[Annotator’s Note: the video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad was born in April 1921 in Bell County, Texas. He has a twin brother, and also had seven older siblings. Goad shared the story of how his mother was expecting twins and her neighbors were hoping she would give birth on April Fools’ Day. He grew up in a town called Cedar Creek [Annotator’s Note: Cedar Creek, Texas] and was raised on a farm. They eventually moved to Temple [Annotator’s Note: Temple, Texas] and attended the public school. Goad never felt like he was going through a Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. His family grew their own produce and had their own chickens and hogs to eat. His family had milk cows and his mother would make butter. Whatever they did not eat, they sold. The only time he felt the Depression was when he wanted to go to the movies and his parents could not afford the admission. That’s when Goad decided to join the National Guard because they paid him one dollar a week. His football coach influenced Goad and his twin brother to join the National Guard because they needed help pulling the machine gun in the local parades. They joined the guard at age 15. The National Guard trained at night, and during the summer, they went to Mexico to train on shooting the machine gun and camped out in pup tents.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad and his twin brother, Ray, joined the National Guard in Texas when they were only 15 years old because it paid one dollar a week. His division, the 36th Division [Annotator’s Note: 36th Infantry Division], became federalized in November 1940 because the United States military was preparing for war. He was sent to the newly-built Camp Bowie base [Annotator’s Note: Camp Bowie, Texas] in 1941. When he arrived, his unit was given orders to complete the camp construction by paving the roads, adding finishing touches to the bathrooms, and adding kitchen supplies to the kitchen. He continued training as if he was still in the National Guard, but the orders came down the pipe differently. They also had more resources having been federalized. Bowie was a sergeant when the unit was federalized. He received a commission because the military was pulling officers to supervise other divisions and battalions. His company was short three officers, so the military chose men to replace those officers based on education, physicality, and experience. Goad and his twin brother were promoted to an officer role in March 1941. Ray was sent to oversee Company M, while Goad remained in Company D. The military gave them World War 1 equipment, but later sent newer equipment like mortars [Annotator's Note: M2 60mm mortar] and BARs [Annotator's Note: M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle; also known as the BAR]. Soon the military sent jeeps. As more men arrived, the base received more equipment.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad and his twin brother, Ray’s, National Guard unit was federalized into the 36th Infantry Division in 1940. Goad was home one weekend. He took his girlfriend to dinner and a movie. On the way home, he heard over the radio about Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The next morning, he drove back to Camp Bowie [Annotator’s Note: Camp Bowie, Texas]. Goad knew about the rising hostilities in Europe and why the government was strengthening the military, but he was not expecting the attack from the Japanese. His unit was sent to Florida, Georgia, and Alabama to train in jungle fighting. In November 1942, his unit was sent to Camp Edwards in Massachusetts to prepare for cold weather combat in Europe. He received some liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] during this time and went to Boston [Annotator’s Note: Boston, Massachusetts]. Around April 1942, his unit was sent to New York for embarkation. Goad boarded a ship and went to sleep. When he woke up, he realized that the ship had already left in a convoy. He was soon told that his ship was heading to Africa. Goad was not used to the waves and got seasick. His ship landed in Arzew [Annotator’s Note: Arzew, Algeria]. His unit was taken to the edge of the desert and mountains and continued training. He visited Arab bazaars and sent souvenirs home to his girlfriend. The bathrooms were different than the ones in the United States. Goad was lieutenant of his company during this time. He was second in command and oversaw the kitchen and trucks. He also managed the books and kept a diary of daily operations.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad, a lieutenant in the 36th Infantry Division, received orders to head to Sicily [Annotator's Note: Sicily, Italy] after General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] invaded with the 34th Infantry Division. Goad and his unit arrived on LCVPs [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP; also known as the Higgins boat] and continued to train for the amphibious invasion of mainland Italy. The Americans made their landing at Salerno [Annotator’s Note: code named Operation Avalanche, the Allied landings at Salerno, Italy; 9 September 1943]. His unit made their landing two hours behind the first wave. The regiments before them were met with a lot of resistance, but were able to move inland. He was given orders to clear the path as he moved inland from the beaches. Planes began to strafe him. This was the first time he was being fired at and knew he was in combat. He just told himself to keep going and lead his unit. His regiment was in regimental reserves and were told to reach headquarters which was in a tobacco factory. Goad’s twin brother, Ray, was also leading a company in the invasion at Salerno. Goad was given orders to help the British near Anzio [Annotator’s Note: Anzio, Italy] to prevent the Germans from bringing in equipment and supplies. His battalion was then sent to Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy]. There was a German machine gun that would go off at night that sat on a railroad car [Annotator's Note: Anzio Annie, Anzio Express, Robert, Leopold: nickname for one of the Krupp K5 283mm heavy railway guns used by the Germans during the Battle of Anzio, Italy].

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad [Annotator’s Note: a lieutenant in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] received orders to assist the British at Anzio [Annotator’s Note: Anzio, Italy]. When he landed at Anzio [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Anzio, amphibious invasion code named Operation Shingle; 22 January to 5 June 1944], there were several ravines he had to travel through. His company captured several Germans. His unit was able to get behind the Germans and stop them from firing on the British. As soon as they caught Germans, they sent them back to the rear to be handled by other companies. He talked to some of the German soldiers and figured that they feared their superiors. Many of the Germans were ready to give up. [Annotator’s Note: Video goes black from 1:01:57.000 to 1:04:43.000.] The local Italians mostly got along with the Americans because many of the American troops were of Italian descent. He used one of his men as an Italian interpreter because his parents were Sicilian. Goad and a fellow man were invited to a woman’s house for lunch, but when they arrived, they found out she had nothing to feed them. The next time they were invited over, the Americans supplied her with food and she was so happy.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad [Annotator’s Note: a lieutenant in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] was in combat in Italy. He was able to interact with some of the Italians. One couple invited him over for dinner and they killed a rabbit from their rabbit pen. Overall, the locals were respectful towards the Americans. The French did not like the way the Germans treated them. His toughest fighting was in Anzio [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Anzio, Italy, code named Operation Shingle; 22 January to 5 June 1944]. However, he was injured at San Pietro [Annotator’s Note: The Battle of San Pietro Infine, commonly referred to simply as the Battle of San Pietro, was a major engagement from 8 to 17 December 1943]. He was on a mountain top observing Germans and was hit by a mortar shell. He was injured near his spine and shoulder. He walked halfway down the mountain by himself until he received help from the nearby aid station. They loaded him onto a jeep and took him to a field hospital. The doctor operated on him to remove all the shrapnel. He stayed in the hospital for several weeks and was discharged from the hospital in March 1945. He returned to his unit and was promoted to captain. After the war, he remained close with his second in command.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad [Annotator’s Note: a captain in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] was in combat in Italy. When his unit reached Rome [Annotator’s Note: Rome, Italy] they did not face much resistance because the Germans had pulled out of the city. Mount Vesuvius erupted nearby. They reached Mussolini’s [Annotator's Note: Italian fascist dictator Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini; also known as il Duce] summer home. He was in Italy when he heard the news that the Allies had made an invasion at Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] after Rome was captured by the Americans [Annotator’s Note: by 5 June 1944]. After Rome was secured, his unit moved up toward Pisa [Annotator’s Note: Pisa, Italy] at a fast pace and faced resistance.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad [Annotator’s Note: a Captain in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] was given orders to make an assault landing in Southern France [Annotator’s Note: Operation Dragoon, the amphibious Allied invasion of Provence, or Southern France; 15 August 1944]. As Goad and his unit worked their way off the boats, the German Air Force [Annotator’s Note: the Luftwaffe] was shooting at them. He waded through deep water before reaching the beachhead. He made it inland and found a road. His unit moved as quickly as they could through the towns in the Vosges Mountains [Annotator’s Note: a mountain range in Eastern France near the German border], but were often faced with German roadblocks as they went through large towns. As the weather became cooler and winter arrived, it became more difficult to move the troops through France. Goad’s unit reached Strasbourg [Annotator’s Note: Strasbourg, France] by Christmastime [Annotator’s Note: in 1944]. At this time, the Germans were on the other side of the Rhine River, while Goad’s unit was on the embankment of the river. The Americans often sent out patrols during the night. His unit received a hot Christmas lunch and was pulled from the frontline for a few days. During Christmas, Goad was on patrol and could hear Germans singing Silent Night. Not long after Christmas, Goad left Europe and headed back to the United States on 25 February [Annotator’s Note: 25 February 1945]. During his deployment, Goad received a Silver Star [Annotator's Note: the Silver Star Medal is the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy] for his leadership during combat in France. He saw German tanks and used phosphorus smoke to deter the German advancement from getting to a group of American troops trapped into a ditch. He was written up in a military magazine for his actions against the German tanks. He also received two Bronze Stars [Annotator's Note: the Bronze Star Medal is the fourth-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy] during his deployment.

[Annotator’s Note: The video glitches throughout the segment.] Roy D. Goad [Annotator’s Note: a Captain in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] was fighting in Southern France. There was an incident where he killed some Germans in retaliation for them killing a member of one of his machine gun squads. Goad sometimes regrets killing the Germans, but at other times feels that he may have been in danger too. He heard from headquarters that he had received orders to return to the United States because of the medals he received [Annotator's Note: a Silver Star, the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy, and two Bronze Stars, the fourth-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy], and because he had received enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on several factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. He was given a 45-day furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] and then would have to return to Europe. He left Europe through Camp Lucky Strike [Annotator's Note: one of the transit and rehabilitation camps in France named after popular cigarette brands; Lucky Strike was near Le Havre, France] and boarded the Queen Elizabeth cruiseship. He arrived in Sam Houston [Annotator’s Note: Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas] to begin his leave. When he reported back to base after his leave, the war in Europe had ended. He was sent to Fort Benning [Annotator’s Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] to train for jungle fighting in preparation for combat in Japan. He was still in training when the United States dropped the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] on Japan. Goad was discharged from the Army in January 1946.

Roy D. Goad [Annotator’s Note: who served as a captain in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division in Italy and France] thought it was necessary for the United States to become involved in World War 2, more so than in World War 1. He knew several people that did not make it thought the war and feels blessed to be alive. War has been going on since biblical times and will probably continue because people want power. He does not know if there should be a national museum for World War 2 because he questions how people would get to it to see it. [Annotator’s Note: There is a video break at 2:04:26.000.]