Goss, Warren

Warren Goss was born February 9, 1925 in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, where he grew up in a large farm family.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, working around the farm and delivering papers and being a Boy Scout.  When the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, Warren recalls selling many newspapers – and bringing home extra money to his mother.  He wanted to enlist but was still only 16, so he joined the Pennsylvania Auxiliary, where he was able to do military training while he waited his turn.  After that 18th birthday came, Warren received his draft notice and was off to basic training, first in the Chesapeake Bay area, and then Camp Shenango.  From there, it was on to Buffalo to be outfitted, and then New York City and the troop ship was the next stop.  The Aquitania took Warren to Scotland, and the men boarded a train that took them to the south of England.  Warren was at this time part of the 4th Infantry Division, but an announcement came looking for volunteers for a special new division and Warren opted to try it out, and he ended up in the 531st Special Brigade.  Warren trained for much of the next year, and that included the ill-fated training exercise Operation Tiger, where 800 American soldiers lost their lives at Slapton Sands.  The training of course was for D-Day, and Warren crossed the Channel the morning of June 6, headed for Utah Beach.  The next few hours were intense:  Warren saw terrible sights as he jumped off the landing craft.  He made it to the beach and headed inland, in the direction of Ste-Marie-du-Mont.  Warren did many patrols in Normandy, and had interesting experiences with the civilian population, and he managed to make it through that difficult summer.  With the job of the 531st done, Warren was transferred to the 70th Infantry Division, and they set across central France in the direction of Germany, crossing the Saar River and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge during the winter of 1944-45.  Warren’s war ended near Frankfurt; he eventually made his way home and found his way back into civilian life, marrying and raising his own family.  Warren came to use courtesy of the Veterans’ Breakfast Club, and thanks to their efforts Crestwood students were able to zoom with Warren in April 2023.