ソロモン諸島の戦い
After an honorable discharge, he reenlisted April 25, 1940 and was assigned to the heavy cruiser . Keppler was promoted to First Class Petty Officer at the beginning of October 1941. During the war Boatswain's Mate First Class Keppler participated in action at Pearl Harbor, the early wartime raids on Bougainville and New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands campaign.