Uncle Stan was assigned to the USS California at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. He was initially classified as dead, but he was actually unconcious, when placed in a room with other dead military personnel. His father, Charles Elzie Goldsmith, was duck hunting when he received a telegram notifying him of Uncle Stan's death. It was two or three days later that Uncle Stan telephoned Grandpa Goldsmith that he (Uncle Stan)was alive. Grandpa Goldsmith later commented that it was a cruel trick to play on a man.
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12-7-2020 as told by Denise Goldsmith, daughter of Stanley Goldsmith

Jerry Goldsmith -You are close to my dads story. He wasn't in the water he was below deck dragging people out. It was oil slick there and he slipped, hit his head and passed out. They carried him out and when he came to he was lying with bodies under him and on top of him in a locked area. He got untangled and went to the door and shouted at the Marine guarding the fallen to let him out. He said the the guy's face went completely white and he took off running to get help. My dad laughed about that part of it all. Most of the crew were actually on shore when the sirens started and rushed back out to the ship. Dads best friend died in a fire on board the ship. He had a really tough time of it. Sonny gave us some paperwork that Chance has. Dad earned 17 battle stars and a Purple Heart. He never mentioned that part, never considered he was a hero. He did talk about how proud he was of his baby brother, Uncle Ken who I believe is the reason dad stayed in so long. He did say he went on several what they called suicide missions because he didn't have a wife and kids like a lot of them did. He never understood why he lived thru it. He said he was living on borrowed time.
I had a job when I was younger that required a secret clearance and back in the day it could take 6-month to a year to get one. I got mine in less than three weeks. The others that were waiting on there's asked the guy why I got mine so fast and no one else did. They said her dad was a war Hero and that's why they finished mine so fast.
I asked dad then why he hadn't said anything. He said "sweetheart it was no big deal, I was just doing my job. " I got to go with him on a Survivor's of Pearl Harbor convention and it was awesome and full of sorrow at the same time.

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Uncle Stan loved the water. His two daughters, Vickie and Denise, scattered his ashes off the coast of California. His daughters established a headstone for him in King City Cemetery, Jackson Township, Gentry County, Missouri.

Charles Elzie Goldsmith and his sons Cleo, Kenneth, Stanley and Wade are listed on the Jefferson County, Oklahoma Veteran's Memorial.