JUDA — On Dec. 7, 1941, the date that will live in infamy, Juda native David Joseph Riley lost his life aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The surprise Japanese attack thrust the United States into World War II. A total of 2,403 Americans were killed, including 429 on the Oklahoma. 

Riley was Green County’s first casualty of World War II. It took the United States more than 80 years to identify his remains, and it took distant foster cousin Deborah Krauss Smith almost two more years to get his remains home, so he could be buried alongside his foster parents, Elmer and Della Ausmus.

“After all of these years, we are unbelievably fortunate that David’s remains will finally be laid to rest here in Juda with his foster parents,” said Krauss Smith, Riley’s foster first cousin, twice removed. It was fitting that his reburial came on Memorial Day weekend, when the nation honors those who served in the military and gave the ultimate sacrifice — their lives. “We don’t want to forget those whose final resting place are in national cemeteries, or in American cemeteries overseas, or even places that can’t be reached or aren’t even known.”

On May 27, 2023, Riley reentered Green County for the first time since joining the Navy in 1940. A program in honor and remembrance was held at Juda High School, and later his committal service was held at Mt. Vernon Cemetery, with full military honors. Hundreds gathered in Juda for the event.

“It’s a relief, it’s closure, and it’s a joy to be able to do this — and then to have such decorum, it’s amazing to me,” Krauss Smith said. “It feels good to have David to where he should be after all the trouble. Not just the problem of him losing his life, but all the years of not being able to identify him, and then just the process of getting him here.”

Riley was born in 1916 Green Bay, but sometime after their divorce, Riley was placed in a home in Madison for foster children, and eventually found his way to Elmer and Della, who didn’t have any children of their own. 

“It is not known why David ended up in foster care. We can only speculate that the first decade of his life wasn’t the most pleasant or stable,” Krauss Smith said. 

In the following years, Riley received his public school diploma (1931) from Juda schools, attended what is now the Juda Zion Methodist Church, and went on to work in multiple jobs in Monroe. He developed a friendship with Helen Lehr, who he worked with at Karlen Bakery. On May 7, 1940, he took his Oath of Allegiance to the United States Navy.

Not long before the Pearl Harbor attacks, Riley sent a letter home and a scarf home to Lehr. That scarf is now displayed at the Monroe American Legion post that bears his name: Zilmer-Riley Post 84. Laird, now 101-years-old and living in assisted living in Monroe, is the last person living to have known Riley.

“She’s the last person still living who knew David,” said Krauss Smith, who visited with Laird just days before the memorial. “She was five years younger than David when they both worked at Karlen Bakery. During our visit, she repeatedly described David as a ‘good egg’ and ‘a really good guy’. She said they would visit with each other as coworkers, but he never talked about his past or his home. She said she wasn’t one to pry, either. Helen’s friendship probably meant more to David than she knew at the time.”

Krauss Smith said that in his final days, David was rejuvenated with life, and finding a purpose. 

“In a final letter home before Pearl Harbor happened, David seemed to realize the seriousness of life — acknowledging that he had missed opportunities in his life prior to the navy, and that he intended to make up for when he came back. Of course, he never got the opportunity to make up for those,” Krauss Smith said. “He was a young man just beginning to find his way.”

The Oklahoma was hit multiple times by Japanese bombs, capsizing the vessel in just eight minutes. Much of the crew that died were trapped inside the flooded hull. Two years later, the ship was able to be repaired and floated again. The bodies were exhumed, and reburied at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. On February 24, 2021, his remains were identified in a last-ditch effort by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which used forensic technology and DNA. Riley was Wisconsin’s last unidentified Pearl Harbor casualty. 

“We want to make sure everyone comes home,” said John Curran, State Captain of the Wisconsin Patriot Guard Riders. To join the Wisconsin Patriot Guard riders, Curran cites just one simple requirement: Respect. “Respect for the families, respect for the fallen.”

The group has helped bring home several others of the 429 USS Oklahoma dead. He had never heard of David Riley before, and the group began working to find his home. Months later, they were in contact with Krauss Smith, and together they began to track down where Riley should call home. They got the office of Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin involved, and through virtue of patience and persistence, the ducks all lined up in a row. 

Also assisting Krauss Smith with Riley’s return included VetsRoll.org and the Navy Casualty Office. 

Riley was posthumously awarded a Purple Hearth, the American Campaign Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. There is a memorial located inside of Juda High School for Riley, and, in 1947, Riley’s name was added alongside Glen Zilmer’s at the American Legion Post 84. Zilmer was Green County’s first casualty of World War I.

At the time of Riley’s death, he was survived by his foster parents, a maternal foster grandmother (Oricka Zeittlow Matzke), and other foster aunts, uncles and cousins. His foster mother, Della, died in 1960, and foster father Elmer died in 1976. 

The memorial event featured the Juda Zion Church Adult Choir, the Monroe Brass Quintet, Zilmer-Riley American Legion Post 84 members, Green County Historical Society, Juda Historians and foster relatives, Shriner-Hager-Gohlke Funeral Home, the Juda Fire Dept., Juda School District staff, Green County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Monroe Police Dept.

“For Elmer and Della, I hope they found solace in the shared grief of this close-knit community that has welcomed all of us here today in Juda. It is that same community that kept David’s memory alive here all of these years later,” Baldwin said during the memorial service. “David Riley will be buried here with dignity alongside his loved ones — finally laid to rest in a community that fought to honor his legacy and bring him home. May David’s soul rest in peace, and may the memory of his service and sacrifice live forever.”

Presenting at the burial were Naval Station Great Lakes Honor Guard, with speakers including Chaplain Tommy Jung and Terry W. Eddinger, Rear Admiral, CHC, U.S. Navy Deputy Chief of Chaplains for Reserve Matters. The Honor Guard displayed full military honors, including a 21-gun salute.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also ordered flags across the state to be flown at half-mast on May 27.