FC2c Richard Henry Eulberg

Businesses closed the morning of Richard Henry Eulberg’s memorial service at St. Joseph Catholic Church so that everyone in Garnavillo, Iowa, population 461, could attend.

Mr. Eulberg was a fire controlman and petty officer second class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed Dec. 7, 1941 in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Known as Dick, he was born at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on Feb. 28, 1918, to Henry J. Eulberg, a German immigrant, and Elsie M. Bittner Eulberg. Before 1923 the family moved to Garnavillo. The father worked at a lumberyard and the mother was a homemaker. The family included 10 children.

Dick graduated from the local high school. He joined the Navy on March 9, 1938. His starting pay was $21 a month.

Three of his brothers also served in the war and survived. One of them, Donald, an Army private, was captured by the Germans in Tunisia in early 1943 and held as a POW for more than two years. Brother John served in the Navy and Frank in the Army Air Forces. A fourth brother, Philip, served in the Air Force during the Korean conflict.


Sources: Garnavillo (Iowa) Tribune; Guttenberg (Iowa) Press; The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Clayton County Register of Elkader, Iowa; Census; Navy enlistment records and muster roll; U.S. Department of Defense. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.

 
 
NOTE: If you are a family member related to this crew member of the U.S.S. Arizona, or have additional information, pictures or documents to share about his life or service to our county please contact us through our FAMILY MEMBER SUBMISSION FORM