William Goldsborough was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in January 1926 and grew up in the rural community of Broadneck, Maryland. He was the third of seven children of a candy maker, who stayed in Philadelphia when his mother, who worked as a maid, moved to Maryland. Goldsborough attended a one-room grammar school, then went to Garnett High School. He graduated in 1942 as valedictorian at the age of 16, then attended Hampton Institute [Annotator's Note: now Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia]. The prior 7 December, the Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941].

When William Goldsborough turned 18 in January 1944, he registered for the draft, and was allowed to finish out his sophomore semester. Goldsborough received his draft notice in June 1944. After passing the physical, he was informed that he would be going into the Navy, and that he was to return to school and wait to be called up. About six weeks later, he was called in for another physical, and this time he was told that he would be going into the Army. He was inducted in July 1944 at Fort Meade, Maryland, then shipped off to basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington. Goldsborough had taken two years of ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] at Hampton Institute [Annotator's Note: now Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia], and already knew the basics and the Army rules. Still, he spent 16 months at Fort Lewis, and while he was there, the war in Europe ended. His unit's [Annotator's Note: 1692nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1749th Engineer General Service Regiment] duties consisted of marking shrapnel in the firing range area. In August [Annotator's Note: August 1945], Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] dropped the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the war ended. Goldsborough's unit was readied to ship out, and he went off on furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. When he returned, he made the mistake of going off to the movies without properly storing his rifle, and was publicly reprimanded by his commanding officer. Goldsborough admitted to wrongdoing, but he also took umbrage to the officer's "irreproachable or provoking" speech. Although he didn't do it in public, the officer apologized for how he handled the situation. On the morning his unit was shipping out, Goldsborough had a fever and went on sick call, and was sent to Madigan General Hospital [Annotator's Note: now Madigan Army Medical Center; located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord just outside Lakewood, Washington] where he was treated with sulfa drugs for ten days. When he was released, his unit had been shipped out to parts unknown. He mentions that before his hospitalization he had applied for transfer to the Tuskegee Air group, and at the time Goldsborough was a rigger, MOS 089. Orders had come to group headquarters for him to be sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, but he was instead sent to the replacement depot at Fort Lawton, Washington where he spent several weeks before getting orders report to the USS General S. D. Sturgis (AP-137), a 5,000 troop ship that sailed the Pacific in November 1945. Due to the inclement weather, it took him 18 days to reach Yokohama [Annotator's Note: Yokohama, Japan]. Goldsborough notes that his return trip to the United States in 1946 was a "happy" 11 day trip.

When William Goldsborough learned about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] in December 1941, his reaction was that America needed to "gain control of the situation." He always felt that America would prevail. When he was initially assigned to the Navy, he knew that, being an African-American, he could only serve as a cook. In the Army there were more opportunities, and he eventually ended up in the motor pool. He had taken courses in auto mechanics while in trade school at Hampton Institute. During basic training, he trained with the 1749th Engineer General Service Regiment. His company commander sent him to school for rigging telephone lines. Goldsborough was not very well suited to the job as he had short arms and short legs which made climbing poles difficult. He didn't feel that his commanding officer had any interest in him as a person, and put in for a transfer, but the commander refused to release him. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Goldsborough if he had any experience with racism.] Goldsborough relates a story about how his commander assigned him the duty of explaining "the four freedoms" to his fellow servicemen. In a segregated Army, Goldsborough found this extraordinary, but he followed orders, and accepted the indoctrination. But the "height of insult from a racial standpoint" came after the atomic bombs were dropped, when he was in the mess hall at the replacement depot at Fort Lawton in Washington State. All the black soldiers were in a corner, and the German prisoners of war were eating among the white soldiers. Strangely, on the ship going overseas, Goldsborough's bunkmates were all integrated. Incidents of racism generally happened on weekends, when the GIs [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] went out on passes. Goldsborough had never been far away from home before joining the Army, but had no problem getting along with guys from all over the country. He was at Fort Lewis [Annotator's Note: now Joint Base Lewis-McChord; located just outside Lakewood, Washington] when the war ended on both the European and Pacific fronts, but never thought about the fact that the war was passing him by. When he heard about the atomic bombs being used, he thought it was "a great move and a great result," though today he "applauds" all efforts to avoid nuclear warfare. At the time he was "elated" that there would be no more war in the Pacific.

When the war ended, William Goldsborough didn't have enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] to be discharged. He was going overseas when everybody else was going home. He remembers that the Japanese were using human waste as fertilizer, and will never forget the smells. He also found it remarkable that public urination was acceptable. He thought the people very respectful, but always traveled with a buddy when he was away from his unit. He spent a week on leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] in Kyoto [Annotator's Note: Kyoto, Japan], and found the locals friendly. He didn't feel they treated the black soldiers any different from the white soldiers. After arriving in Japan, Goldsborough was sent to a replacement depot in Honshu, Japan where he was assigned to Company A, 1692nd Engineer Combat Battalion and served as the company motor sergeant. Goldsborough remained in Japan until July 1946. Once he had accumulated enough points to go home, his company commander told him that there was no one available to replace him. After explaining to his commander that he would get into trouble if forced to stay, he was allowed to return to the United States. Goldsborough was discharged on 9 August 1946, and in September he returned to Hampton Institute [Annotator's Note: now Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia] to further his education. He graduated in architectural engineering in 1949. Reflecting on his service in Japan, Goldsborough says his unit had a lot of "Diamond Ts" [Annotator's Note: Model 980, 12 ton transport truck] that moved heavy materials for roadwork. The trucks required a lot of maintenance, and Goldsborough found a way to reduce downtime. As a result, he had a very good rate of keeping trucks on the road. He mentions that he visited the local people, and recalls that he took his shoes off when entering their homes. When he wasn't on duty, he toured the area with a buddy. There was still evidence of the war around Japan, especially in Kyoto. When the military traveled by train, there were special cars for their transportation, so they weren't subjected to the overcrowding that was prevalent, and they didn't have to pay a fare. His fondest memory of Japan was leaving there in early August [Annotator's Note: 1946].

When he returned to the United States, William Goldsborough was mustered out of Fort Meade [Annotator's Note: Fort George G. Meade in Anne Arundel County, Maryland]. After his discharge, he was discouraged from taking advantage of the unemployment benefits offered to returning soldiers. It mattered little to him, because he had his mind set on returning to college, and he used the G.I. Bill to re-enroll in college. Goldsborough feels strongly that the G.I. Bill was one of the great things that came out of the war for servicemen, and especially for black troops. It helped greatly to advance the racial statistics in education. Goldsborough's most memorable experience during his service was the atomic bomb explosions and the ending of the "potential war" in the Pacific [Annotator's Note: Goldsborough is referring to the planned Allied invasion of mainland Japan]. "It was so dramatic and definitive," he says, and it was a great achievement. He notes that it amended his role in the Pacific for the better. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Goldsborough if he thought things would be different when he returned from the war.] Goldsborough didn't think so, and they weren't. He remained in the Reserves, and had intended to stay in until he reached 20 years in the service, but decided to leave in 1962 because, as a black man, the travel became too complicated, and he didn't want to go to Korea when the war there seemed eminent. He also wanted to "be around to help his wife raise their children." He was discharged from the Reserves as a Sergeant First Class, E-6. He then went to work for the New York City Transit Authority, where he stayed for more than 30 years.

William Goldsborough served during World War 2 because he had no choice; there was a draft and he had to go "at the orders of Uncle Sam." But the war gave him "an avenue to pursue his dreams," and today, he feels proud that America has undergone such a dramatic change since that era. He is thanked "profusely" when he wears his "veteran" cap, and he appreciates the admiration. He laments the loss of his wife of 57 years, but says he is now enjoying a life he feels has been well spent. He takes pleasure in his success; the secret of which he feels is holding no animosity against anyone. Asked what he thinks World War 2 means to America today, he said he thinks most people are unaware of what took place then, and they need institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] to teach the lessons that can prevent future conflicts. He feels strongly that nuclear warfare should be banned. In 1948, Goldsborough and several of his buddies took the exams to become flight cadets, and he passed them all; but when it came time to leave for training, he was just short of graduating from college, and his family was reluctant to let him go into dangerous situations again. He is not sorry about the decision he made to pass up that opportunity.