A large crowd of local residents lined the streets and watched respectfully as Machinist’s Mate First Class Keith Tipsword was laid to rest at Moccasin Cemetery in Beecher City, Illinois, on November 15, 2022.

An honor guard of Navy pallbearers carried the fallen hero to his final resting place, and a Navy chaplain presented his sister with the folded flag from his casket at the conclusion of the service.

In a nation which has been at war since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this was a scene that has become all too familiar. But this ceremony stood out for another reason. It had taken 81 years for MM1c Keith Tipsword to reach his final resting place, a journey which began on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

December 7 marks Pearl Harbor Day, a time to honor the lives lost during the surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. This event, often referred to as "a date which will live in infamy," as President Franklin D. Roosevelt described it, not only changed the course of World War II but also shaped the history of the United States and the wider world.

December 7, 1941, will be forever known as ‘The Date That Will Live in Infamy’ in the United States. President Franklin Roosevelt uttered those words in response to the heinous and deliberate attack by the Empire of Japan on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack on an early Sunday morning killed 2,403 U.S. service personnel, including 50 servicemen from Illinois. The attack also injured 1,178 people, and included with the deceased were 68 civilians.