Fort Sill Marine Detachment XO presents flag for fallen Marine

PERRYTON, Texas (May 4, 2022) — On Dec. 7, 1941, Pvt. Waldean “Dean” Black was a Marine assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He along with 428 shipmates were listed as missing or killed following the attacks that fateful Sunday. Now, after 80 years, Black has finally returned home.

Black was finally laid to rest during a ceremony near his hometown of Perryton, Texas, April 25, 2022. Black was buried with full military honors, including a flag presentation to Derek Black, the Marine’s nephew and oldest living relative.

“It was truly an honor for me to present the flag as a symbol of our nation’s appreciation to their loved one’s service,” said Lt. Col. Rogelio Salvador Oregon, executive officer of the Fort Sill Marine Detachment. “To be able to do it for a Marine, a hero from that generation who died at Pearl Harbor, basically the day we entered into World War II, was very meaningful for me.”

For Derek, although he never met his uncle, the ceremony was bitter-sweet. The day not only saw the return of a long-lost family member, but also brought together family from across the United States who had never met before, he said.

“I grew up listening to my grandmother and other family members tell stories about him. Dean was a family hero,” said Derek. “We're just thankful for everything that all those involved did for us and especially for my uncle Dean. It's something that has changed our lives.

Black joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Texas and was aboard the battleship when it came under attack by Japanese aircraft. Moored outboard of USS Maryland (BB-46), she was hit by a great number of Japanese aerial torpedoes. With her left side torn open over much of its length, Oklahoma rapidly rolled over and sank to the harbor bottom, with the loss of over 400 of her crew. Many of the men trapped in her upturned hull were cut free through the intense efforts of Sailors and civilian Navy Yard employees.

Black was one of 429 Marines and Sailors killed in the attack. In the following years, only 35 of the 429 sailors and Marines who died on the Oklahoma were identified. The remains of 394 unidentified sailors and Marines, including Black, were buried in 61 caskets in 45 graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

In 2015, advances in forensic techniques prompted the Department of Defense to reexamine the unknown remains from the Oklahoma, and Private Black was eventually identified from among them by DNA.

It was Derek’s DNA that helped identify his uncle’s remains.

“He died about 15 years before I was born,” said Black. “But this has brought so much of our family together — people I never met before. My older brother, who is named after our uncle, should have been here, but he passed away about 10 years ago.”

To identify Black’s remains, scientists from The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis. Black was eventually accounted for Dec. 13, 2018.

Due to COVID restrictions, it wasn’t until April 25, 2022, Black was able to be interred with family near his hometown of Perryton, Texas.

“I’m just grateful to the Marines and the other organizations who helped put all this together,” said Derek. “It was amazing to see the entire community lining the streets, waving flags and saluting my uncle.”