WW2 Fallen - AT-7 Navigator pilot Richard Lass + DNA scientist

Lt. Lass was a pilot in the 2536th Base Unit.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2915382/richard-herman-lass
http://www.twinbeech.com/pictures.htm

Richard Herman Lass never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on October 1, 1919 in Wisconsin. His parents August and Anna were also both born in Wisconsin. Richard had one older brother. By 1940 Richard was living at home with his brother and mother, who had divorced his father. Richard had completed two years of college (probably at La Crosse State Teachers College).

He enlisted in the army in March 1943 and volunteered for the Army Air Forces. He trained to become a pilot and a second lieutenant in Section F, 2536th Base Unit based in Texas.

He was involved in a midair collision between two training planes from San Marcos Army Airfield on Friday night, January 19, 1945. Lt. Lass was flying an AT-7C Navigator. Four men survived the accident without injury. However, three men were killed and two others were critically injured, which included Lt. Lass with a skull fracture. He died in hospital on January 24, 1944.

His grave is at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Thank you Lt. Lass for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Richard.

ROY JOHN BRITTEN
Roy Britten was born on the exact same day and year as Richard Lass, in Washington, D. C. He had a knack for physics and by 1940 was already a graduate student at John Hopkins University. With the start of WW2 he was selected to work on the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153808306/roy-john-britten

After the war he earned a PhD from Princeton University. His career took him in the direction of researching molecular biology. He is best known for his discovery on repeated DNA sequences. He died in 2012.

B-24 pilot Graham Guyton was born one year earlier on the same date. You can read about Graham here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

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WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org