Elliot Goldstein was born in March 1929 in New York City [Annotator’s Note: New York City, New York]. He grew up in Brooklyn [Annotator's Note: Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs in New York, New York] with his family. His father worked as a bookkeeper and accountant at a cigar factory. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:01:38.000.] His mother took care of him and his older sister. Goldstein had an affinity for fishing like his father. His father died, and his mother remarried, so Goldstein moved to New Jersey. He was 13 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was riding his bike and heard the announcement over the radio. He can recall learning about the updates in North Africa and Operation Torch [Annotator’s Note: Operation Torch was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War]. Goldstein loved geography, but had to admit that he did not know where Pearl Harbor was located. He worked as a delivery boy for a local tailor. He was paid two and half dollars a week for his service. Goldstein received his high school diploma at 16 years old. He had several cousins that had already entered service. Goldstein wanted to enlist in the Army at 17 years old in 1946 with the approval of his mother. Goldstein felt an obligation to serve, especially because of his Jewish ethnicity. He went to the recruiting station in New York City and was sworn into the Army.

In 1946, Elliot Goldstein joined the Army and boarded a bus that took him to Fort Dix [Annotator's Note: now Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Trenton, New Jersey] to receive his clothing and equipment. He was then sent to Louisville, Kentucky to Fort Knox for six weeks of boot camp. He trained in artillery, specifically on the 105 mm howitzer [Annotator's Note: M2A1 105mm howitzer; standard light field howitzer]. He went on bivouac and slept on large Venus clams. Goldstein was then transported to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey to be shipped overseas across the Atlantic. He boarded the SS General Howes which took him to Germany. He remembered everyone being seasick, but Goldstein was fortunate that he did not get ill. It took 10 days to cross the ocean, and the ship rolled a lot. Goldstein loved Geography. When he disembarked in Germany, he boarded a train and crossed through Germany, stopping at Hof, Germany. His job was to patrol the German-Czech border.

Elliot Goldstein was sent overseas to Hof, Germany for occupation duty in 1946 [Annotator’s Note: with the 94th Constabulary Squadron, 11th Constabulary Regiment]. He remarked about the rebuilding of Germany after the war had destroyed the country. Many of the cities had large traffic circles and a monument in the center of it. However, all around, buildings were crushed into rubble due to the shock of aerial bombardments. Goldstein thought the Germans were in a sad and defeated state. He saw many men missing limbs or with some other injury. Many of the Americans handed out candy, gum, and cigarettes to kids. Some Americans were nasty to the Germans and made it hard for them. He lived in an old German barracks next to a German displaced persons’ camp. Goldstein befriended a German photographer and his son. He reunited with them 25 years later while Goldstein lived in Europe. He remarked about the Nazis and how they progressed in Germany. He also spoke about Rommel [Annotator's Note: German Army Generalfeldmarschall, or Field Marshal, Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel] and the controversy of whether he was pro-Nazi.

Elliot Goldstein was sent overseas to Hof, Germany for occupation duty in 1946 [Annotator’s Note: with the 94th Constabulary Squadron, 11th Constabulary Regiment]. Germany was destroyed and the Germans were living in poverty. People could not survive without the help of American assistance. There were mines laid on farms, so it was not safe to walk in the countryside. If it was not for the Marshall Plan [Annotator's Note: American initiative passed in 1948 for foreign aid to Western Europe], there would have been disease and plague. He comments on European culture and the appreciation of it which he acquired while he was in school. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:51:32.000.] The weather was very cold. He saw a German with fur-lined boots. He asked the German where he got the boots, and the man told him where the boot maker’s shop was located. Goldstein was told by the boot maker that he had to shoot a rabbit to get his boots made. When Goldstein left Germany and returned to America, he felt he did a good job. He remarks about Native Americans and how they are treated in the country.

Elliot Goldstein believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations to make society better. He supports many museums and organizations. He wants to tell future generations that war is the worst way to solve problems.