Skip to content

Simon E. Goldstein

NAME
Simon Eisner Goldstein
NICKNAME
SERVICE NUMBER
327898
UNIT
VMSB-233
Aircrew
HOME OF RECORD
34-34 202nd Street
Bayside, NY
NEXT OF KIN
Brother, Mr. Nat E. Goldstein
DATE OF BIRTH
April 30, 1921
at Cleveland, OH
ENTERED SERVICE
November 29, 1941
at New York, NY
DATE OF LOSS
June 9, 1943
REGION
Vanuatu (New Hebrides)
CAMPAIGN / AREA
Espiritu Santo
CASUALTY TYPE
Non-battle death

CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS
Sergeant Simon E. Goldstein was a TBF Avenger crewman assigned to VMSB-233, a Marine torpedo bomber squadron based at Espiritu Santo in the summer of 1943.

On 9 June 1943, Sergeant Goldstein boarded TBF-1 #06352 along with Major Howard F. Bowker, Jr., 1Lt. Frederick W. Follmer, Jr., and Cpl. Saverio J. Rea for a training flight. After simulating a bombing run against a group of friendly cruisers, Bowker brought his flyers around the tip of Aoba Island for a second pass.

Eyewitnesses later reported that Bowker’s Avenger suffered a “structural failure” on the approach, and that it crashed into the sea about six miles northeast of the fighter strip near Turtle Bay. The plane sank quickly; no survivors were found, and no remains could be recovered.

INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS

LAST KNOWN RANK
Sergeant
STATUS OF REMAINS
Not recovered
MEMORIALS
Honolulu Memorial

Biography:
Contact the webmaster for more information about this Marine.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *