Former Army Air Forces SSgt. Jacob DeShazer, one of the legendary Doolittle Raiders who staged a daring bombing raid on Tokyo in April 1942, died March 15 at age 95. DeShazer, then a corporal, was bombardier on the Bat out of Hell, the 16th and final B-25 bomber to take off from the USS Hornet April 18, 1942. After completing their bombing run, the crew of Bat out of Hell bailed out over Japanese-held territory in China. DeShazer, like the rest of the crew, was captured by the Japanese. He was held as a prisoner of war for 40 months. He returned to Japan in 1948 where he spent 30 years preaching and teaching Christianity.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.