Edward L. Kromminga Jr. was born on Feb. 18, 1923, and joined the USAAC on Jan. 8, 1943. After basic training, including Morse Code and Armory Gunnery, Staff Sergeant Edward Kromminga became the ball turret gunner on the B-24, "Good Heavens."

Before being shipped overseas, he married his sweetheart on July 8, 1944. His base overseas was the 454 Bomb Group, 736 Flight Squadron.

On Nov. 11, 1944, on his way home from his 32nd mission, his plane was shot down. He landed in Udina, Italy, a German headquarters. Immediately after his capture by the Germans, he had one week of interrogations in solitary.

His first POW camp was in Stalag Luft III. From there, he was sent by boxcar on the train (1-31-45) and arrived in Nurnberg Stalag Luft XIII (2-31-45). Towards the end of the war, on April 4, 1945, the entire camp started a march to Mooseburg, in which they were stationed in Stalag Luft VII until liberated on April 29, 1945, by General Patton's army.

Edward and his wife, Dorothy, reside in Eden Prairie, Minn. For his unselfish service to country, he was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal.