Shot down 11 May 1944 in B-17 #4231402. Killed in Action (KIA). Had completed 29 missions before crash. In letter from sister: my brother Alex was the oldest in our family. We were children of immigrant parents and lived on a farom in Youngsville, NY. When the US declared war on Germany and Japan, both my brothers immediately signed up. Alex in the Army Air Corp and my other brother in the Marines. Because we lived on a dairy farm, one of my brothers could have had a deferment but they would not hear of it and insisted on serving their country. Alex became a B-17 bomber pilot and was sent overseas to England in Jan 44. I do not know of all his missions but I do know he was in the first daylight bombing of Berlin. The family was expecting him home because he had completed his 25 missions but instead we received a telegram stating that he was Missing in Action (MIA), not knowing that the army had increased the number of missions to 30. We hoped that he would be a Prisoner of War (POW) but he was declared dead after a year, He will always be loved and never forgotten.



PH/DFC/Air Medal w 3Oak Leaf Cluster