WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Less than one percent of Americans who served during World War II are still alive today, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

One of those veterans is here in Wilmington, and he celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday at the USS Battleship North Carolina.

“She fought in all the major battles in the Pacific, had a spectacular war record,” said Ron Henderson, the Friends of the Battleship North Carolina chairman. “Most decorated surviving battleship of World War II.”

The ship’s history is something WWII veteran Louis Bourgault has seen with his own eyes.

“This ship, she and I were friends,” said Bourgault.

Bourgault was born in 1925 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 years old.

“Louis is a living legend; he’s part of the greatest generation,” said Henderson.

As people celebrated him today with speeches and lunch, they were also reminded he’s part of important history, too. Among many other battles, Bourgault also fought at Iwo Jima in 1945.

“That was such a terrible, bloody battle,” said Henderson.

The same battle the USS Battleship North Carolina was at, too.

“I’m the only one around here that saw that gunfire,” said Bourgault.

Now at 100 years old, he’s alive to tell the tales to other marines meeting him for the first time.

“It just reminds me how precious and important it is to maintain that connection with our legacy,” said Deputy Commanding General at Camp Lejeune, Lee Meyer. “He is definitely a living legacy for us as Marines.”

Bourgault is also living to tell his tales to guests who come aboard.

“They see this guy who helped create the world we live in,” said Henderson.

He still serves as an ambassador for the Battleship, teaching WWII history.

“I live life in the windshield, not the rearview mirror,” said Bourgault.

He says he’ll continue working at the battleship for as long as he can.

Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.