Bringing Light from the Darkness

It was a dark and stormy night.  Eugene Piester sat in the back of the room thinking through his options. He listened intently, and his interest was piqued. The year was 2003, and Eugene and others in his church were being asked to make a decision with their finances that would affect the lives of thousands across the country.

As he contemplated, Eugene reflected back on the ways he had served God and his fellow Americans over the years.

Eugene-Piester-and-Debbie-Hainesorg

War Effort

Eugene came of age on a 10-acre family farm in Corona, California just a few miles from where he lives today. His days were filled with the odor of the farm, the animals he tended, the soil he plowed, the sweet scent of hay.

While Eugene and his family worked the farm, others were at work in geopolitics, planning for world domination, usurping the freedom of millions, and preparing to wage war. On a cool Sunday in December 1941, Eugene walked into church as a carefree young man, but once inside, news was buzzing amongst the congregants that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. This changed his world forever.

Eugene went to work as a welder in the shipyards of San Pedro, California, building cargo ships to support the war effort. Not long after that, he joined the Army Air Force, being schooled on every detail of America’s air combat machines—initially the uniquely crafted P-38 Lightning twin engine fighter and then others like the P-51 Mustang, B-25, and ultimately the P-47. His initial training took him by train all over the United States.

Eugene recalled that “those long train rides across the U.S. revealed the majesty of the country I was about to defend and gave me vibrant memories of God’s creation.” His travels would take him to points around the world on four continents and ultimately to Burma (now Myanmar).

Air Support

The Japanese had established control of Burma with intentions of overpowering India, with its valuable minerals and abundant supply of rice. British ground forces along with Nepalese Gurkha fighters were doing all they could to hold back the tide, but they desperately needed air support.

Eugene said, “In the Army Air Force they had a special group called the Air Commandos who were chosen to go on long-range or dangerous missions. The dirty work.” As a Crew Chief for squadron leader Captain Owen (O.B.) Carter, Eugene’s leadership was critical to the mission. Captain Carter flew 82 combat missions behind enemy lines to support the British and Gurkha forces.

“That powerful sense of pride we felt after completing our mission and breaking new ground in military tactics was dampened by an undeniable feeling of loss for our friends who did not make it through.” —Eugene Piester

“My job was to jump in the cockpit and start the engine, then get out and stand on the wing until the pilot arrived. As he ran toward the plane, I reached out, grabbed his hand, pulled him up onto the wing, helped him in the cockpit, secured his parachute harness, buckled him into his seat belt, closed the canopy, and quickly jumped off the wing to pull out the wheel chocks, waving him out for takeoff. Those brave pilots never hesitated and never once showed any fear.”

Eugene’s unit used unorthodox means of establishing small bases in the Burmese jungle, moving from location to location in order to avoid Japanese air attacks, which still came with swift fury. With a foxhole as his only protection, Eugene could hear the machine gun fire whistling by as anti-aircraft gunners returned fire. And then it was time to find a new location.

Special Ops

Building a new air field in the jungle and transporting equipment was no easy task. But in doing so, Eugene’s unit halted the advances of the Japanese armies into India, sabotaging their supply routes. The British military officials were very impressed with the group’s successes and started calling them “Air Commandos,” which has evolved into the Air Force Special Operations Group—special ops.

Eugene reminisced, “We started losing fighter planes. Most of the time, we didn’t have a clue what had happened to them. Once in a while, the pilot could radio back and tell us he had taken a hit, and we would know, but most often in was a tragic mystery.” Lost without a trace. “That powerful sense of pride we felt after completing our mission and breaking new ground in military tactics was dampened by an undeniable feeling of loss for our friends who did not make it through.”

The ultimate loss for Eugene came when he witnessed Captain Carter’s replacement, Second Lieutenant Albert Hainey, on a training run. Waiting too long to pull out of a dive, Lieutenant Hainey’s plane crashed in a ball of fire. “I was beside myself with disbelief and distraught with grief and sorrow for this bright young pilot and his family back in the States. . . . That memory still haunts me.”

Upon the Japanese surrender, after two years of working seven days a week in the Burmese jungles, Crew Chief Eugene Piester boarded a U.S. Navy vessel for the 27-day trip home, pulling into New York Harbor and seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. She was standing tall, proclaiming freedom.

100% Faithful

Some 60 years later Eugene sat in the back of the room at Crossroads Christian Church on that dark and stormy night, the recent death of his wife, Maxine, still fresh on his mind. Eugene had served both God and country for his entire life. Now he heard a challenging new way that he could use his financial resources to serve God and churches across the country. Through CDF Capital, Eugene discovered that he could watch his investment grow while at the same time helping churches grow.

“My faithfulness to Christ is 100%. I wouldn’t give that up for anything,” Eugene said. That commitment to the cause of Christ even eclipses the sacrifices he was willing to make for his country.

So Eugene decided to invest in CDF Capital. For 15 years his money has been used to fulfill the heart’s desire of other people—resourcing growing churches, helping church plants find their financial footing, opening new doors in God’s Kingdom so that more people could enter in.

“He has invested his life in protecting America’s freedom as a patriot and military hero. And he invested his finances to change the lives of thousands through the church.” —@braddupray

Eugene Piester has lived for nearly a century and is now in his 97th year on this earth. He has seen the world. He has invested his life in protecting America’s freedom as a patriot and military hero. And he invested his finances to change the lives of thousands through the church. Eugene has truly brought light into dark and stormy places.

Changing Times—Same Need

The world has changed in many ways over the decades, but here is one thing that remains the same: churches still need financial resources in order to grow. At CDF Capital, we are committed to helping Christians steward their resources well so that, together, we can help churches grow. When you entrust your resources to CDF Capital, your investment grows—and so do churches across the country.

Special thanks to freelance writer Cynthia Hoff for her collaborative work on Mr. Piester’s autobiography, which provided a wealth of information for this blog post.