WWII veteran and longtime Lower Burrell police officer leaves behind stories of airborne exploits

Albert Chamrad, a resident and retired police officer from Lower Burrell, died earlier this month, taking his firsthand account of performing one of the most dangerous duties in World War II with him.

The 99-year-old died in his sleep June 13 at Southwestern Veterans’ Center in Pittsburgh. He lived a long life, despite going on 35 missions as an Army Air Corps gunner from 1943 to 1945, sometimes encountering heavy fire.

Often from heights of 20,000 feet and in temperatures 50 degrees below zero, Chamrad dodged death and destruction in a B-17 Flying Fortress as he battled German fighter planes.

His first mission with the Eighth Air Force’s 398th Bomb Group was especially perilous.

Moments after flak hit a fuel tank on his bomber, ground-based anti-aircraft fire tore into the plane’s underside, stopping just before it struck Chamrad’s position.

Somehow, his plane landed safely.

According to the 398th Bomb Group, 10% of all American service deaths came from the Eighth Air Force, along with 18,000 wounded soldiers, 28,000 prisoners of war and 7,000 downed planes.

His daughter, Carol Ann Szafranski, said Chamrad seldom talked about his experience as a soldier until his later years. In 2012, he recounted his military exploits to TribLive, and he was interviewed earlier this year for the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.

He was more than just a gunner though.

After the war, he worked as a high-lift operator for 15 years at General Electric in New Kensington. Once that plant closed, he served as a Lower Burrell police officer for 25 years.

He balanced his work with raising two children with his wife, Dorothy, volunteering at UPMC St. Margaret hospital and holding leadership roles in Lower Burrell’s American Legion Post 868 and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 39.

Leroy Anthony worked with Chamrad as a Lower Burrell police officer and the two remained friends through the Lodge, where Anthony served as president for six years.

“Al was one of my best friends,” Anthony said. “He’d do anything for you.”

Chamrad also managed to march in all but one Veterans Day parade in Lower Burrell until he was 92.

“To me, that was amazing,” Szafranski said.

She described him as a caring and patient father who prioritized family and God above all else.

For fun, he played card games, tinkered with train sets and took long walks — a habit he kept into his 90s. He stayed active for most of his life, going back to his days as a baseball, basketball and track athlete at Plum High School.

In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his son, Timothy Chamrad; a granddaughter, Tammy Szafranski; and a sister-in-law, Edna Sukala. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Mercedas Chamrad, as well as his wife, Dorothy, and a sister, Norma Burford.

A viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at Rusiewicz Funeral Homes’ Lower Burrell location, 3124 Leechburg Road, followed by a service. He will be buried with military honors by American Legion Post 980 in Plum Creek Cemetery.