Grenzebach, Earl Wilfre Jr.
Air Force Colonel
Earl Wilfre Jr. Grenzebach from Worcester, New York, Ostego county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: May 12, 1967
Death details: Major Earl Wilfred Grenzebach Jr. entered the U.S. Air Force from New York and was a member of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. On May 12, 1967, he took off in a single-seat F-105D Thunderchief (tail number 59-1728) as the lead in the flight of two fighters on a mission to attack an enemy storage facility in North Vietnam. While attacking the target, he was hit by enemy fire and crashed. His wingman reported he saw Maj Grenzebach eject from the aircraft prior to the crash and that Maj Grenzebach’s beeper stayed on continuously following the crash; however, the wingman had to leave the area to refuel, and when he returned he could not establish visual contact with Maj Grenzebach. The Major was not seen again, and further attempts to locate him or his remains have been unsuccessful. Following the war, the Air Force promoted Maj Grenzebach to the rank of Colonel. Today, Colonel Grenzebach is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency