Albert Earnest Schwab served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Private First Class with the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Squadron, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force during World War II. A flamethrower operator, he was killed in action on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Islands during the Battle of Okinawa. He had just destroyed two important Japanese machine gun positions during a critical stage of battle, allowing his pinned-down unit to advance. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and Purple Heart.
