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Every Man a Hero; A Memoir...

Every Man a Hero; A Memoir...

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  • Create Date：2021-04-19 00:31:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Ray Lambert
  • ISBN：0062937480
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Summary

An astonishing new firsthand account of D-Day。

Seventy-five years ago， he hit Omaha Beach with the first wave。 Now Ray Lambert， ninety-eight years old， delivers one of the most remarkable memoirs of our time， a tour-de-force of remembrance evoking his role as a decorated World War II medic who risked his life to save the heroes of D-Day。

At five a。m。 on June 6， 1944， U。S。 Army Staff Sergeant Ray Lambert worked his way through a throng of nervous soldiers to a wind-swept deck on a troopship off the coast of Normandy， France。 A familiar voice cut through the wind and rumble of the ship’s engines。 “Ray！” called his brother， Bill。 Ray， head of a medical team for the First Division’s famed 16th Infantry Regiment， had already won a silver star in 1943 for running through German lines to rescue trapped men， one of countless rescues he’d made in North Africa and Sicily。

“This is going to be the worst yet，” Ray told his brother， who served alongside him throughout the war。

“If I don’t make it，” said Bill， “take care of my family。”

“I will，” said Ray。 He thought about his wife and son–a boy he had yet to see。 “Same for me。” The words were barely out of Ray’s mouth when a shout came from below。

To the landing craft！

The brothers parted。 Their destinies lay ten miles away， on the bloodiest shore of Normandy， a plot of Omaha Beach ironically code named “Easy Red。”

Less than five hours later， after saving dozens of lives and being wounded at least three separate times， Ray would lose consciousness in the shallow water of the beach under heavy fire。 He would wake on the deck of a landing ship to find his battered brother clinging to life next to him。

Every Man a Hero is the unforgettable story not only of what happened in the incredible and desperate hours on Omaha Beach， but of the bravery and courage that preceded them， throughout the Second World War—from the sands of Africa， through the treacherous mountain passes of Sicily， and beyond to the greatest military victory the world has ever known。

 

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Reviews

David Mulligan ，

This is a fantastic book。 A colleague thought that I'd enjoy it。 Boy， did I ever！！ The harrowing life of a medic in wartime-one who survived North African invasion， Sicily， the Italian campaign & the first wave on Omaha Beach on 6/6/1944， is told with clarity， humor， sadness， etc。 That this man is now 101 years old is mind boggling。 Well worth your time！ This is a fantastic book。 A colleague thought that I'd enjoy it。 Boy， did I ever！！ The harrowing life of a medic in wartime-one who survived North African invasion， Sicily， the Italian campaign & the first wave on Omaha Beach on 6/6/1944， is told with clarity， humor， sadness， etc。 That this man is now 101 years old is mind boggling。 Well worth your time！ 。。。more

Louis ，

Now more than ever it is critically important to record the experiences of our WWII veterans。 It is important to have primary sources for historical research and to dispel myths， such as those maintained by Holocaust deniers。 Lambert was an average person from Alabama who was involved in the landings at Africa， Sicily， and Normandy。 His accounts as a medic add fascinating insight into treating casualties on the battlefield。 This is especially true at Omaha Beach。 Another small， but interesting， Now more than ever it is critically important to record the experiences of our WWII veterans。 It is important to have primary sources for historical research and to dispel myths， such as those maintained by Holocaust deniers。 Lambert was an average person from Alabama who was involved in the landings at Africa， Sicily， and Normandy。 His accounts as a medic add fascinating insight into treating casualties on the battlefield。 This is especially true at Omaha Beach。 Another small， but interesting， aspect of the work is his comment on people romanticizing the Greatest Generation。 While by and far their support of the war was true， there were dissenters。 I was unaware that there were strikes occurring in the United States during WWII。 The presentation is forthright， compassionate， and detailed。 Well worth the read for WWII buffs。 。。。more

Bob Schmitz ，

This is the first person story of Ray Lambert a medic during WWII told when he was 80。 Lambert was a Southern farm boy who joined the Army so as to have a job during the Depression。 The war breaks out shortly afterwards。 Lambert certainly saw a lot of combat from landing with the first troops in N。 Africa， then Sicily and then again in the first wave on Omaha Beach on D-Day。 He is modest and says he was just doing his job but that meant to him such things as rescuing a wounded soldier from a min This is the first person story of Ray Lambert a medic during WWII told when he was 80。 Lambert was a Southern farm boy who joined the Army so as to have a job during the Depression。 The war breaks out shortly afterwards。 Lambert certainly saw a lot of combat from landing with the first troops in N。 Africa， then Sicily and then again in the first wave on Omaha Beach on D-Day。 He is modest and says he was just doing his job but that meant to him such things as rescuing a wounded soldier from a minefield in N。 Africa， being cut by a grabbed German bayonet thrust at him before pulling out his pistol and shooting the soldier， pulling 2 soldiers from a burning tank when given a direct order not to for fear of it blowing up and having a landing craft front ramp fall on him pinning him below the surface as he was pulling a wounded soldier from the surf at Omaha Beach。 It lifted after less than a minute for an unknown reason and he was released from a sure drowning though with 2 broken vertebrae。 He received multiple Purple Hearts and Silver Stars for bravery。 He confirms what I have read elsewhere， that the US soldiers were not very good in N。 Africa because they did not know how to kill。 They didn't yet hate Germans。 It is an interesting story but adds little to the stories of the the war。 。。。more

Smh624 ，

An extraordinary account of one of the last survivors of D-Day who served in North Africa and Italy as well。 Well written and conveyed the reality of being a soldier in WWII in a way that made me feel it。 A further reminder of the amazing efforts of citizen soldiers of that era。

Todd ，

It's billed as a memoir of D-Day， but really it's broader than that。 Lambert gives you an overview of his younger days， talks about enlisting before the U。S。 entrance to World War II， then gives you the whole run-down of his service， right through D-Day。 Then he goes on to talk about his recovery from the war and a little taste of what life was like after。 It's written in a plain， unpretentious manner。 Mostly Lambert explains any military jargon as he goes。 It's really more of a personal account It's billed as a memoir of D-Day， but really it's broader than that。 Lambert gives you an overview of his younger days， talks about enlisting before the U。S。 entrance to World War II， then gives you the whole run-down of his service， right through D-Day。 Then he goes on to talk about his recovery from the war and a little taste of what life was like after。 It's written in a plain， unpretentious manner。 Mostly Lambert explains any military jargon as he goes。 It's really more of a personal account than a military history， so it is not consumed with strategy or tactics or even a blow-by-blow description of battle， except as it was directly experienced by Lambert。 Sometimes he gives a picture of what else was happening in the war， relying on other accounts for that context。 To the aficionado， some of these broader points might bear disputing， but remember that the value of this book is Lambert's own account of what he experienced。 Anyway， Lambert notes that "the more information you get" sometimes "obscures rather than illuminates the truth" （p 128）， so he knew well the problem of differing accounts。One thing that interested me personally was seeing how cyclical some things were。 Lambert talks about they would place a priority on stopping "bleeding; usually with a tourniquet。。。There are complications from using tourniquets， however， and the practice has greatly declined since my war。" （p 26）。 In fact， after 9/11， the use of tourniquets went way back up among those deploying， and the "complications" were deemed much more manageable than thought in the period just before。 When I first joined the Air Force in 1991， they taught that putting a tourniquet on someone was a sentence to amputate and warned against using them unless it was life-or-death。 Yet once real combat went up after 9/11， the tourniquet was almost the first thing people reached for。 So I guess some things come and go with war or peace。Lambert's coauthor DeFelice noted the reason Lambert went on record with his account was the realization that few of his number were left， and， "as direct memory of a thing is lost， too often the lessons that it taught are lost as well。" （p 240）。 Well spoken and all too true。 So do your part， save part of the lessons learned， show some interest in history， read accounts like Lambert's。 It's not the greatest or most sublime account of World War II ever written， but it's readable， accessible， and contains more than a few gems throughout。 A good read。 。。。more

Ron ，

“Always for us the war was an immediate affair; the only strategy that counted was the one that kept you and your buddies alive。”Extraordinary memoir of one of the last survivors of D-Day。 The story summarizes growing up in Alabama in the 20s and 30s， and his decision to escape poverty by joining the US Army in 1940。 He thought he knew what was coming， but had no idea what was ahead for him。“I guess they figured if a man can take care of dogs， soldiers would be a cinch。”Though Lambert had no med “Always for us the war was an immediate affair; the only strategy that counted was the one that kept you and your buddies alive。”Extraordinary memoir of one of the last survivors of D-Day。 The story summarizes growing up in Alabama in the 20s and 30s， and his decision to escape poverty by joining the US Army in 1940。 He thought he knew what was coming， but had no idea what was ahead for him。“I guess they figured if a man can take care of dogs， soldiers would be a cinch。”Though Lambert had no medical training， he had assisted the county vet giving rabies shots to dogs。“The 2nd Battalion medics never retreated; we just found a better location。”Excellent voice and sense of the times。 Lambert was older than many recruits and a natural leader。 He survived landings in Algeria， Sicily， and Normandy。 My father was a WW2 vet， and many of Lambert’s expressions and slang resonated with me。 And reminded me of my father， dead over twenty years。“Your mind plays tricks when you look back。 Things that should be sharp and crisp blur。 Odd events， people you barely knew and places you rarely visited， suddenly become sharp。”DeFelice undoubtedly facilitated producing a modern text for the 90-year-old Lambert but did so without losing the sense of the original。“No mission too difficult， no sacrifice too great—Duty First” First Division motto。We cannot imagine what it was like: Lambert’s First Division “The Big Red One” went through。 It is estimated that fully 30% of everyone who landed on Omaha beach was killed or wounded during his first hour ashore … or， in many cases， not quite ashore。 Lambert was wounded three times that morning， the last took him out of the fight。 His team rescued him and started him back to England。“And that’s all right。 In a way， it’s better。 Every medic who did his job that day was a savior; every man a hero。” 。。。more

Kevin ，

Ray Lambert’s story is one of the best books about World War II that I’ve read or， in this case， listened to。 He speaks of his life before and during the war， as well as the lasting effects of his experiences in combat。 While the title notes that he participated in the Normandy landings， Lambert also served in North Africa and Sicily as a medic。 However， his actions at Omaha Beach are the crux of the book， and his description of the battle is extraordinary。 He was overseas for more than three ye Ray Lambert’s story is one of the best books about World War II that I’ve read or， in this case， listened to。 He speaks of his life before and during the war， as well as the lasting effects of his experiences in combat。 While the title notes that he participated in the Normandy landings， Lambert also served in North Africa and Sicily as a medic。 However， his actions at Omaha Beach are the crux of the book， and his description of the battle is extraordinary。 He was overseas for more than three years during the war。 If you’re interested in a first-person account of World War II， you can’t do any better than Every Man A Hero。 。。。more

Chuck Whittle ，

I thoroughly enjoyed the book！ Well written。

Dana ，

I loved this book。 I love history books and this one was the right length and information for me。 If you enjoy reading history and D-Day give this book a try。

Janie McAdams ，

A vivid reminder of the sacrifices our fathers made， and their families The trail of battle over three countries has just enough detail to make the reader see the horrors of WWII and how the men handled those。

Linda ，

4。5 stars！

Barbara Linder ，

Superb accounting！！

Al Adducci ，

Been to Normandy Utah， Omaha Beaches， Pointe Du Hoc， Juno， Sword， as visitor。My dad and three uncles， dad flew over and 3 uncles walked through those crimson beaches， as liberators。You’re lucky that Ray was able to write his memory of the greatest generation。 And what they did that day。

Nikita Stoyanov 3 ，

It is the memoir of a WWII veteran that covers his experiances during the war， emphasizing D-Day。It is very interesting。

Chris Welber ，

Great first person account of D-Day and other landings。 Not very many first-hand accounts available。 So nice to get a new one before this entire generation is lost to history。

Larry Kloess ，

3。5 stars。 While I’m so glad this book was written and beyond grateful for men like Ray Lambert who courageously fought for our country and put their lives on the line， the book itself was written in a bit of a jumbled style that felt like it jumped around somewhat and left parts of the story out。 I love the first person account of the war and D-Day， and was fascinated by how Ray continued to find himself moving into new situations that he wasn’t accustomed to or necessarily prepared for， but th 3。5 stars。 While I’m so glad this book was written and beyond grateful for men like Ray Lambert who courageously fought for our country and put their lives on the line， the book itself was written in a bit of a jumbled style that felt like it jumped around somewhat and left parts of the story out。 I love the first person account of the war and D-Day， and was fascinated by how Ray continued to find himself moving into new situations that he wasn’t accustomed to or necessarily prepared for， but thriving all the same。 The book is a testament to the humility and bravery of his generation， there are just better books written on the particular subject that I’ve been more gripped by overall。 Thank you， Ray， and to so many countless others for your service！ 。。。more

Brad Ruffini ，

A great book about an American Hero。 Teaches life lessons and courageousness

CoffeeBreakBooks ，

Every Man a Hero is a compelling behind the scenes look at World War II。 The memoir presents a detailed picture of the life， thoughts， and emotions of a young soldier， Ray Lambert。 His observations of army life， comradeship， and heroism offer an enlightening personal perspective on the events of World War II in Europe。 This book is one of the better WWII memoirs that I have read。

John Morgan ，

3，5 stars - good even if not in depth

Grady Mauney ，

Great book， although fairly tame compared to other war memoirs。 Easy read。

Jacob Bergeron ，

Not the best， not the worst。 I feel like he could have expanded on a lot of the stories， just felt really rushed。 Interesting perspective though， not too many medic books out there

susan fetters ，

A wonderful memoir of Ray Lamberts experiences during WWII。 It was interesting to read his impressions of Patton， Bradley and Eisenhower。 He and his brother certainly experienced horrible situations during the war but still persevered。 True heroes。

Ashley Fuhr ，

This book！ If you even slightly love a military read， this is a phenomenal story from the greatest generation。 So few of our WWII heroes remain， but I love that some of their stories are preserved in books。 Thank you， Ray Lambert， for your service， sacrifice， and bravery。 We are better because of brave men （and women！） like you。

Jim ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A well written， unique， first person account of D-Day from the perspective of an Army medic who braved the horrific machine gun fire to aid the wounded in his sector of Omaha Beach。 Lambert was hit in his right arm immediately after exiting the Higgins boat he was on， and was later hit in the leg， which he patched up with a tourniquet。 Finally， in the process of saving a wounded soldier in the surf， the ramp of a Higgins boat landed on his back， which crushed part of his spine and nearly drowned A well written， unique， first person account of D-Day from the perspective of an Army medic who braved the horrific machine gun fire to aid the wounded in his sector of Omaha Beach。 Lambert was hit in his right arm immediately after exiting the Higgins boat he was on， and was later hit in the leg， which he patched up with a tourniquet。 Finally， in the process of saving a wounded soldier in the surf， the ramp of a Higgins boat landed on his back， which crushed part of his spine and nearly drowned him。 Lambert miraculously survived when the crew put the boat in reverse。 He was later evacuated from Omaha with other wounded soldiers， including his brother。Aside from being one of the most harrowing accounts of D-Day， Lambert also details his early life growing up in Depression-era Alabama， and his early wartime exploits in North Africa and Sicily， where he faced dangers that in some cases were just as dangerous as his later experiences at Omaha beach， including nearly being bayoneted by a German soldier in the desert， only surviving by dispatching his foe with his sidearm and catching the bayonet blade with his hand。 A must read account of the Second World War。 。。。more

Florence ，

This is actually a simple story， plainly told， unembellished。 It involves an ordinary man who somehow found the strength and courage to survive not only the grueling and brutal landing on Normandy beach in 1944 but also earlier combat landings in Tunisia and Sicily。 The memories of Omaha Beach are a bit of a blur， not because Lambert was 98 years old when the book was written， but due to the chaos of bullets flying， explosions， men being blown apart， men drowning。 Ray Lambert saved as many of th This is actually a simple story， plainly told， unembellished。 It involves an ordinary man who somehow found the strength and courage to survive not only the grueling and brutal landing on Normandy beach in 1944 but also earlier combat landings in Tunisia and Sicily。 The memories of Omaha Beach are a bit of a blur， not because Lambert was 98 years old when the book was written， but due to the chaos of bullets flying， explosions， men being blown apart， men drowning。 Ray Lambert saved as many of them as he could。 He barely survived himself。 He was grievously wounded on that beach。 He wrote the book so we would not forget those long ago sacrifices of men performing their jobs， doing what had to be done to defeat Naziism。 Ordinary men transformed by history。 They should long be remembered。 。。。more

Audrey Knutson ，

Ray Lambert wrote this book about his WWII service like he was talking to you--it was straight forward and easy to follow and he gave context and military definitions to the events and subject matter。 The book as a whole gave the reader not only a good idea of the kind of man Ray is， but also a great overview on the war in North Africa， Sicily， Day & Normandy， the 1st Infantry Division， and the medic corps as a whole。 Ray was a medic and was part of the first wave on DDay。 His medic perspective Ray Lambert wrote this book about his WWII service like he was talking to you--it was straight forward and easy to follow and he gave context and military definitions to the events and subject matter。 The book as a whole gave the reader not only a good idea of the kind of man Ray is， but also a great overview on the war in North Africa， Sicily， Day & Normandy， the 1st Infantry Division， and the medic corps as a whole。 Ray was a medic and was part of the first wave on DDay。 His medic perspective gives the reader a perfect first person viewpoint of looking into the action。 I especially appreciate the history of the Big Red one in North Africa and the Pacific， which I wish McManus' book on the 1st。 Div。 had。 Perhaps the most touching thing about this book is Ray's humility and deference to those he served with。 Ray is a hero of heroes and so was everyone he served with--from Tunisia to France--and it was really emotional to hear him talk about what he did and who he did it with。A great first hand account of the war and certainly of DDay。 。。。more

Thomas ，

This was a nice memoir， as he states it is， very quickly readable due to the fact that it is transcribed interviews。 Learned a bit about Gen。 Terry Allen （who was one I had not read of before） who is not well-remembered in popular coverage over the years。 We always hear of Ike， Monty， Patton， Mark Clark and Omar Bradley。 Rare， to me anyway， are mentions of Allen and Truscott who seemed to be well-regarded by their own men。 This is one that can and should be read by teens and young folks。

Val ，

I am glad that hundreds of people over a few decades finally prevailed upon Ray Lambert to write a book about his WWII experiences culminating in the invasion at Normandy。 I also am glad that my reading schedule worked out that I finished his book on the 76th anniversary of D-Day， where Lambert was an Army medic dragging the wounded to shore， treating them， and then retrieving more， for hours， while under intense enemy fire and surrounded by mines。 Lambert was 98 years old when this book was pub I am glad that hundreds of people over a few decades finally prevailed upon Ray Lambert to write a book about his WWII experiences culminating in the invasion at Normandy。 I also am glad that my reading schedule worked out that I finished his book on the 76th anniversary of D-Day， where Lambert was an Army medic dragging the wounded to shore， treating them， and then retrieving more， for hours， while under intense enemy fire and surrounded by mines。 Lambert was 98 years old when this book was published just last year， and by his own count after attending WWII vet reunions， he is one of less than a handful left from the hundreds of thousands who stormed the beaches on D-Day to liberate France。 If you want to learn more about why he waited so long to write this book， and why he finally decided to do it， make sure to read the Legacy chapter and the Collaborator’s Note， where Mr。 DeFelice describes Ray Lambert and what it was like helping him write this book。 Both are touching chapters。There are a lot of books about D-Day， but this one almost certainly will be the last eyewitness account captured in print for posterity， and it is a charming one， if that’s the right word for it。 Not that his account of his war experiences is charming， but Lambert writes in such a humble， folksy way， characteristic of his generation， of ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary things， and then not boasting about it after the fact。 The author’s collaborator， DeFelice points out in his Note， that even after knowing Lambert for years and working with him on this book， he still learned new things Lambert had done during the war， heroic things， that Lambert simply had never mentioned to anyone before。 Although the book title suggests the book is purely a memoir of Lambert’s D-Day experience， the title doesn’t do the book justice， because Lambert was involved in so much more than D-Day。 That was the last major operation he served in， not the first。 After briefly describing his upbringing and how we ended up in the Army， he tells the story of his unit’s combat in the years leading up to D-Day。 Lambert served with General Patton in the campaign to take Northern Africa back from the Desert Fox， Erwin Rommel， then participated in the invasion of Sicily， starting the campaign to defeat Mussolini， and later to liberate Italy from Nazi control。 North Africa and Sicily were incredibly important and successful campaigns， and Lambert was there treating and saving lives every step of the way。 Thankfully， his book captures his memories of those two critical invasions， rather than focusing only on his next， and last， campaign - D-Day。 There might not have been a D-Day as we know it had the Allies failed in North Africa and Italy， and Lambert gives proper credit to the often overlooked hundreds of thousands of Americans who fought mile by mile from Sicily to Rome to crush Mussolini and liberate Italy from the Nazis， rolling into Rome just days before D-Day。 46，000 Americans died in Italy， and Lambert notes they were just as brave and heroic as those who landed in Normandy， and should be honored equally。There are many eyewitness accounts from soldiers who stormed the beaches or special forces who parachuted behind enemy lines to slow and plague the Nazi response。 Lambert’s account is unique because it is the perspective of a medic， landing at Normandy in the same transports as the soldiers but knowing that as soon as the ramp lowered， his friends and unit members would take heavy fire and he would be responsible for saving as many of them as he could， and he would lose many beyond his control。 I loved his sub-chapter Every Man a Hero where he says reads the citations for heroism awarded to medics he knew went back into the water time after time to pull soldiers to shore and try to treat their wounds。 Lambert did this too， and he makes a somber point that the award citations could be said of every combat medic in action that day。 He also reminds us that although hundreds of thousands of Americans participated heroically in D-Day at great sacrifice and cost， only 12 Medals of Honor have been awarded， primarily because there are just too many deserving recipients to count and award them all。 Fittingly， and with more than a little karma， Lambert himself is saved by an unknown heroic medic who Lambert can only thank in prayer and by telling his story。 Like many soldiers being shipped out to the war， Lambert’s last few hours with his wife resulted in his son being born during Lambert’s first year in combat。 By the time Lambert returns home， he has a 3 year-old son he has never met。 Lambert’s concluding chapters and one Appendix describe what it was like for many WWII vets to return to “normal” life， and the mental health challenges （PTSD） they faced that were not identified as such until decades later with Vietnam vets， and so there wasn’t any therapy and treatment。 Men were anxious， had terrible nightmares， saw faces and heard voices of those who had been killed， and struggled with depression。 Lambert does not really accept the premise that his generation was somehow stoic and handled the horrors of war better， but he does agree that his generation understood the simple fact that there was a good and an evil， and if good was going to win in this world， evil had to be defeated。 Lambert’s account covers most of WWII and is a great contribution to the eyewitness histories we should all read from time-to-time to remind ourselves of the price others have paid for us to have the lives we have today。 Thank you， Ray Lambert， for your service in North Africa， Sicily， and Normandy， and thank you Mr。 DeFelice for helping Ray get his story into print for his posterity， and to improve our understanding of WWII and the generation that fought it。Here is a news story about Lambert visiting Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day June 6， 2019， one year ago today: https://www。npr。org/2019/06/06/730126。。。 。。。more

Paul ，

A very interesting account of a combat field medic that not only landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day， but previously landed in Sicily and served in North Africa。 The details of the morning of D-Day from somebody that lived the experience was captivating。

Ken Gordon ，

Solid read。 Learned a lot about those times。 Great central character。 A real American。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Every Man a Hero; A Memoir...

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Every Man a Hero; A Memoir...&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Every Man a Hero; A Memoir...&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0