Warren Goss, veteran, 99, returns to Normandy

It is hard to believe that some men who participated in D-Day on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, are alive and well enough to return to those beaches this week as the world celebrates the 80th anniversary of D-Day. One of those men making that historic trip is Warren Goss, 99, of Sewickley, Pennsylvania. I wrote about him and his D-Day experience for the Conneaut D-Day program booklet in 2013. I never dreamed I would still be writing about him 11 years later, alive and well and returning to Normandy! Goss left from the Pittsburgh International Airport this past Thursday, May 30, amidst fanfare, good wishes and great speeches. Goss was drafted at the age of 18 and became a rifleman in the U.S. Army and vividly recalled training at Slapton Springs, England to prepare for the Normandy Invasion known as Operation Overlord. On the morning of June 6, 1944, fog enveloped the hundreds of ships in the English Channel, all headed to the beaches of Normandy code named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Goss was with the 530th Special Brigade as they transferred from a ship to a smaller Higgins boat. As they neared Utah Beach, the waves were three feet high and many of the men could not even swim. Even those who could were so weighed down with heavy gear, if they fell or stumbled in the high waves, they often could not get up again. When the gate went down on the Higgins boat, the men were immediately bombarded with ammunition from all sides. There was no escape. Many of the soldiers died right in the water. Goss and his buddies he ran as fast as they could when they reached the beach but he watched as one in front of him was shot three times but got up each time and kept running until he could not run anymore. Days later, Goss’ brigade was transferred to the 70th Division. His brigade traveled through village after village, fighting the enemy and bringing freedom to the villagers. In one of the villages, Goss entered a brick building which was blown up while he was inside. Falling bricks covered him but he kept going without treatment though badly bruised. They fought their way until the Battle of the Bulge. Two major battles Goss fought in was the Battle of Ruhr and the Battle of Saarbrucken. He had his picture taken with two buddies after the last battle and has it even today. One late night, Goss was on a patrol with six other men as they infiltrated behind German lines. One of the men stepped on a Schu-mine, taking his foot completely off. All the men hit the ground by the force of the mine. Feeling around for more shoe mines and trying to clear their way, the men successfully carried the injured man back to safety. Although they passed German patrols along the way, they kept silent and with extreme caution escaped detection. Before them they saw a flickering light tin the window of a house but not knowing if they had walked long enough to get out of enemy territory, they hesitated to knock on the door. They placed the injured man in a nearby ditch, then carefully peered through the window and with relief saw American military men. Goss had many close calls while clearing the villages. Three German girls hid him in a barn to escape nearby German soldiers and let him know when they were gone. He was told to empty a German bunker with SS troopers inside. When he entered, he found three very young German soldiers. “I think about them often,” he said. “We were taught to hate them and we did it well. They knew we hated them. I took the watch from one of them and have it today. I still think of them.” For participating in the Normandy Invasion, Goss was awarded the Bronze Arrowhead, four battle stars for being involved in four major battles and the Bronze Star for heroic duty when he carried his injured buddy to safety from behind enemy lines. What a hero! If I had to be in the same situation, I would certainly want Warren Goss to be on my team! Returning home in 1945, Goss called his parents from Pittsburgh without any advance notice of his arrival! They thought he was still in France. What a joyful phone call that must have been. When his mother answered, he did not identify himself, only asking to speak to his father. When his dad got on the phone, he would not believe it was his son and said his son was in France. It took some convincing, but I am sure there was great rejoicing when they discovered the truth. The Goss family consisted of eight children on a garden and chicken farm with sometimes two grandmothers to feed. The whole family knew the importance of hard work. Goss’ dad simply told him upon his return, “There ain’t nobody here feeling sorry for you so you’re going to work tomorrow.” And work he did. He eventually became a glassblower, a carpenter and finally a builder and land developer in around North Hills, Pennsylvania. In 1950, he married Mary Kalemon, a farm girl. Goss said, “she was the best thing that every happened to me. She attended some of the Normandy reunions with her husband but she was not able to make it at the 75th, so Goss sent her roses with a note that said, “I thank God that he gave you to me and for allowing me to share the rest of my life with you." At the 75th D-Day anniversary, 170 veterans were able to make the trip. For the 80th anniversary, there are 66 veterans who are making that same trip. They were greeted at the Charles De Gaulle Airport with the youngest veteran being 96 years of age. He lied about his age and enlisted at 15. The oldest attending veteran is 102 years old. French school children met the veterans and sang the French and American National Anthem. I bet there was not a dry eye in the building! It is a well-known fact that American veterans are treated like rock stars in France. The people open their homes and their hearts to the men who liberated them from an evil stronghold that nearly destroyed their country and their lives. Although Goss had returned several times with his wife and other family members, he remembers the trip of 1979 the most. His family had a picnic on the beach right where he landed in 1944. “It was such a beautiful, peaceful place”, he said. The 12-day trip this year is sponsored by the non-profit, Best Defense Foundation, whose motto is “Taking Care of the Ones Who Took Care of Us.” Delta Airlines is the presenting sponsor with Michelin and Boeing being the Diamond sponsors. I have written the stories and interviewed D-Day and WWll veterans for the Gazette Newspapers and D-Day Conneaut for 14 years from 2005- 2018 and will share some of them during this month of June as we remember the sacrifice of those who participated in the Normandy Invasion. I hope you will share these stories with your future generations and that they will come to appreciate them as much as the European children and adults do.

Warren Goss, veteran, 99, returns to Normandy

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