World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Alvin E. Gronback
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Laverne, Iowa
Honored By
A Grateful American
He served in WWII with the 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group, 355th Fighter Squadron, during the European Theater of Operations. The 354th Fighter Group was the first unit to receive the Merlin-engine P-51B planes in Europe. The unit was originally part of the 9th Air Force, but it was quickly taken over by the 8th Air Force in order to escort their Heavy Bombers on long bombing raids into Germany. The P-51 aircraft played a big part in the destruction of the German Luftwaffe. He crashed on December 18, 1944, near Rissdorf, Germany. His remains were found July, 1949 in a nearby Cemetery, and returned to the United States. He was awarded the Purple Heart.