Max Marom was born on December 1, 1942 in Indonesia to Gertrude and William who were sent to separate prisoner-of-war camps in the Far East during World War II. Max was taken to a Red Cross orphanage from which, at the end of the war, he was scheduled to be sent to another orphanage in Australia. At the last moment a dedicated Red Cross worker restored him to his parents. The family moved to Chicago where Max went through school.
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Max was certified as a helicopter pilot. He was later appointed pilot and flight instructor and in 1965 spent a year as a pilot in Vietnam, where he embarked on many operational missions. He was a captain in the US Air Force when he decided to immigrate to Israel. In the summer of 1969 he immigrated to Israel from Topeka, Kansas, with his wife Barbara. Max enlisted in the IDF in October 1969 and was assigned to the Israel Air Force, where he was awarded the rank of Major and served as an instructor in a squadron in the south of the country, and he was known for his excellent abilities and exemplary character. He was considered one of the best pilots in his unit,
A few days before his death, his eldest daughter was born and there was no limit to his joy, but he only saw her once, because he was confined to his role in the squadron, and when the Yom Kippur War broke out Max was sent to work on the front Sinai, and took part in aerial operational activity over the battlefields. On October 17, 1973, his helicopter was hit by an operational operation in the skies of Sinai and he was killed and brought to rest in the cemetery in Be’er Sheva. Two and a half years later, Barbara and Deena returned to Los Angeles to be near family.
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