Prisoner of War (POW), died in captivity. Crash-landed his B-17 #42-97368 near Massow, 5km NE of Freyenstein, Brandenburg, Germany on 12 September 1944. MACR 8834.

John Sasser received his pilot's wings and his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November 1943. He was assigned to the 368th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) as a B-17 pilot. He was awarded his first Air Medal upon completing 15 missions over enemy territory. He had been promoted to first lieutenant and was flying his 22nd mission when his plane was damaged during a mission over Berlin on 12 Sepember 1944. Several of his crew had been wounded, and Sasser chose to attempt a crash-landing rather than risk further injuries to his crew members by having them parachute. He was promoted to Captain two days after this mission.

Sasser suffered severe head injuries during the crash. First listed as missing, he was later listed as a prisoner of war. Sasser's injuries continued to plague him. He died while undergoing an operation for mastoid infection in the hospital at Obermassfeld, Germany. He was buried with full military honors at Meiningen, 8km NW of Obermassfeld, Germany. His family received his Air Medal with an additional Oak Leaf Cluster.