It’s been 79 years since , John Shott , was the only survivor of a five- person B- 25 bomb team shot downward in action in the Pacific in the last months of World War II.
His memories of that time are still vivid.
” Largely I remember all my staff members, all my staff were killed, except me”, said Shott, who lives in North Syracuse and will enjoy his 102nd day on , July 4. ” They were killed and I was saved, and I still do n’t know why. I consider that a lot.
And that, Shott says, explains why he thinks it’s important to remember those who made that devotion, particularly as the country observes , Memorial Day. The trip honors those who lost their lives in the support of the war.
He said,” I recall the difficulties that the soldiers and servicewomen went through.” ” All those people who left their homes and some who always returned. And what they went through, also, the residents back home.
” People do n’t understand what really went on then, so we should make sure we remember.”
Shott was a radioman and gunner on that mission to bomb Japanese positions on the Chinese island of Formosa ( now named  , Taiwan ) in , May 1945. He claimed he was able to survive because he was positioned in the plane’s neck, which exploded during the effects.
He was knocked out after three broken bones. When he arrived, he went looking for his fellow brothers.
” It was a around quarter mile, half a mile away, and when I saw it ( the remains of the helicopter ), I knew, “he said”. I knew there was no means they survived.”
The team members killed were 2nd Lt.  , J. T. Lackey, of , Tyler, Texas, captain, 2nd Lt.  , Carl I. Middlebrook Jr., of , Waco, Texas, co- captain, 2nd Lt.  , Leslie H. Anderson, of , Stuttgart, Ark., pilot, and Cpl.  , William J. Kozak, of , Philadelphia, architect- gun.
After three weeks only, Shott was captured by Chinese men. After the Chinese surrendered in August, he finally arrived home after four weeks in a terrible prison in , Philippines.
Shott, who grew up near , Pittsburgh, had left his job in a metal factory to visit the , U. S. Army Air Corps , during the war. Before being shot down, he flew 12 powerful expeditions against the Japanese on a B-25.
During their time together, the crew members made agreements with each other in case any of them did n’t survive. Kozak, the crewman from , Philadelphia, promised to visit Shott’s mother if he did n’t make it back. In returning, Shott agreed to attend Kozak’s family, Helen.
” I was very friendly with him ( Kozak ) and so I went to see her,” Shott said”. And therefore I married her.”
They moved to Syracuse, where Shott worked for , American Airlines, second at , Amboy Airport , and after serving as businesses manager at , Hancock Airport. He retired in 1983. He and Helen were married for a while before she passed away in 2000.
In June of 2016, Shott’s child,  , Lois Burns, arranged for him , to travel in a B- 25,  , the exact type of aircraft he served on in the Pacific, during the Syracuse Airshow at , Hancock Airport.
Over the years, Shott has often marched in the North Syracuse , Memorial Day , festival, and also shows up once a week to meet old friends at the , VFW Post , in North Syracuse.
He was interviewed in recent years for a forthcoming documentary called” The Boys that Oppenheimer Brought Back Home, “produced by Syracuse filmmakers , Eric Roberts  , and , Andrea Reeves. It tells the story of soldiers whose life may have been saved by the falling of the nuclear bombs developed by , J. Robert Oppenheimer , ( the subject of the 2024 Academy- prize winning film”, Oppenheimer.” )
In that meeting, he recounts his moment in the POW station, and conversations about returning home.
” You do n’t know how anybody feels getting back to the states, “he said in the interview”. Therefore he paused briefly and appeared to be a little sluggish. ” Dammit, this is the world’s greatest nation. I’m then hearing the Star-Spangled Banner and I’m overcome with grief.
Here are some snippets from the video interview, shot by video Richard Caragiovanni:
Don Cazentre , writes for , NYup.com,  , york .com , and The Post- Common. Reach him at , ]email , protected], or follow him at , NYup.com, on , Twitter , or , Facebook.
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