John Albert Karli

JOHN ALBERT KARLI

SEAMAN FIRST CLASSUS NAVYJune 25, 1922 – December 7, 1941

After nearly 78 years in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, buried among the other “unknown” servicemen that perished aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class John Albert Karli is coming home.

Johns’ remains were recently identified through the efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.  In February of 2012, two family members submitted DNA samples to the Family Reference Database for future use in the possible identification of our Uncle John. It had been determined that the advances in forensic science and genealogical help from families (DNA testing) could make these identifications possible.

John was born on June 25, 1922, the fifth child and only son of immigrant parents. He was the adored little brother of four older sisters, Mary and Ruth (twins), Alberta and Elsie.

His mother, Hildur Rudin emigrated as an infant with her parents, from Sweden in 1884.

His father, Albert Karli emigrated in 1901, at age 22 from Switzerland. Both became naturalized citizens of the United States in 1928.

By 1915, Hildur was 32 years old and working as a housekeeper, cook and companion in La Jolla. Albert was 37 years old and working as a florist and gardener at the E. W. Scripps family estate in La Jolla. They met on the beach, they fell in love and they were married in December of 1915. Their four daughters were born in La Jolla, between 1916 and 1920.

In 1921, a new job opportunity found the family moving to the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino. John was born on the estate in 1922. His father worked in the greenhouses and gardens tending the vast and exotic plant collections of railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington and his wife Arabella. The Karli family lived in the employee cottages on the estate from 1921 until 1930.

John was a lifelong resident of the San Marino and Pasadena area. He attended the San Marino school from kindergarten through the third grade. After the family moved to Pasadena in 1930, John attended the McKinley school through the 8th grade. He graduated from Muir High School in June of 1940.

John loved baseball.  He was a very talented player. During his high school years, John was the catcher as well as the co-captain of the varsity team. He was also one of six high school boys that played on the Pasadena Junior College baseball team.

John loved his family. Letters home found him inquiring about the family, their jobs, and their activities. He gently encouraged them to write more often. “I wonder if I have been sending the letters to the right addresses?” he pondered. He wrote that he was awaiting the test results of his effort to advance to the rank of Seaman First Class. His last letter home was written to his parents on the 1941 Thanksgiving Day Menu from the USS Oklahoma.

John loved his country.The very day after his 18th birthday, John was down at the Naval Recruiting Station in Los Angeles filling out his enlistment papers, listing the US Navy as his career choice and signing up for 6 years of service. Things were put on hold when he was informed that since he was not yet 21 years old, he would need approval and a signature from his father and his birth certificate. He was back the next day with his father and the birth certificate to complete the enlistment process.

On July 12, 1940 Apprentice Seaman John Albert Karli reported to the Naval Training Station in San Diego where he successfully completed his training on September 19, 1940. He was then transferred to the Naval Air Station in San Pedro, California for further transfer to the USS Oklahoma.

He reported for duty aboard the USS Oklahoma on October 5, 1940, and advanced in rank to Seaman Second Class in mid-November. In June of 1941, John advanced to the rank of Seaman First Class.

The USS Oklahoma arrived in Honolulu on December 6, 1940, one year and one day prior to the fateful event of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.On December 7, 1941, the USS Oklahoma sustained numerous hits from torpedoes, the ship quickly capsized and 429 sailors and marines lost their lives.

On December 20, 1941, a telegram arrived at the Karli residence. It informed them that their son, John Albert Karli, Seaman First Class, US Navy was missing in the performance of his duty and in the service of his country…

In mid-February, a second telegram arrived informing the family that ….after exhaustive search it has been found impossible to locate your son, John Albert Karli, Seaman First Class, US Navy and he has therefore been officially declared to have lost his life in the service of his country…

During our childhood, as nieces and nephews, we really didn’t hear the life story of our Uncle John. As adults, now understand how difficult it was for his parents and siblings to talk about their loss.  We remember the photo of John in his Navy “whites” prominently displayed in our grandparents’ home. We knew that he had perished aboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor at the age of 19. We knew that he was buried in the “Punchbowl” in Hawaii with the other “unknown” shipmates that perished that day. We were told that he was awarded the “Purple Heart” medal. We have since learned that in addition to the Purple Heart medal that was awarded posthumously in December of 1943, he was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and the American Defense Service Medal in December of 1946.

John Albert Karli is honored at the Courts of the Missing in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) and the USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island in Honolulu.

He is survived by a nephew, David Snyder (Jo) of Fair Oaks, California, and two nieces, Deanna Durham-Larkin, of Cottage Grove, Oregon and Marilyn Long (George) of Lake Forest, California. He is also survived by 15 grand nieces and nephews and many great grand nieces and nephews

John Albert Karli, Seaman First Class, will be laid to rest with his parents, fulfilling their lifelong wish that their son would return home.

A graveside Military Honors Ceremony will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, Mountain View Cemetery, 2400 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Altadena, California 91001