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IL: WWII Veteran continues working on oil well at age 97

By Danny Valle

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    March 27, 2023 (WSIL) — HAMILTON COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL) — In northern Hamilton County only a few oil wells remain.

One in particular belongs to Busby Energy, a company that now has just one well to its name.

Clifford Benbrook, 97, has been working with Busby for nearly 50 years and now takes care of its last well.

“Let me show you some of the oil that it’s making,” Benbrook said as he took a piece of wood to uncrank a handle that unleashed somes gushes of precious oil.

Benbrook’s life is rooted in oil having worked on oil wells and oil fields since he was 15-years old. An ‘old-school roughneck’ is one way to describe him. Another is by his nickname: Strawberry.

“I used to have pretty red hair when I was young,” Benbrook recalled.

His hair isn’t red anymore and it’s not white either. But you won’t find Benbrook feeling blue about it. There’s no time to feel blue when your clock is still ticking.

“If I sat down and don’t get out of that door I’m not going to be here long,” Benbrook said. “I feel a lot better when I get out.”

Benbrook’s work ethic hasn’t wavered even though his health has.

In the last year and a half Benbrook battled COVID-19, numerous skin cancers and bleeding from his small intestine. Not given much of a chance to live, the old Marine continued the battle and beat the odds.

“One of the nurses out there that sent me… she said ‘I didn’t expect to see you again'”, Benbrook laughed.

Benbrook spent most of his life working in the oil industry with a brief exception during his later teen years when he enlisted to fight in World War II.

Enlisting in the U.S. Marines, Benbrook served as a corporal and saw combat at the Battle of Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater. It was also one of the scariest times of his life.

“This boy he shot a kid right out in an old house,” Benbrook recalled. “I asked ‘Why did you do that?’ he said ‘I just wanted to kill somebody.'”

After the war, Benbrook bounced around working for different oil companies when he settled in Hamilton County in 1975 with Busby.

At his peak, Benbrook took care of more than 10 wells. These days it’s just one. He makes sure to check for leaks and see that everything is still functional. One of Benbrook’s sons helps him and drives him to the well.

The Illinois Oil & Gas Association claims Benbrook to be the oldest living oil well worker in the state, the country and, quite possibly, the world.

The work he does isn’t just for the paycheck it’s also to keep himself going after the deaths of his oldest son and Norma, his wife of more than 70 years.

“She was in a nursing home for quite a while,” Benbrook said. “I’ve been alone now two to three years.”

But Benbrook is time-tested and has no plans of slowing down at age 97 or at anytime. He’ll keep going until his own well runs dry.

“If you can, keep going. Just don’t sit down and die that’s what will happen to you,” Benbrook said.

“Just don’t sit down and quit.”

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Danny Valle
Dvalle@wsiltv.com
618-944-1604

Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

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