Memorial

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His father Max Lichten was born in Koloman, Austria. He lived in Bremen, Germany before he arrived in the United States on the vessel "Koningin Luise" in May 1912. His mother was born in Russia and travelled from Cherbourg, France on the vessel "Aquitania" to the United States in August 1921 under the name of Maria Greenfield.
Pfc Leo Lichten entered the service in New York City, New York on 11 August 1943.
On the morning of 20 November 1944, Pfc Lichten was one of the first to be killed by machine gun fire in an assualt on bunkers of the Siegfried Line near Prummern, Germany.
His friend Paul Slater would later write a an autobiographical poem, in which he als mentions Pfc Lichten. This part of the poem reads:
"One very special friend, Leo, / Was special to all of us: / A remarkable intellect, athlete, / Comrade. With the US at war he / Advised me to be cautious / About decision that I was / Contemplating. Urging me via / His Maxim, to: 'Let Reason be thy / Master and Feeling be thy slave.' / Writing. 'Caution, es riecht nach Dem Schlecten, the progress of this / [European] / War is to be carefully studied.' / Leo, hoping to encourage me / To reply more promptly, wrote: / 'My thoughts dancing to the fore / Have left a vacancy / Tormented by a curious awe / That make reply a remedy.'