Charles William Bass

Charles William Bass was born and raised in Madison County. He graduated from Winterset in the class of 1948. As a young man he excelled in football and basketball. After graduation he enlisted in the Army and later achieved the rank of Master Sergeant. In 1960 he got married and made his home in Clarksville, TN. MSGT Bass completed two full tours in South Vietnam and started a third tour in August 1965. He worked as an advisor and an infantry operations specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division. MSGT Bass died on November 17, 1965 during the Battle of Ia Drang on Landing Zone Albany. The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major engagement between North Vietnamese regulars and American forces. His body was returned to the United States and buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Clarksville, TN. He was 35 years old at the time of his death. Bass left behind a wife and four year old son.