Dozier, James Lee (1931–)

U.S. Army general James Lee Dozier was kidnapped by the Italian Red Brigade in 1981; his eventual rescue helped bring about the downfall of the brigade.

Born in Arcadia, Florida, in 1931, Dozier joined the Florida Air National Guard in 1951; his superiors recognized his potential and recommended him for West Point. He graduated in 1956, and went on to serve with the 11th Armored Cavalry Division in Vietnam, winning a Silver Star. By 1981, he had risen to the rank of brigadier general and was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commander for southern Europe, based in Verona, Italy.

The Red Brigade had been active in Italy since 1970 and was known internationally for its 1978 kidnapping and murder of Italian statesman and former premier Aldo Moro. In early 1981, U.S. Army intelligence had learned that the brigade might be planning ...