Cliff Goodall WWII Helmet Story - 29th Infantry Division
Monica and I had the pleasure to meet WWII Navy Veteran Cliff Goodall on our June 2016 trip to Normandy. Cliff served with the 7th Naval Beach Battalion on D-Day.
Days after the Invasion of Normandy began Cliff's mission was moved to the top of the hill with members of the 294th Joint Assault Signal Company. This was in the area of the airstrips built on top of Omaha Beach.
To get there Cliff had to walk up between the mine markers, 10-foot yellow strips. On one of his trips to the top, he tripped and his Navy wwii helmet rolled down the beach. Cliff thought he saw his helmet just inside one of the mine markers, and being only 18, decided to try to retrieve it. He took a few steps, and bang-boom, he heard a loud crack. Not sure if he stepped on a dud or a stick he concluded it was time to get out of there and fast.
Cliff searched and found a 29th Infantry Division Helmet on the beach. The helmet had a bullet hole in the middle and was soaked in blood. The name on the helmet just read W.W. Weaver. He cleaned it up, and this would be Cliff's helmet for the next 3 months of his duty on Omaha Beach.
It would take about 65 years, but Cliff found out the soldiers name was Pvt. William W. Weaver, who was killed in action on D-DayJune 6, 1944. Cliff donated the helmet on memorial day in 2015 to the Beford, PA WWII Memorial.
My book Uncle Matty Comes Home will launch at the 508th PIR annual reunion in October 2017 at Fort Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne Division.