John J. Gemborski was born on November 17, 1919, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He was the son of Sophia Wrzos Gembroski. He served in the 368th Bomber Squadron, 306th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 #42-30782 “Rationed Passion” during World War II. On January 11, 1944, during a mission over Halberstadt, his plane was shot down. Surviving the crash, SSgt Gemborski evaded capture with the help of local resistance fighters, who provided shelter and assistance as he awaited the opportunity to escape back to England.

Unfortunately, the safety of SSgt Gemborski and seven other American airmen was compromised after a betrayal by local collaborators. They were captured by German forces, along with two members of the Belgian resistance who had been aiding them. The Belgian resistance members were deported to camps in Germany, where they later died. On April 22, 1944, SSgt Gemborski and the other airmen were taken to a wooded area near Chimay, where they were executed by German troops and buried in a mass grave.

After the war, those responsible for the massacre were prosecuted by Belgian authorities. SSgt Gemborski is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice.