World War II Honoree

Leon Goodman

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Vineland, New Jersey

Honored By

Nancy Willams Family

Relationship

Daughter

He served with the U.S. Army in WWII from 1944 to 1946. As a soldier in the 26th Infantry Division, 101st Regiment, 2nd Battalion (Yankee Division), he participated in the German defeat at the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945. He fought through the Battle at Ardennes, Central Europe, and Germany. He was wounded at Saarlautern, Germany but refused to accept his Purple Heart Medal as he didn't want his parents to know that he had been injured. He spoke and understood Yiddish, a close language to German, and was part of a unit sent to accept the surrender of a German General in Austria. He photographed Hitler's Eagles Nest and carved his name in Hitler's desk. He was among the first units to liberate the Gusen Concentration Camp. He entered the camp atop a tank and thought he saw stacks of lumber and worried that German soldiers may be hiding behind the lumber. He soon realized that it was not lumber but stacks of fellow Jews, stacked like logs.