 On June 18, 1953, Hospitalman Kilmer's mother, Lois Kilmer, was presented with her son's Medal of Honor by Secretary of the Navy Robert Bernard Anderson.Kilmer is buried in San Jose Burial Park, San Antonio, Texas.On 16 October 2019, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced that it will name a new guided missile destroyer in his honor the USS "John E. Kilmer" (DDG-134).