AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, we highlight the service of Captain Roy Goad, who served in the U.S. Army.
A native Texan, Goad was born on April 3, 1921, in Bell County, northwest of Temple, Texas. His older brother was in the National Guard, and Goad joined the National Guard with his twin brother, Ray, when they were only 15, after concealing their actual age. The National Guard was federalized in 1940, and when they received notice that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Goad knew they would go to war.
He recalled, “I was at home that weekend with my girlfriend in Temple. We had been at the Arcadia Theater […] When I was taking her home that night after the movie was over, I had my daddy’s car and turned the radio on […]. We were attacked at Pearl Harbor. So, I dropped my girlfriend off at home […] went back to my daddy’s house […] and got a ride with some of the boys that were going back […] to camp that night, the night Pearl Harbor hit us. Then we knew at that time that we were gonna be faced with some kind of war in the future. We didn’t know how soon.”
Voices of Veterans: Captain Roy Goad
On his way to fight in Europe, Goad had a difficult trip across the Atlantic before crossing through the Straits of Gibraltar and landing in North Africa. He remembered, “I believe it was 10 days and nights or 11 days, something like that […] I didn’t get up. […] Two meals a day, but I’d have someone bring me a sandwich or something. I lay on my bunk, and if I got up, I’d vomit. I wasn't the only one, but I just wasn’t used to it.”
As a First Lieutenant, Goad was a platoon leader in the 143rd Infantry Battalion of the Texas National Guard. While he and his men did not see action in Africa, they did battle the unforgiving heat of the desert during the day and the surprisingly frigid cold at night.
Goad then went to Italy. While fighting outside of Naples, Goad was told by a chaplain that his twin brother had been captured by the Germans and taken prisoner in Altavilla Irpina, Italy, along with several other men in the same platoon. Ray spent time as a Prisoner of War in Poland. When the Germans started retreating West as Russian forces moved in, Ray and a few other officers followed the retreat. Ray eventually got in touch with their older brother Jim, who was fighting in the area. Goad recalled, “My brother Jim got him fixed up. He [Ray] had lost a lot of weight. Then they got sent home.”
In 1943, Goad was wounded at Mt. Sammucro (Hill 1205), a 4,000-foot ascent that was one of the steepest heights scaled by Allied forces during World War II.
He remembered, “I was lookin’ behind an old rock crag on the mountain top. There were Germans on another ridge about 400 yards to my right, tryin’ to find some targets. A German mortar shell hit right above my head about 10 feet and blew dust and a little rock down in my face. I was leanin’ down with my helmet bent over a little bit, wiped my eyes out with a handkerchief, when another shell, it must’ve been small grenades or rockets or something, […] hit right above my head about two feet.”
Goad described the aftermath, saying, “It flattened my helmet out in the back, and a piece of shrapnel went down my back, right above my spine. Some shrapnel went into my left shoulder. I thought a train had run through me, and I was bleedin’ like everything. If I hadn’t had my head down to wipe my eyes, that blast would have hit me right smack in the face and probably killed me.”
While this was the only time Goad was wounded during battle he admitted, “there was about four or five other times that I missed the good Lord and luck, I guess you can call it, was with me.”
Goad also spoke about seeing many brave acts during his time fighting in Europe, and was particularly impressed by the renowned 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This heavily decorated all-Japanese American unit fought valiantly to save the 141st Regiment of the Texas National Guard, who were trapped by German forces in the mountains of France.
He said, “I saw them coming up the road, overcoats draggin’ on the ground. I thought they were kids. I got a little closer, and there was the Japanese. Well, we had heard about ‘em, and to me, they fought a battle that we couldn’t have fought. They went up there and saved the 141st, what was left of it.”
Before leaving the Army, Goad rose to the rank of Captain and participated in the battles of Salerno, Naples, Anzio, Rome, and Strassbourg. For his outstanding service, he was awarded the Silver Star, three Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart.
To listen to Captain Roy Goad tell his story, click the button below:
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Veterans can email VoicesofVeterans@glo.texas.gov to tell their stories. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at the time of their interview.
Voices of Veterans is a state agency's first Veteran oral history program. It records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.
The VLB records interviews with Veterans over the phone or in person. Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.
Veterans' interviews are also available to researchers, historians, genealogists, and the public. These precious records inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans' sacrifices.
To listen to the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO's Voices of Veterans oral history program, click the button below:
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Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience to the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In 2016, she became the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County and the first woman to represent Texas Senate District 24. She made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become our state’s first female Land Commissioner.