Axel Edvard Altberg (1908 - 1999)
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
most people have never heard of the farmer's son Axel Edvard Altberg from Gäddvik, Alfta, Sweden, who became a pilot and later a Colonel in the US Air Force? Axel was born on August 3, 1908, and grew up on the farm called "Skräddarns," later known as "Altbergs," together with his parents, soldier and farmer Johan and his wife Kerstin, along with a total of 13 children.
Just after turning 16, Axel emigrated on September 20, 1924, along with his older brothers Jonas Arvid and Magnus Gustaf. The destination of their journey was the city of Stromsburg, Nebraska, where their previously emigrated siblings were living. After settling in, Axel enrolled at the University of Nebraska and later graduated with a degree in business administration and engineering, also registering as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. In 1940, he married Eva Ellen Prest from Trenton, and the couple moved to Fort Shafter, Honolulu, Hawaii. The tranquility and harmony were short-lived. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and on December 24, 1941, the couple had their first child. Axel, being a pilot, was later stationed in Europe during World War II.
In 1948, Axel was recruited into the newly reorganized United States Air Force and worked there for three decades, retiring in 1964. It was truly an eventful life from the small village of Gäddvik outside Alfta, Hälsingland, Sweden, to the USA.
Axel Edvard Altberg passed away on July 2, 1999, in Montgomery, Alabama.
