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- Herbert was raised by aunts and uncles. He was pulled out of high school to work in the cotton fields and decided to join the Army at age 17.
Herbert served with the 4th Constabulary in Linz, Austria from 1947-1949 as HQ & HQ Detachment Commander (information provide by stepson Sterling P. Bassett). The 4th was stationed at Horsching just a few miles from Linz and was there on occupation duty in the southern half of Linz. The northern part of the city, across the Danube, was occupied by the Soviets.
I found the birth records below, but also have the following: Sterling P. Bassett, was born 20 Jan 1941 in San Antonio, Texas as Sterling Putnam Clark III. His parents were Sterling P. Clark Jr. and Helen Mary Bamber Clark. His father died 29 Aug 1941. His mother remarried 31 Oct 1942 to MSGT Herbert Bassett. Helen died 1 Dec 1955. He was adopted by his stepfather 15 Mar 1957. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1963 and commissioned 2Lt in Regular Army. Retired in 1993 as Colonel. Returned to his native Texas and lived in El Paso (2009).
El Paso Times, July 30, 2016
Sterling Bassett (1941 ? 2016) (Picture included)
Col. (Ret.) Sterling Putnam Bassett passed away at his beloved Las Ventanas home on July 28, 2016, at the age of 75 after a short - but brutal - battle with cancer. Sterling was born in San Antonio, Texas, on January 20, 1941. He graduated from El Paso High School in 1959, from The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1963 (B.B.A. in Business Administration), and from the U.S. Army War College in 1982 (Master's Degree in Public Administration). He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1963 and quietly and bravely served his country as an infantry officer for 30 years. As an Army Ranger, he defended his country in the Dominican Republic, in Vietnam, and in other places we will never know. While serving his country, he received many, many awards and citations; among them the Silver Star, the Bronze Star (with 4 oak leaf clusters), and the Purple Heart. He retired in 1993 in El Paso. He is preceded in death by his mother, Helen Bassett; his father, Maj. (Ret.) Herbert Bassett; and sister, Gretchen Hinman. He is survived by his sister, Jan Bassett of El Paso, Mike Monro of El Paso, Mike Bassett (Liz) of Dallas; and numerous nieces and nephews. Sterling was a man's man. He looked you in the eye when he shook your hand and when he spoke to you. He drove a Corvette. He rode a Harley Davidson. He always wore a Rolex. He ran marathons. He did cross fit three times a week up until May of this year. He loved guns, the Colorado Rockies, gin and tonic (two limes, please), and pecan pie (HOT, please) with ice cream for breakfast. He was incredibly well read and loved to talk politics. He will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. "Love has no body and presides the sun." ~ John Berryman
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Bassett Family Association Database
1941 - 2016 (75 years)