Ken Dahlberg was born on June 30, 1917, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on November 18, 1941, and served with the Coast Artillery before entering the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on March 16, 1942. He was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was awarded his pilot wings at Luke Field, Arizona, on December 4, 1942, and then served as a Flying Safety Officer at Yuma Army Air Base, Arizona, from December 1942 to August 1943. Lt Dahlberg attended the School of Applied Tactics in Orlando, Florida, from August to October 1943, followed by served as a P-40 Warhawk instructor pilot at Luke Field from October 1943 to February 1944. He then attended P-47 Thunderbolt operational training at Tallahassee, Florida, from February to April 1944. His next assignment was as a P-51 Mustang and then P-47 pilot with the 353rd Fighter Squadron of the 354th Fighter Group in England from June 1944 until he was shot down and taken as a Prisoner of War in Germany on February 14, 1945. During this time Capt Dahlberg was credited with the destruction of 15 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 2 damaged in the air. He was released from captivity on April 29, 1945, and returned to the United States in June 1945. After recovering and taking leave, he left active duty on January 1, 1946, and then joined the Minnesota Air National Guard. Maj Dahlberg served with the Minnesota Air National Guard until his honorable discharge on May 15, 1951. After leaving active duty, Ken founded Dahlberg Electronics in 1948, and one of the subsidiaries of his company was the Miracle-Ear hearing aids manufacturer. Ken Dahlberg died on October 4, 2011, and was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona.

His Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads:

Captain Kenneth H. Dahlberg distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy while serving as flight commander during an armed reconnaissance mission near Trier, Germany, on 19 December 1944. On that date, a formation of more than ninety enemy fighters was observed. Despite the enemy's vast numerical superiority, Captain Dahlberg led his eight ship flight in a direct attack upon the hostile force. Although his wing man was forced to break combat, Captain Dahlberg relentlessly attacked the enemy, destroying four of their aircraft and damaging another. The extraordinary heroism and determination of this officer to destroy the enemy were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States.