WWII bomb group visits Hill Air Force Base, sees their legacy


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HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Stepping off a tour bus, James Cotton doesn't hesitate to share a few war stories. Smiling, and shaking hands, he seems happy to talk about some difficult times.

"Flew nine missions over England," Cotton said smiling. "And when the Germans heard I was there, they surrendered."

The Washington D.C. native enlisted in the Army Air Corps before he finished High School. Though he wanted to become a pilot, he was taken on as a navigator.

"It was a great career, and I enjoyed every minute of it," Cotton said. Though he also admits it was extremely dangerous. "One day when go out on a mission, I see a B-17, cut in half by a ME-109, and the next day I'd go out and I'd have no fear, and I don't know why."

Nine orignal members of the 388th Bombardment Group are at Hill Air Force Base through this weekend, getting a look at how their unit has evolved. Members of the 388th Fighter Wing demonstrated how F-16's are prepared for combat, and how pilots endure high-gravity in flight.

"It's great," Wayne Daniels, a former B-17 pilot said. "We're closing the loop between the guys that started the 388th in World War Two, and the Fighter Wing today."

Daniels and his crew were shot down over Germany during a mission.

"It's not the way you wanna' fight your war, in a prison camp, but it was necessary," Daniels said. "Because the only alternative was to be a KIA."

Still, Daniels says he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

While the veterans get a chance to reunite with old friends, and see how the Air Force works today. Airmen at Hill Air Force Base say they get something out of the event too.

"It is important that we keep our linkage with our history," Colonel Lance Landrum said. "It's really inspiring for our airmen today to hear what they have to say about what happened in World War Two."

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