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Hillsdale Native, 93, Was WWII's 'Last Fighter Pilot'

HILLSDALE, N.J. — Capt. Jerry Yellin of Hillsdale and his squadron were the ones to drop the last bomb on Japan in April 1945, five months before the end of World War II.

Capt. Jerry Yellin, WWII veteran of Hillsdale.

Capt. Jerry Yellin, WWII veteran of Hillsdale.

Photo Credit: Capt. Jerry Yellin Facebook

The 93-year-old recalled the details of the final mission in Don Brown's new book "The Last Fighter Pilot," hitting shelves on July 31.

The retired Army Air Corps veteran served in WWII between 1941 and 1945. He enlisted on his 18th birthday, two months after the bombing Pearl Harbor.

He participated in the first land-based fighter mission over Japan on April 7, 1945, and also has the unique distinction of having flown the final combat mission of World War II on August 14, 1945 – the day the war ended. 

On that mission, his wing-man ,Phillip Schlamberg, was the last man killed in a combat mission in WWII.

Yellin struggled with severe undiagnosed PTST following the war, wondering why he survived while so many of his comrades did not.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON JERRY YELLIN.

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