WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – This year’s Fourth of July holds a special meaning to one of our local veterans. In just 10 days, Eugene Black will turn 100 years old on July 14.
Black has seen a lot in the past century. Black entered the Navy in 1941 during World War II. He worked mainly on cargo ships in the steam engine room.
“We were carrying high-octane gasoline for airplanes,” Black said. “Most dangerous cargo you could carry on the water in the wartime.”
One of his ships, The USS Deming, was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. His crew spent a good amount of time near Okinawa.
“The Japanese were sending their suicide planes over then,” Black said. “Throughout the whole time, we were at Okinawa, they sent around 700 suicide planes and dropped them down on us.”
Because of his role in the engine room, Black didn’t get too close to the conflict too often. However, one day he was on the deck of the ship when he and a fellow soldier spotted an enemy plane heading straight towards them. No one else had seen it, so he quickly jumped into action.
“We jumped on that 44-millimeter gun, and he was coming right at us,” Black said. “And ‘pop pop pop pop,’ he fell right in the water.”
Black was celebrated as a hero for his actions by his crewmates and his leaders.
“The captain called us in and congratulated us. That’s how much honor we got for doing it,” Black said.
Despite his bravery that day, Black said he didn’t always feel like a hero. He said most of the time, he was actually very frightened. One day, he hit a breaking point and prayed to God asking for help.
“I was so scared, I went down in the engine room and got on my knees,” Black said. “I said ‘If You will get me out of here, I will preach Your word gun-barrel straight.’”
That’s exactly what Black did. After the war ended, Black devoted the next 45 years of his life to ministry.
While Black still shares many of his wartime stories with friends and family today, he will be the first to tell you that he did what any of the soldiers would have done.
He said it was all to protect one of the defining qualities of our nation:
“Freedom, freedom, freedom,” Black said. “My my, what a wonderful thing.”
Copyright 2024 WECT. All rights reserved.