HONORING STAFF SERGEANT ARNOLD RAYMOND LAMBERT AND HIS SERVICE IN WORLD WAR II; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 95
(Extensions of Remarks - June 06, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E723-E724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING STAFF SERGEANT ARNOLD RAYMOND LAMBERT AND HIS SERVICE IN WORLD
WAR II
______
HON. RICHARD HUDSON
of north carolina
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Mr. HUDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 75th
anniversary of D-
[[Page E724]]
Day and honor Staff Sergeant Arnold Raymond ``Ray'' Lambert, a World
War II veteran and Moore County constituent.
There are American heroes, and then there are American giants. Ray--
along with other men and women of the Greatest Generation--is a giant.
At 98-years-old, he is one of the few surviving warriors who stormed
the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Seventy-five years ago, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a heavily
fortified French coastline and established a foot-hold in Nazi-occupied
France--though that one sentence hardly does the invasion any justice.
D-Day was a major turning point in WWII and the beginning of the end
for Nazi Germany.
Ray served as a medic in the 16th Infantry Regiment of the army's
storied First Division, the ``Big Red One.'' Facing intense fire from
German forces, his medical unit landed with the first assault wave at
Omaha Beach. Soldiers were killed and wounded all around him, and Ray
pressed on--rescuing troops from drowning, attending to countless
wounds, hauling soldiers to safety, and always serving his fellow men
in uniform. He was wounded and in immense pain himself, but he
persevered after giving himself a shot of morphine. That's incredible
and selfless service at its finest.
Ray sacrificed on that beach. He saved countless men on that beach.
And he never once gave up. After breaking his back and losing
consciousness, he was picked up and evacuated by a landing craft. On
that same landing craft was another heroic medic who was wounded--his
brother, Bill. They were taken to safety in England and began the long
journey back home and to recovery.
Before Normandy, Ray served in North Africa with the Big Red One and
earned his first Silver Star for rescuing wounded soldiers under fire
in 1943. He continued to risk his life to save his fellow men in
uniform, next in Sicily. A Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star
recipient, Ray continues to serve our country and our community and he
recently published a memoir titled ``Every Man a Hero.''
I admire Ray not only for his service, but also for his desire to
memorialize his fallen comrades and his efforts to pass on the great
values of his generation. As he said recently, ``Perhaps they should
teach a little more in schools about World War II and how the
generation at that time, my generation, loved the country and respected
the flag and was willing to fight for our families and our country.'' I
agree and believe every generation owes an enormous debt to Ray and the
Greatest Generation.
I applaud Ray for his tremendous service, and I thank him for his
courageous and selfless actions. I am so proud to represent him in
Congress, and I wish him and his wife Barbara and their family all the
best.
Madam Speaker, please join me today in honoring Staff Sergeant Ray
Lambert and his service to our country.
____________________
