Nov 11, 2007 10:04 am US/Central
Minn. Vietnam Vet Killed In Plane Crash
(WCCO)
A military hero from Minnesota died in a plane crash Friday in the central valley of California.
Cole Black, 74, was a passenger in a twin engine plane that crashed in an Orange Grove, near Delano, Calif.
Black was born and raised in Lake City, Minn. The retired Navy Captain was a prisoner of war for years during the Vietnam War.
"We were born out on a farm, depression babies, and came up through the ranks," said his sister Vonne Oliver.
Black always credited his Minnesota roots for his success in life. The Navy Captain joined the military right out of high school. In 1966, Black's plane was shot down over North Vietnam.
"We didn't know whether he was dead or alive for three whole years," said Oliver.
Black told his sister he survived all those years because of the way he was brought up in Lake City.
"He never took anything for granted. He was so thankful for everything that he got, especially after he came back from Vietnam after being a prisoner so long. He came back and just a cold glass of water was great," said Oliver.
Black had made a mission out of sharing his POW experience. He was coming back from speaking to students in Oregon when the twin engine plane crashed. Two other people were also killed.
Black recently visited his home town for his induction into the Lake City Schools Hall of Fame. His family is thankful for the memories of a man that truly lived by the motto: anything is possible.
"He's my hero. He always had been," said Oliver.
Black's sister says even after all he'd been through as a POW, he never held a grudge against the people of Vietnam.
He's survived by a son and his wife Karen, who wrote a novel based on her husband's wartime experience.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash, but Black's family said the party reported engine trouble before the crash. Black was not piloting the plane.
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