At 103 years old, VFW member of Post 539 Don Cotton of Henryetta still drives himself to the grocery store, walks on his own and recalls in great detail about his lifetime of memories during the Great Depression and his military service. As host of the Guardians of Service podcast, it was an honor to interview Don Cotton, reflecting on his childhood with a big family, his service as a United States Army Air Force B-17 bomber gunner during World War II and the values he believes future generations must not forget.
The Guardians of Service podcast video can be downloaded on my YouTube cooking channel called “The Culinary Command Post” at youtube. com/@triciabear5268.
Cotton served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945, flying 35 combat missions over Europe as a waist gunner aboard a B-17 heavy bomber with the 20th Bomb Squadron, 15th Air Force, stationed in Foggia, Italy. At that time, service members in the U.S. Army Air Forces could only fly 35 combat missions. Don Cotton was raised near Purcell and Pauls Valley, where he was raised in a large family with nine children – five girls and four boys. Life during the Great Depression was simple and demanding. The family raised their own food, milked cows, gathered firewood for heat and lived without electricity or running water.
“We were poor,” Cotton recalled with humor, “but we didn’t know it. Everybody lived that way.” Jokingly, Don said, “That we were so poor that when flies came to visit our house, they had to bring their own food to eat.”
He graduated from Whitebead High School in 1942, then attended a government-run communications school in Cushing and Tonkawa. Soon after, a recruiter from Vance Air Force Base visited the school – setting Cotton on a path that would take him halfway around the world.
Becoming a B-17 Gunner, Cotton enlisted in the Army Air Force which both branches of service were combined back then and initially worked in clerical and transportation roles before applying for flight cadets school. When his eyesight disqualified him, he made a pivotal decision.
“They offered to send me back to typing,” he said. “I told them I’d rather go to gunnery school.”
That choice led him to Las Vegas for gunnery training, then to Sioux City, Iowa, where he joined a bomber crew already midway through training. Despite the dangers – including a mid-air collision during training where his aircraft dropped 10,000 feet – Cotton and his crew pressed on.
— 35 Missions Over Enemy Territory
Flying combat missions out of Italy, Cotton and his crew endured flak, engine fires and near-disasters. In one harrowing moment, a piece of enemy flak tore through the fuselage, exploding ammunition inches from Cotton’s position.
“The powder exploded in my face,” he said. “Cut my heated cord. At 20,000 feet, that mattered.”
A heated cord on a B-17 bomber (also called a Flying Fortress) was part of the electrically heated flight suits designed to keep airmen warm during high-altitude missions. These suits included heated jackets, trousers and gloves, which were essential for survival in the extreme cold experienced at high altitudes.
Another mission ended with a burning engine and a forced landing just beyond the front lines in Italy. Still, remarkably, every member of his 10-man crew survived the war without injury.
“We were like a family,” Cotton said. “We depended on each other.”
Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen is very important to Don Cotton. One of the most powerful moments of the interview came when Cotton spoke about the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black fighter pilots who escorted his bomber group.
“They never got the credit they deserved,” he said. “They covered us on every mission. We couldn’t have asked for better protection.”
Cotton emphasized that racial or religious differences were never an issue within his crew, which included three Jewish airmen.
“We didn’t even know what antisemitism was,” he said. “We loved each other.” Faith, survival and gratitude … before every mission, Cotton said his crew prayed together.“Without exception,” he noted. “And we all came back.” That faith, he believes, played a role in their survival.
For his service, Cotton received numerous honors, including the Air Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal and a Certificate of Valor – issued years after his discharge and signed by a Lieutenant General.
Life after the war and after being honorably discharged from the Army Air Force on July 22, 1945, at Camp Chaffee, Ark. (now named Fort Chaffee), Don enrolled in college at Murray State College at Tishamingo for one semester under the GI Bill, but his training was cut short because he was needed on the farm after his father was seriously injured in a tractor accident.
“After harvest time, I went to Huntington, Ore. (Eastern) and went to work for Union Pacific Railroad Company. I was then promoted to Assistant Signalman working for 1 1/2 years installing (CTC) equipment for the first centralized traffic control system in the country.”
Don left Oregon to come back to Pauls Valley to complete his education at East Central State University in Ada. He graduated in June 1951 with a Bachelors degree in Education. He completed two more semesters to further his field of teaching, still using his GI Bill. In early of 1952, he was offered three jobs that were not teaching jobs. So, he chose the job to work at the Texas Oil Company and worked 33 years there until he retired on Sept. 1, 1984. When Don retired, he moved to Tahlequah for ten years before moving to Henryetta.
After retirement, he had four hobbies that he pursued: fishing, gardening and playing music with local groups mainly for local neighbors and church members. His longest endeavor was working with stain glass of which he did for 26 years and enjoyed every minute of it. He took a course in stained glass in Fort Smith, Ark. in 1988.
“I thank the Good Lord, I have had all these years to enjoy and use his creations,” Don said.
“That of all of Don’s hobbies that fishing was his best hobby,” his wife Jean stated.
He did most of his fishing in the Illinois and North Canadian Rivers. He raised two sons and has been married a combined 72 years – 38 years to his first wife and 34 years to his current wife, Jean, who is from Henryetta. When asked what his advice was for a lasting marriage, Don replied, “Communicate, respect each other and let your wife have the last word.
Cotton moved to Henryetta because of his wife’s roots but stayed because of the community and Henryetta always feels like home.
“It’s one of the friendliest places I’ve ever lived,” he said. “Oklahoma is a good state, and Henryetta is a good town.
Don remains active with VFW Post 539 and the Disabled American Veterans, and is a 50-year Master Mason.
When I asked Don how the world has changed over the last 103 years, Cotton didn’t hesitate, and he replied, “Drastically – and not for the better,” he said, “citing a loss of respect and growing division.” His advice for future generations is simple but firm: “Always show love and respect. Respect is something we’ve lost. Love your neighbor and always put God first.”
As for what has helped him reach 103 years old, Cotton shrugged … “I don’t have an answer,” he said. “I tried to live a good life. I never held a grudge. The good Lord takes care of us.”
Don is a true war hero with fewer World War II veterans remaining each year. There are only 40,127 World War II veterans still alive. Don Cotton represents a living connection to a generation shaped by sacrifice, unity and duty.
“I don’t regret anything,” he said. “I’m glad I served. And I believe the results of that war benefited the world.” For Henryetta – and for generations to come – Don Cotton’s life story stands as a reminder of resilience, humility and enduring faith.
To watch Don Cotton’s video podcast as well as many more Guardian of Service podcasts about veterans history, veteran resources such as VA benefits and veteran organizations that support and appreciate veterans, be sure to check out my YouTube channel at youtube.com/@triciabear5268. If you have any questions, please call Tricia Bear, the host of the Culinary Command Post and the Guardians of Service Podcast, at 479-414-0952.
