Background
Penkala was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1924.
Penkala was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1924.
Penkala was portrayed in the Home Box Office miniseries Band of Brothers by Tim Matthews. Penkala"s life story was featured in the 2010 book A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers and the Legacy They Left United States He dropped out of high school during his sophomore year.
Enlisting in the army on February 27, 1942 at Toledo, Ohio, he became a cook.
He volunteered for the paratroops of the United States Army, after his friends in the cook school told him about the unit In August 1942 after training in Camp Toccoa, Georgia, Penkala made his first combat jump on June 6, 1944 (Doctorate-Day) as part of Operation Overlord.
In September 1944, he jumped into the occupied Netherlands 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.
Penkala is buried at the American cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.
