Alex Penkala
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Alex Penkala
| Alex Penkala | |
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| Born | 1924 South Bend, Indiana |
| Died | January 10, 1945 (aged 21) Foy, Belgium |
| Place of burial | Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Rank |  Private First Class |
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations | -Irene (sister) |
| Other work | Cook |
Private First Class Alex M. Penkala, Jr. (1924 - January 10, 1945) was a paratrooper with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Penkala was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Tim Matthews.
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Youth
Penkala was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1924. He had 12 brothers and sisters.[1] His mother died when she had her thirteenth child, and Alex's sister, Irene, looked after Alex and the others.[1] His family was from Finland. He dropped out of high school during his sophomore year.[2] Enlisting in the army on February 27, 1942 at Toledo, Ohio, he also became a cook.[1][2]
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The grave of Penkala in Hamm, Luxembourg
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Alex M. Penkala's grave at Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial
Military service
In August 1942 after training in Camp Toccoa, Georgia, Penkala made his first combat jump on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) as part of Operation Overlord. In September 1944, he jumped into occupied Holland as part of Operation Market Garden, which eventually failed. After being pulled off the line, Easy Company returned to France, where they were transported to Bastogne, Belgium to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. Alex Penkala was killed in action, just outside the Belgian town of Foy, by fire from German artillery.[3] His friend Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck was in the same foxhole at the time and was also killed.[3] Penkala is buried at the American cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.
Medals and Decorations
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Bronze Star |
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Purple Heart |
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Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster |
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Good Conduct Medal |
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American Defense Service Medal |
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American Campaign Medal |
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European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 service stars and arrow device |
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World War II Victory Medal |
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Army of Occupation Medal |
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Croix de guerre with palm |
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French Liberation Medal |
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Belgian WWII Service Medal |
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Combat Infantryman Badge |
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Parachutist Badge with 2 jump stars |
References
- ^ a b c Boule, Margie (2002-04-11). "Story of brother killed in World War II isn't just Hollywood's". http://www.tircuit.com/bandofbrothers/messages/135/876.html?1231263318. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ a b WWII Army Enlistment Records: on-line NARA Archival Database
- ^ a b Ambrose, p.204.
Bibliography
- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
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