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Owen John Baggett (August 29, 1920 – July 27, 2006) was a second lieutenant in the United States 7th Bomb Group based at Pandaveswar, in India, during the Second World War. Baggett was born in Graham, Texas in 1920.〔 He graduated from Hardin–Simmons University in 1941, where he was the band's drum major.〔 He initially went to work on Wall Street after graduation. ==Military service== Baggett enlisted in the Army Air Corps (which was subsumed by the Army Air Forces in February 1942) and graduated from pilot training on July 26, 1942, at the New Columbus Army Flying School. On March 31, 1943, when they were stationed in British India, Baggett's squadron was ordered to destroy a bridge at Pyinmana, Burma.〔 But before reaching their target, the B-24 bombers were intercepted by Japanese fighter planes. Baggett's plane was badly hit, and the crew were ordered to bail out. The Japanese pilots then attacked U.S. airmen as they parachuted to earth. Two of Baggett's crew members were killed, and Baggett, though wounded, played dead, hoping the Japanese would ignore him. One Zero approaching within several feet of Baggett, then nose-up and in an almost-stall, the pilot opened his canopy. Baggett shot at the pilot with his .45 calibre pistol. The plane stalled and plunged to the earth, with Baggett becoming legendary as the only person to down a Japanese airplane with a M1911 pistol.〔〔 He survived and was captured by the Japanese. He would remain a prisoner for the rest of the war.〔〔 Baggett and 37 other POWs were liberated at the war's end by eight OSS agents who parachuted into Singapore. While he was assigned to Mitchel Air Force Base, Baggett was noted for his assignment working with children, including sponsoring a boy and a girl to be commander for a day. Baggett retired from the Air Force as a colonel and later worked as a defense contractor manager for Litton.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Owen J. Baggett」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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