tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731914045837623352011-04-21T22:32:00.223-04:00Honoring one soldier who died for rights he was never allowedbullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.comBlogger141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-75422034139326807122008-11-11T07:16:00.007-05:002008-11-11T07:26:38.501-05:00

Private Goodman died in a segregated army fighting for a segregated country. I wonder what he would think about our country electing Barack Obama as president.In any case, today,tell a veteran"Thank You."

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-5726567867769656702008-05-26T14:15:00.004-04:002008-12-09T09:12:17.804-05:00

In honor of all the men and women who paid the ultimate price for our country. May their sacrifices never be forgotten.

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-9917129212812067262008-02-24T18:49:00.002-05:002008-12-09T09:12:18.113-05:00

Or Lost Private Lane?

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-47137761754761630502008-02-03T11:20:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:12:18.251-05:00

Some papers from the National Personnel Records Center arrived yesterday. The records were not Private Goodman's, but those of my great-uncle, Henry Howard Cheshire. Private Goodman and my Grandma's brother had several things in common. Both enlisted from Robeson County. Both left behind two children when they joined up. And both died in September 1944 as US Army privates in the ETO.My mother can

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-2294673511228657472008-01-31T23:31:00.000-05:002008-01-31T23:51:26.764-05:00

While I'm still waiting to get some kind of feedback from the government, I'd like to make some things a little clearer.I'm not trying to make Private Goodman a hero.I'm not trying to make him the only African-American soldier or sailor worthy of respect.I'm simply trying to share what I learn about one young man who died thousands of miles away from home, fighting for a country that often didn't

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-62673078261521335742008-01-12T11:18:00.001-05:002008-01-12T18:52:16.523-05:00

Nothing new to report about Private Goodman. Somewhere inSaint Louis someone is searching through a database- maybe even some charred folders- looking to see if the information I've requested was lost.I did spot this interesting article about a blog focusing on the experience of another soldier. Wonder what that infantryman would think of his simple letters home, just ink and paper, now eagerly

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-73146649606526447352008-01-01T23:26:00.000-05:002008-01-02T13:09:06.686-05:00

Nothing new to report, unless you count the New Year. The forms the government asked me to fill out are back in its hands, but with the holidays, I don't expect much to happen for a while. Here's hoping some leads will start panning out.In the meantime, I'll be reading something my friend Chris gave me a for Christmas, a new copy of "The Good War" by Studs Terkel. I'd heard of Studs before, as a

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-34599337199690869242007-12-06T11:00:00.000-05:002007-12-06T11:24:32.162-05:00

It shouldn't be a surprise. The one thing to expect when dealing with bureaucracy is paperwork. Lots of paperwork. When I got a very prompt reply from the National Personnel Records Center, I tore into the letter, mailbox still open. My heart sank when I read what was inside.The government wants me to fill out more forms for Private Goodman. What's so frustrating is they want the same

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-70801239320406828232007-11-28T07:26:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:12:19.141-05:00

This can't be for real. Not only is Private Goodman proving hard to find, I can't track down his unit either. According to his headstone, he served in the 3193rd Quartermaster Service Company. I've only found one other soldier with the same unit number. Could this be a mistake on his headstone?

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-28590864913546615802007-11-20T07:15:00.000-05:002007-11-22T21:49:49.010-05:00

Searching for Private Goodman is one heck of a challenge. I don't mean that as a complaint. Heck- I even admire the way he seems to have had a perfect storm of circumstances that are making it so hard to track him down. It's like he enlisted out of thin air. Learning more about him is going to take much more work than I imagined. Maybe on the level of my 3rd-great grandfather Levi Woodberry

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-88638457248146749642007-11-15T10:53:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:12:19.455-05:00

The words jumped off the screen and hit me between the eyes. "Died, non-battle." There was no other explanation. Only Private Goodman's rank and service number, arranged in a list with the other war dead from Robeson County (including my grandmother's oldest brother, Henry Howard Cheshire.) So now, there is a new mystery about the elusive Private Goodman.You can find this Honor List and others

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-16532011306096989742007-11-13T09:26:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:12:19.636-05:00

The census work is taking more effort than usual. Not slacking up- it's just gonna be sluggish. I'll keep you posted.In the meantime, there's another way forward with Private Goodman's "service number." That's the number the Army gave him when he enlisted, used before the Social Security Number became the preferred method. Every record about Private Goodman has his service number on it. The rub

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-59605243198172292172007-11-12T09:25:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:12:19.819-05:00

Usually my first step in genealogical research is to look through census records. It's like one-stop shopping. Almost everyone is listed in a census at some point in their life, the records often link other people together so you have more clues, and you get a sense of place.So this morning, I began looking for "Levester Goodman," born about 1920 in North Carolina. Nothing. How about "L Goodman?"

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-773191404583762335.post-74440036508250819222007-11-11T19:43:00.000-05:002007-11-12T23:25:35.186-05:00

Today is November 11th, 2007. Veterans Day. A day set aside for Americans to honor the men and women who have served and are serving their country in the armed forces. An appropriate day to begin this humble attempt to honor one soldier's ultimate sacrifice.Private First Class Levester Goodman died on September 16th, 1944, somewhere in Normandy, France. We know that from his headstone, which my

bullcitybikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11192815902377485617noreply@blogger.com1