by Cris Italia
He lit the explosive and waited about 10 seconds before throwing it -- or failing to throw it. This particular bomb fell between his legs inside the cockpit. Just seconds before the explosive ignited, Goldstein thought quick and flipped the Piper Cub upside down. The bomb fell out and Goldstein lived to fight another day.
"That story best describes what kind of person he was," said Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg. "He was fearless and always calm under pressure, and for this he was courageous."
Weisenberg has many Hy Goldstein stories, but this is the first one that comes to mind. At a flag pole dedication on Thursday, Nov. 21, he honored the memory of Goldstein and all Americans who participated in the Israeli armed forces during the nation's fight to remain independent.
"This is something that we can do to make others know that Americans did fight for Israel," Weisenberg said. The dedication was held at the Barry and Florence Friedberg JCC in Oceanside. A plaque honoring Goldstein was affixed to the flag pole and the Oceanside Jewish War Veterans gathered along with residents to honor the hometown hero one more time.
Goldstein was born and raised in Long Beach. During World War II he served as an Air Force pilot and fought at Guadalcanal. "After the war he kept looking for something," Hy's brother, Roy, said. "He would always leave for months at a time, and I guess he was just trying to find himself.
In 1947, during a brief stint as part owner of a gas station in Los Angeles, Hy was confronted by a woman. "She told my brother that there was a need for pilots to fight for Israel," Roy said. "Months later we found out he was in Israel."
With six other American pilots, Goldstein fled the FBI and joined the Israeli effort. At the time, federal agents were enforcing a U.S. embargo against arms to the Middle East. Goldstein later told his family that if he'd been caught, he would have been sent to jail. "But he had finally found something that he wanted to be a part of, something he believed in," Roy said of his brother's allegiance to Israel. "For the first time since the war, he knew where he wanted to be."
So Hy did the unimaginable. With the Israeli army outnumbered, he and his fellow Air Force pilots took on Egyptian Spitfires. Goldstein would later say that their fighting force was no larger than five or six planes.
"It didn't surprise me at all when I found out where he was," said Roy, who also served the United States in World War II. "It was a life-changing experience for him. When he came back to the states, he settled down in Long Beach and never left again."
Roy Goldstein says his brother never expected to win the war. The brave American pilots knew they were fighting a battle that could very easily bring about the end of their lives. "When he came back he would always say that it was God's will for us to win that war," Roy said. "There was no other reason then God."
On Thursday, Weisenberg couldn't help but fight back tears when describing his old friend. "He dedicated his life to Israel, and this dedication is a message for our children," Weisenberg said. "They should take this experience and realize they are now the future of this country and of our world." Weisenberg did not stop there. "He was a special guy. What he did was amazing, and he is an American hero."
