Albert Carl Maass was born on 30 November 1923, in Nassau, MN, to William and Clara Redepenning Maass. He had five brothers and four sisters. Albert was raised and educated in and around Nassau, and he worked as a mechanic in his hometown before he entered the service. His parents moved to Cavour in Beadle County, SD, in 1947, after Albert returned from WW II.

Maass enlisted in the U.S. Army on 24 March 1943, at Fort Snelling, MN, and during World War II served in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany as part of the 142nd Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division. During WWII he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism in battle and the Purple Heart.

SGT Maass remained in the Army after WWII and was stationed in the Philippines before being sent to Korea. According to a newspaper article, SGT Maass was “one of the World War II veteran non-commissioned officers in the first companies of the 24th Infantry Division that was thrown into the Korean battle hastily from Japan.”

On 27 July 1950, SGT Albert Carl Maass was killed in action while fighting the enemy near Hadong, South Korea.

Medals and Badge

Bronze Star Medal with Combat Valor Device
Purple Heart
American Campaign Medal
European, African, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Burial

In April 1951, the body of Sergeant Albert Carl Maass was returned to the United States and he was buried with military honors at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Nassau, MN.

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