Harry Brinkley Bass
Overview
 
Harry Brinkley "Brink" Bass (July 4, 1916 – August 20, 1944) was a U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 pilot who was twice awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

 for his heroic actions in the Pacific theater during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Bass died over Vanosc, in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 when his plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. was named in his honor.
Bass was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, but the family later moved to Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...

. He was raised a Presbyterian. He attended Averill Elementary School and Beaumont High School, graduating on June 2, 1932.
Quotations

A Camel is a Horse designed by committee.

Accept nothing, challenge everything.

Act quickly... but not too quickly.

Actions speak louder than words.

A guitarist is only as good as his drummer and bassist

A man’s libido is nine-tenths testosterone.

A proof tells us where to concentrate our doubts.

A rolling stone gathers no moss, so there’s nothing to cushion the impact when it hits.

All or nothing, now.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold, There's Brass And Copper Or It Might Be Plated!

 
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