Major Berg was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was the pilot of an F4U-5N Corsair night fighter with the Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On November 30, 1950, during an airstrike near Kudam-ni, North Korea, his aircraft's engine developed trouble and he crashed near the Chosin Reservoir. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on December 3, 1953. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.