Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to interview a World War II Veteran named Clifford
Goodall at his home in Hampstead, Virginia.
Several days after Dday, Cliff lost his helmet and picked up another one on the sand of
Omaha Beach. He found out 65 years later that the helmet belonged to William W.
Weaver, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division who was killed in action on
June 6 1944. He decided to give the helmet to the National D-Day Memorial in 2009.
---- Speech on National D-Day Memorial on Memorial Day 2009 by Clifford A. Goodall
--“Good morning. My name is Cliff Goodall and I served with the 7th Naval Beach
Battalion on D-Day. It is a real honor to be here on Memorial Day and be able to donate
this helmet to the National Memorial. l have had this helmet for close to 65 years, having
picked it up on Omaha Beach some time after D-Day. This helmet belonged to a soldier
of the 29th lnfantry Division with the name of W.W. Weaver. A bullet had hit the helmet.
You may be asking yourself how l ended up with an Army helmet when I was in the U.S.
Navy 7th Beach Battalion as a Navy Signalman.
Sometime after D-Day, they moved us from fox holes to the top of the hill into a tent
with some Army members of the 294th JASCO (joint assault signal company). This
location was right next to the air strip built by the Army Engineers on top of Omaha
Beach. To get there from the beach, we had to walk between two yellow strips about 10’
wide which indicated they had removed the mines. On one of my trips to the top, I
tripped and my Navy helmet rolled down towards the beach and outside of the marker
into some brush. What I did next was really dumb even for an 18 year old. I went to the
area where I saw it roll into the brush, stepped cautiously over the yellow marker because
I thought I saw the helmet and heard a loud crack back and jumped back out. I don’t
know if I stepped on an anti-personnel mine or not but if l did, it was a dud and I was not
looking for my helmet any more.
I had to have a helmet, so I went down to the base of the hill at the beach and picked up
this 29th helmet and wore it for the rest of my 3 months on Omaha Beach and took it
home with me.
I have tried over the years to get information on Weaver, but to no avail until about 3
months ago. I ran across a website from a Major in the Paris Police who kept a roster of
me 29th Infantry Division soldiers killed on D-Day. He sent me the following: William
W. Weaver was killed on June 6th, D-Day, 1944. He was a private in the 29th Infantry'
Division, 116th Regiment, lst Battalion, B Company. His resident county was Grayson
State of Virginia, enlisted at Roanoke, VA, April 18. 1941. Born in 1919.
I could not believe that after all these years l finally received on Private Weaver. I had
hoped he was just wounded hut it was not to be.
Later, I also received some information from a Rich Ballard who told me that Private
Weaver was buried in the Gideon Weaver Cemetery in Grayson County, VA and he sent
me a picture.
I am here today presenting this helmet with the help of my Alan Dube, whose father
Gilbert Dube also a Signalman in the 7th Beach Battalion - landed on Omaha Beach on
D-Day. I would like to thank Alan as well as the people of the National D-Day Memorial.
May God Bless Private Weaver and our fallen heroes and all of our military."
================
The Grayson Co. World War II dead are listed on a monument at the entrance to the
county courthouse. William W. Weaver is listed at the end.
There is a marker for William W. Weaver in the Gideon Weaver Cemetery in Grayson
Co.
When Mr. Goodall contacted us asking for more information about W.W. Weaver we
were able to tell him that William “Buster” Weaver had three sisters who are all now
deceased. The daughter of one of his sisters was living in Ashe Co. at that time.
We contacted Buster’s niece. She said that her grandmother had a letter from someone
who was beside William "Buster" when he was hit. The other soldier was injured and
spent a long while in the hospital.
The Weaver helmet that Mr. Goodall used is now part of the holdings of the National DDay Memorial in Bedford, VA.