[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 95 (Thursday, June 6, 2019)]
[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.

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