Sam Goldstein was born the second youngest of nine children in January 1920 in Obbach, Germany. His father served in the German Army during World War 1 and died in December 1923 due to complications caused by exposure to chemical gas during his military service. Goldstein's his earliest years were rough as the family struggled to support themselves in the wake of his father's death, but most of his memories from this time are decent. When Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] rose to power in 1933 [Annotator's Note: glitch in video at 0:01:37.000], his and other Jewish families across Germany were immediately separated from society. All Jewish children were expelled from German public schools. The following year, Goldstein's mother sent him and his brother to Munich [Annotator's Note: Munich, Germany] to a camp for Jewish boys. The camp was sponsored by the Zionists [Annotator's Note: Zionism is an ideology and nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a Jewish state centered in the area roughly corresponding to Canaan, the Holy Land, the region of Palestine or Eretz Israel on the basis of a long Jewish connection and attachment to that land] and aimed to educate and teach a skill to Germany's Jewish youth so that they could be sent to safety in Palestine. The Goldstein brothers were trained as shoemakers. During his four years in Munich, he spent his days being educated in typical school subjects. He pursued an apprenticeship under a Jewish shoemaker named Rudolph Leers [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling]. Even during this time, he and his fellow Jews were under constant threat by the Nazi regime. He visited his mother just once while in Munich. In 1938, it was announced that Palestine had no need for more shoemakers. The manager of the camp went to the United States and returned to Munich with an affidavit for Goldstein and his brother to immigrate to the United States under the German quota. In July, Goldstein travelled to Antwerp [Annotator's Note: Antwerp, Belgium] where he boarded a ship, the Gerholdstein [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], for passage to the United States. His family was aware of the Nazi plans for them very shortly after Hitler came to power. It was evident from the start that Jews were no longer going to be able to pursue their own lives and receive an education in Europe. The Statue of Liberty greeted Goldstein in New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] and he breathed a sigh of relief. Upon arriving in the Bronx [Annotator's Note: the Bronx is one of the five boroughs in New York, New York], Goldstein immediately found work for a Jewish shoemaker. His employer was very obviously taking advantage of him as a refugee. When Goldstein requested a raise after several months on the job and was denied, he began looking elsewhere for work. He worked for an Italian shoemaker, until he found work for a third shoemaker, Nathan Ephraim [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling]. Goldstein began dating Ephraim's daughter and the two were married on 7 September 1941 after a two-year courtship. On 1 July 1941, Goldstein registered for the draft and was investigated by the FBI [Annotator's Note: Federal Bureau of Investigation] as a possible enemy alien. The agents went around his neighborhood talking to his neighbors to determine if he was an enemy of the country. Goldstein heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] on the radio and read coverage of it in the newspaper. As a Jew who escaped the Nazi regime, Goldstein was happy to hear the news because it meant he would finally have a shot at helping to eliminate Hitler. Many in the Jewish community knew it was over for Hitler once the United States stepped into the war.

In November 1942, Sam Goldstein was drafted and sent to Fort Dix [Annotator's Note: Fort Dx, New Jersey] for induction. He was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training where he was assigned to the 100th Infantry Division. The first two 90-day phases of training were not difficult, but the third phase was unbearable. The strenuous exercise and long forced marches meant that Goldstein was very rarely able to see his wife. In November 1943, a rumor began to circulate for 500 volunteers that were needed to go to Brazil to train the Brazilian Army. Goldstein took the bait, but was sent to Oran, Algeria in North Africa. In December [Annotator's Note: December 1943], he was assigned to the 36th Infantry Division which was in poor shape after the invasion of Salerno [Annotator's Note: Operation Avalanche, 9 to 16 September 1943, Salerno, Italy] a few months earlier. When he arrived in Naples [Annotator's Note: Naples, Italy] he was assigned to B Company, 141st Infantry Regiment [Annotator's Note: 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division]. Goldstein entered combat for the first time on 21 January 1944 at the Battle of Monte Cassino [Annotator's Note: Battle of Monte Cassino, also called Battle for Rome, 19 January to 18 May 1944]. It was an absolute bloodbath as his outfit attempted to cross the Rapido River under heavy German artillery fire. Goldstein pulled himself across the small river using a rope. He was injured and hospitalized for two and a half weeks. When he recovered, Captain Green [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] released him back to the front line and told him he had more reason to fight the Germans than anyone else. After liberating Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy], Goldstein's company continued to push north through Italy. The final town they took was Paganico in Southern Tuscany [Annotator's Note: Paganico, Tuscany, Italy]. While in the vicinity of the town, the three rifle platoons in the company advanced and left Goldstein's weapons platoons in the rear. Goldstein's platoon came under heavy 88 fire [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery]. He dropped his helmet and weapon and ran as fast as he could to the rear, passing his regimental commander along the way. The colonel yelled to Goldstein, "Where are you going?" Goldstein gave him a two-word response and it was not "Happy Birthday." Goldstein ran until he arrived at a barn where the 3rd Battalion [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] was sitting in reserve. After resting for a while and waiting for the shelling to stop, he returned to the front, passing the regimental CP [Annotator's Note: command post] once more. This time, the colonel stopped him and had him explain what was going on. Goldstein jumped in a jeep with the colonel who brought him back to his outfit. Upon seeing the damage to the area where they were positioned, the colonel ordered everyone to disperse to the rear. From Paganico, Goldstein's outfit was sent to Naples to begin amphibious training ahead of the invasion of Southern France.

Sam Goldstein [Annotator's Note: with Company B, 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] trained for the invasion of Southern France [Annotator's Note: Operation Dragoon, Provence, Southern France, 15 August 1944]. The invasion was a piece of cake with very light German resistance. While advancing along an embankment on the Mediterranean shore, Goldstein spotted four German soldiers standing outside of a house on the beach. His company commander ordered him to speak to them and request their surrender. The Germans resisted and wanted the Americans to come down to the beach to take their surrender. Fearing a trap, Goldstein's company commander resisted and refused to let them go. Goldstein convinced him that since they were in combat and the risk was always high, this surrender operation was no different. The commander relented and sent Goldstein and a few other men to the beach. Upon arrival, Goldstein spoke to the four Germans and soon discovered there were a total of 59 Germans in the house. For his actions in securing their surrender, Goldstein was awarded the Bronze Star [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]. By the winter of 1944-45, the 36th Division had arrived in Alsace-Lorraine [Annotator's Note: Alsace-Lorraine, France] after 133 days of continuous frontline combat. In March 1945, Goldstein's back gave out and he was transferred out of the infantry to a counterintelligence unit based in Poissy, France until the end of the war. In May, Goldstein and Major Don Fuller [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] were ordered to set up a station in Offenbach, Germany. Goldstein worked in a support group of the Civilian Censorship Division who was responsible for censoring mail. In his role, Goldstein picked up mail at different military bases to be censored. Goldstein felt he owed it to his family and the Jewish community to keep fighting. His mother and two brothers were killed in Auschwitz [Annotator's Note: Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp complex in German occupied Oswiecim, Poland] and a third brother was killed in the Warsaw Ghetto [Annotator's Note: Warsaw, Poland]. He later found out through Red Cross records that his mother died the first week of May 1945. VE-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945] was a great relief for him, knowing that Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] was defeated. While stationed in Offenbach, Goldstein had the opportunity to return to Obbach [Annotator's Note: Obbach, Germany] while on a three-day furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. He visited many of the people he knew from childhood. They were not anti-Semites and were not responsible for the fate that befell the Jews in Obbach. The SS troops [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] that came to Obbach in the early years were always from other parts of the country. His eldest sister who lived in Belgium, escaped to Switzerland and two others escaped to South America. When he got out of the Army, Goldstein arranged for both of his sisters to immigrate to the United States. One remained in America, while the other returned to Germany with her husband a few years later. His brother in Palestine remained in Israel for the rest of his life. All the German people he spoke with in post-war Germany claimed to have no involvement in the Nazi Party. He worked in several department stores before buying his own shoe business. He retired at age 62. He was discharged in November 1945 with the rank of Private First Class.

[Annotator's Note: Thunder can be heard in the background throughout this clip.] Sam Goldstein had trouble readjusting to civilian life and credits his wife and family for helping support him through these times. He dreamt of combat experiences for years. All his time in combat stands out to Goldstein as memorable. Seeing friends die, taking part in major battles, and experiencing weather of all types are particularly impactful. He often wanted to get sick so he could be taken from the front line, but never did. Although he was forced to go to war, he realized it was a just war and never looked for a way out of military service. He felt he had to do something and owed it to his family and friends to fight. World War 2 taught Goldstein tolerance and be grateful for what is given to you in life. It gave him a lifelong desire for peace. His service showed the world that the United States could be a source for righteousness in defeating dictatorships. America always fights for those that are oppressed by others. He feels blessed to have been accepted into American society with open arms when he fled Germany. He feels that he is more patriotic than most Americans because he has felt true persecution. He believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because the events should never be forgotten. Future generations should know how blessed they are to live in a country like America. You must pay a price for freedom, and it is worth fighting for.