It’s been almost 80 years, but veteran James McCubbin still remembers the moment his P-51 Mustang was shot.
McCubbin was in the countryside of Germany when an enemy plane shot the wing of his plane and he was forced to eject, according to an Associated Press article.
This month, he had the opportunity to be at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome, Georgia as he watched a P-51 Mustang fly over him.
McCubbin, who is now 101-years-old, was a member of the Eighth Air Force during World War II. His main duty was to escort bombers, while also being permitted to find ground targets for strafing runs when on the way back to his base.
Towards the end of the war during a strafing mission, he and another pilot ran into bad weather, and the other pilot was soon shot down. But McCubbin continued forward with his mission.
While pressing forward towards his base, McCubbin's plane was shot in the wing which left a hole 2 feet in diameter. It would be the last time he saw his plane.
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After ejecting from the aircraft, he spent weeks in the German countryside until he was captured by German forces and held as a prisoner of war until the end of the war three months later.
McCubbin has been acknowledged for shooting down nine enemy planes and was awarded both a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Purple Heart.
Earlier this month, he watched U.S. Air Force Col. Craig Hutain land a P-51 Mustang along with three other WWII veterans: James Holloway, James Griggs, and John Karlovich.
It reminded him of his old plane, named Mary Al, after his girlfriend at the time.
And although McCubbin didn’t fly the plane this time, the memory will stay with him forever.
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