumstances:

Died while in MIA status after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Navy Fireman 2nd Class Albert Renner was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia that was hit by two bombs and at least seven torpedoes from Japanese airplanes on Dec. 7, 1941. The 24-year-old was killed along with 105 other crewmen. Among those 106 crewman was fellow North Dakotan Seaman 1C Earl Nermoe of Upham ND.

Interred in Hawaii as an unidentified service member.

Remains identified and returned to North Dakota on September 15, 2020. Funeral held at the Christ the King Church in Mandan ND. He was interred at the State Veterans Cemetery in Mandan ND on September 18, 2020.

Biography:

Memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial. Name included under Morton County on the All Veterans Memorial located on State Capitol Grounds Bismarck North Dakota. From Register of North Dakota Veterans World War II and Korea. Page 1225: RENNER, ALBERT SN 328 76 77; born Mandan, NDak 24 Nov 17; resident Morton County, NDak; entered US Navy Mpls, Minn 22 Oct 40; served Asiatic Pacific Theater; KIA 7 Dec 41 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; FN2; remains not recovered. Press release from ND Senator John Hoeven From Weigelfuneral.com Obituary: Obituary A Mass of Christian Burial for Albert Renner will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, September 18, 2020, at Christ the King Catholic Church with Reverend Fred Harvey officiating. Burial will immediately follow at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2020, from 5:00-7:00 pm at Weigel Funeral Home with a Knights of Columbus rosary and prayer vigil beginning at 7:00 pm. From Forum News Service: MANDAN, N.D. €” The remains of Albert Renner were laid to rest at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Friday, Sept. 18, almost 80 years after this death. Navy Fireman 2nd Class Albert Renner was killed on the USS West Virginia when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. For 79 years his remains, along with many of the other 105 crewmen killed, were not identified until recently. It was a full military service for Renner, with family, military members and the public paying their respects. "Having the closure for my grandfather's brothers and siblings and the rest of the family. Just being able to have that closure of almost 80 years later finally able to honor their sibling and inter him into the veteran's cemetery," said Staff Sgt. Steve Renner. Burial Flag presented to 99 year old Ed Renner of Milwaukee WI one of 15 Renner siblings. Siblings provided DNA to the military in the mid-1990's to assist in identifying Alberts remains.