134th Infantry Regiment Website 35th Infantry Division Research Center "All Hell Can't Stop Us"

Sgt Robert J Goldsworthy

320th Infantry Regiment - Company B

Sergeant Robert James Goldsworthy, of the 35th Infantry Division, who had been missing in action since December 17, 1944, has been officially identified and accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

Born June 5, 1922, in Lake Linden, a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Goldsworthy registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, at age 20. At the time, he was living in Highland Park, Michigan, and working for Vickers Inc. in Detroit. He entered active duty on January 13, 1943, and served as a Rifleman with Company B, 320th Infantry Regiment. During the fighting at Saint-Lo, France, on July 27, 1944, he was wounded by shrapnel from a shell blast but returned to duty just days later, on August 2, 1944. He was promoted to Sergeant and Squad Leader on August 25, 1944.

By December 1944, the 35th Infantry Division had been in continuous combat for five months, fighting its way across France and into Germany. On December 14, Goldsworthy's unit crossed the Blies River and captured Bliesbruck after intense fighting, continuing their advance north toward Reinheim, Germany. In the early morning hours of December 18, after hours of fierce combat, the enemy finally withdrew. It was during this action, on December 17, 1944, that Sgt Goldsworthy was killed near Reinheim. His remains were not recovered at the time.

After the war, in January 1949, Graves Registration Service teams returned to the area and interviewed local residents, including the Burgomaster of Reinheim and a local priest. They learned that several American soldiers killed in the battle had been buried in the Gersheim Cemetery, about a mile and a half northeast of Reinheim. They were later exhumed and reinterred at the Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France.

One of those unidentified soldiers was buried as Unknown Soldier X-849, later confirmed to be Sgt Goldsworthy. Because DNA technology was not available at the time, identification was impossible. Following advances in forensic science, his remains were exhumed for renewed testing. On September 18, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Unknown Soldier X-849 had been positively identified as Sgt Robert J. Goldsworthy.

After more than 80 years, Sgt Goldsworthy has finally been accounted for and will be honored for his service and sacrifice. He will be buried next to his sister, Glayds E (Goldsworthy) Mukavetz, at Maple Hill Cemetery, Lake Linden, Michigan.