Rank: Private
Unit: 44th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 11th Cavalry Group (Mecz)
Awards:
Entered service: 20-Dec-1940
Enlisted: Peoria, Illinois
Enlisted by: Regular Army (including Officers, Nurses, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted Men)
Date of birth: 6-Feb-1913
Hometown: Macon County, Illinois
Marital status: Single, without dependents. Mother: Gussie Gronkowski
Campaign: World War II
Date of casualty: 23-May-1945
Age at death: 32
Cause of death: Died Non-battle, air crash
Regular Army (including Officers, Nurses, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted Men)was a passenger on Flight C-46D (#44-77507) which was taking 40 American soldiers that were ill or injured to hospitals in the Paris, France area and was then eventually going to take them all back to the United States. This flight occurred after Germany’s surrender on May 7, 1945.
However this C-46, for unknown reasons, developed a fire in one of it’s two engines and crashed near the village of Taillefontaine, near Paris.
Edward died in the “Line Of Duty”, along with the flights 4 man crew and 40 others when this C-46D crashed.
Three Blackhorse troopers died in this incident:
TEC5 Jack M. Garrity
PVT Edward Max Gronkowski
TEC4 Floyd A. Kittrell
Location of fatality: Taillefontaine, France
Place of interment: Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA
Originally buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Lorraine, France. Repatriated April 1950.
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