(ROME, Ga.) — Renaissance Marquis senior living community will honor its five World War II residents in a ceremony on June 1st, including James McCubbin, a 101-year old Air Force pilot and prisoner of war.
The ceremony, at Richard B. Russell Airport in Rome, will include a fly-in by the Commemorative Air Force along with a P51 Mustang World War II era airplane, just for McCubbin. If he chooses, volunteers from the Rome Fire Department will help McCubbin up into the plane for another flight.
“James often talks of his time in the Air Force and of his memories in the cockpit of the P51 Mustang,” said Catie Mason, LPN, Resident Services Director at Renaissance Marquis. “These memories mean a lot to him. We wanted to honor him and also to give him the opportunity to see a P51 Mustang again. We are thankful to the Commemorative Air Force for making this happen for him and to the Rome Fire Department for providing support to help him into the plane if he wants. This ceremony means so much to us and will mean so much to James as well.”
McCubbin served as a member of the Eighth Air Force in the United States Air Force during World War II. He was a pilot and flew many missions over Germany in the P51 Mustang. McCubbin was shot down in 1945 and was a prisoner of war for three months.
Now 101-years old, McCubbin still fondly recalls the feeling that he had while sitting in the cockpit of his P51 Mustang.
“The long-awaited radio call, ‘Gentlemen start your engines!’ The memory of emotions at that moment, even after these fifty years, is still strong enough to bring tears to my eyes,” said McCubbin. “The thrill of 50 Rolls Royce, 12-cylinder, 1600 horsepower engines, coughing and struggling to catch enough fuel to start. The first deep throated roar as one caught, quickly reinforced by an ever-increasing thunder until the whole field shook and vibrated. These feelings never diminished, even after 44 missions, which equated to almost 200 combat hours.”
The ceremony at the Richard B. Russell Airport in Rome will begin at 11:30am on June 1st.
