Editor’s note: when Culver lost Eugene William “Gene” Riester Sept. 29, it lost one of its last Pearl Harbor veterans and a well-known and well-liked member of the community. Thankfully, Agnes Bramfeld of the Antiquarian and Historical Society of Culver interviewed Riester – as well as several other World War II veterans of Culver – earlier this year.
Riester was born Oct. 24, 1921 to Robert and Augusta (Sue) Riester in Gary. After his graduation from Lew Wallace High School in Gary in 1939, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy
And achieved the rank of Seaman First Class. After his 1946 discharge, Riester returned to Gary, marrying his wife Katherine Mihalik in 1948, and beginning a life-long career with NIPSCO. The company being transferred him to Culver in 1961 and he retired in 1983, taking on work in 1986 as the meter reader for Culver’s water and sewer utilities, from which he retired in 2001 at age 80.
A member of St. Mary’s of the Lake Catholic Church and the Finney-Shilling VFW Post 6919, Riester was also a member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and the Knights of Columbus, besides Culver’s Lions Club, Fraternal Order of Eagles, and the American Legion.
What follows are Riester’s words during the Bramfeld interview, a DVD of which may be viewed at the Antiquarians’ Center for Culver History museum and research center at the Culver Public Library.

I joined the Navy in 1940, just after getting out of high school, and they sent us to Great Lakes (Naval Base) for training. We got off to Pearl Harbor. I was out there during the attack. We were getting ready for breakfast when (the order) sounded…to get to your battle stations. We got up on topside and couldn’t figure out what was going on; we thought it was just the Air Force holding maneuvers just to keep us alert.
Then we saw the insignias on the airplanes and (heard) the explosions, and then we figured it out: we’re at war. We’re being attacked.
It dawned on us, so that’s when we got scared.
And we did the best we could to fight it back with anti-aircraft fire. And the (USS) Arizona got blown up.
The attack got going. After it was done we got underway to get out to sea to do some searching, but to no avail. They were already gone.
During the attack one Japanese airplane flew low over the water and our third class quartermaster shot it down. He was manning a deck anti-aircraft gun, so we struck one for our side.
The ship I was on was the USS Warden; it was a destroyer (in) Destroyer Squadron One.
Like I said we got out to sea and did some searching but they were already gone, so we came back in and reorganized.
The next step was, I believe, the Coral Sea. The Japanese were going to invade Australia and New Zealand, but we stopped them and we lost the carrier USS Lexington. Then we hopped into the landing of the Solomon Islands. Then we operated in the South Pacific off and on. We got into Midway; that was mostly Navy Air Force, but we helped. We were there.
I was a seaman — a swab jockey, that’s the nickname for it. We operated with Admiral Halsey — everyone called him “Bull” Halsey -- on the famous Task Force 58. He was nicknamed “the Patton of the Navy.” (He was a) very good admiral; very aggressive.
We were in Guam (and) places like that, and we helped on the invasion of Iwo Jima. We would bombard targets to help the Marines – just a general “do this and do that” ship. But we helped quite a bit.
I remember coming back into New Guinea. We backed up some Rangers landing there. During the night we were attacked by two bombers. One we shot down; the other one got away. Next morning the wing was (on the ground). We went out and got the wing, and on the landing gear it said “Consolidated Aircraft, San Diego, California.” One of the guys spoke up and said, “I worked there! Maybe I built that!” But that’s the way it was. We were helping the Japanese before the war, selling scrap.
We were assigned to the Lucian Islands. We landed and backed up the Rangers with anti-aircraft. There was a shell bombardment and we sank. We had to go swimming. It always sticks in my memories. We were on lifeboats. (Me and) my buddy who survived the (USS) Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. When the captain said, “Abandon ship!” we jumped in like it was the old swimming hole! But it wasn’t; it was cold.
They picked us up and when we got into the air it was twice as bad. They took us to the transport (where we) changed clothes and they gave us some brandy -- that was very nice! I asked, “Can I have another one?” He said, “No, you’re conscious. You don’t need more!”
We got back to the States with the Navy and then operated in the South Pacific for the rest of the war.
I was on Guam when they dropped the (atomic) bomb (on Japan). We gave a lot of cheers when they did that. We were part of the invasion fleet. We were going to invade Japan. We kind of gave a big sigh of relief.
I came back to the States, got discharged, and went back home. I had a bunch of souvenirs all boxed up, ready to ship back home. I went down to get them and the chief postman there said, “Where you going? That compartment is full of water!” So I don’t have any souvenirs, but that’s the way the ball bounces.
My overall impression of being in the Navy: I enjoyed it. The Navy was a good job.
Was I afraid? You better believe I was afraid, every time I went into action. There was something wrong with you if you weren’t afraid. We got a few scares there. We lost 14 shipmates when the Warden went down.