Buck Greene
| Date and Place of Birth: | April 29, 1907 Black Mountain, NC |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 23, 1944 near Beho, Belgium |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | First Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | Company B, 33rd Armored Engineer Battalion, 7th Armored Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Buck Greene rose from small‑town roots to minor league stardom, before serving with distinction as a first sergeant in World War II. A towering pitcher turned soldier, his life blends ambition, resilience, and sacrifice, etched forever in America’s sporting and military history.
William V. “Buck” Greene, the son of William
“W.C.” and Florence Greene, was born on April 29, 1907, in Black
Mountain, North Carolina, about15 miles east of Asheville.
His father was a building contractor, while Florence worked at home as a
dress maker. Buck – who often used his middle name, Vernon, in his youth
- was their first child, followed by Richard in 1909, and Lynette in
1919.
Buck graduated from Black Mountain High School in 1927 and attended
Presbyterian College in South Carolina. But in February 1928, he ended
his education and signed with the Asheville Tourists of the Class B
South Atlantic League. “If Buck makes good,” declared the Asheville
Times on February 10, 1928, “Black Mountain is a 20 to 1 bet to elect
him mayor, fire chief, city commissioner, justice of peace, special
night officer, deputy sheriff and custodian of the city parks.”
Whilst impressing the Tourists’ management in spring training and the
early season, the 6-foot-4-inch right-hander was optioned to the Durham
Bulls of the Class C Piedmont League in June for further seasoning. In
1929, he was back with Asheville and made 20 appearances for a 1-5
record, but it was the following season that Buck found his true form.
Pitching for Asheville in 1930, the 23-year-old was 13-8 in 24
appearances when he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 12. There
were expectations he might be called to Brooklyn immediately, but in the
meantime, he joined the Macon Peaches – also of the South Atlantic
League – where he continued to dominate Class B hitters. On August 14,
he held the Charlotte Hornets to no hits over nine innings, allowing a
single in the tenth, but winning the game, 3-1, thanks to former major
leaguer Johnny Mann’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the frame. Buck
finished the season with a 20-13 record over 38 games. The Peaches
clinched the league title but were defeated in the playoffs by the
Greenville Spinners in six games.
With high expectations from the Brooklyn Dodgers’ organization, Buck
joined the Hartford Senators of the Class A Eastern League in 1931 but
struggled to get into condition throughout the season and finished the
year with a disappointing 3-10 record and 4.81 ERA over 20 games.
Buck returned to the Hartford Senators for 1932, showing much more
promise with a 10-5 record before being sent to the Jersey City Skeeters
of the Class AA International League in July. Buck made five appearances
with the Skeeters – just one level below the big leagues – for a 1-1
record.
The 26-year-old, now a veteran of five minor league seasons, began 1933
with Jersey City but was released in April, and joined the Wilmington
Pirates of the Class B Piedmont League, making just eight appearances
for a 2-1 record. In 1934, his final year in Organized baseball, Buck
made five appearances for the Richmond Colts of the Piedmont League for
an 0-4 record.
Buck returned to the family home in Black Mountain, North Carolina,
after his baseball career and worked as a carpenter for his father’s
construction business. His father was also a town alderman at this time
and served three terms as mayor of Black Mountain in the late 1930s and
early 1940s.
Aged 33, Buck was one of more than 16 million Americans who registered
for the draft in 1940. He entered military service on March 9, 1942,
just three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and trained
at Camp Polk, Louisiana, Camp Young, California, and Fort Benning,
Georgia. During this time, he met and married the former Alma Mae Bryant
of Florida.
Buck went overseas in May 1944, with Company B of the 33rd Armored
Engineer Battalion, 7th Armored Division. Arriving on the Queen Mary at
Greenock, Scotland, the Battalion moved to Tidworth Barracks in
Wiltshire, England, before crossing the English Channel to France in
August 1944.
Buck was Company B’s First Sergeant - the senior enlisted leader
responsible for discipline, administration, logistics, and the welfare
of enlisted personnel within the company. As well as supervising the
distribution of supplies, equipment, and rations, Buck played a key role
in preparing the company for movement, and combat operations.
The 33rd Armored Engineer Battalion was highly mobile and operated
alongside tank and infantry units, constructing and repairing roads and
bridges, and clearing minefields. The First Sergeant’s ability to
maintain order, readiness, and morale was essential in these situations.
Though not typically leading combat missions, Buck was often near the
front lines and was wounded in action shortly after arrival in France on
August 18, 1944.
In early December 1944, the 33rd Armored Engineer Battalion was
stationed in eastern Belgium, preparing defensive positions near St.
Vith. The Germans made their last major offensive in this area (later
known as the Battle of the Bulge) on December 16, and the battalion was
thrust into action, working under extreme conditions of cold, fog, and
deadly artillery fire.
On December 23, 1944, First Sergeant William “Buck” Greene was one of
three Company B soldiers killed in action in the vicinity of Beho,
Belgium (the other men were Sgt. Howard A. Fox, and T/5 Lucious
Sumrall). Initially, they were reported missing, and their deaths were
not confirmed until March 1945.
Buck’s remains were returned to the United States in 1948, and he now
rests at Mountain View Memorial Park in Black Mountain.
His widow Alma Mae Greene operated the Greene Beauty Salon in Asheville,
North Carolina, after the war. She succumbed to lung cancer on March 31,
1950, aged 38.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
IP |
ER |
BB |
SO |
W |
L |
ERA |
| 1928 | Asheville | Sally | B | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1928 | Durham | Piedmont | C | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1929 | Asheville | Sally | B | 20 | 68 | 23 | 25 | - | 1 | 5 | 3.04 |
| 1930 | Asheville/Macon | Sally | B | 38 | 253 | 95 | 90 | 113 | 20 | 13 | 3.38 |
| 1931 | Hartford | Eastern | A | 20 | 118 | 63 | 64 | 52 | 3 | 10 | 4.81 |
| 1932 | Hartford | Eastern | A | 20 | 112.2 | - | 69 | - | 10 | 5 | - |
| 1932 | Jersey City | International | AA | 5 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - |
| 1933 | Wilmington | Piedmont | B | 8 | 30 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | - |
| 1934 | Richmond | Piedmont | B | 5 | 38 | - | 21 | - | 0 | 4 | - |
Buck Greene with the Hartford Senators in 1931
Buck Greene with the Asheville Tourists in 1930
Richmond Rebels team photo from 1934, Buck's last
year in Organized baseball. Buck Greene is back row, fourth from left.
First Sergeant William V. "Buck" Greene
Buck Greene's grave marker at Mountain View Memorial
Park in Black Mountain, NC
Date Added November 26, 2025
Thanks to Jack Morris for "discovering" Buck
Greene.
Thanks to
Pre-WWII Minor League Baseball Player Database for helping with
statistics
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