Every Man a Hero: A Memoir of D-Day, the First Wave at Omaha Beach, and a World at War

Ray Lambert · Jim DeFelice

May 2019 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

An Army medic and Silver Star recipient shares a visceral firsthand account of D-Day in this acclaimed, New York Times bestselling WWII memoir.

At five a.m. on June 6, 1944, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ray Lambert stood on the deck of a troopship off the coast of Normandy, France, awaiting the signal to board the landing craft that would take him and so many others to meet their fate on Omaha Beach. Spotting his brother Bill, who served beside him throughout the war, they exchanged promises to take care of their families if one of them didn’t make it.

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.

About the author

Arnold “Ray” Lambert (1920-2021) joined the U.S. Army in 1940 and served as a medic in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy. For much of the war, he was staff sergeant in charge of a 30-man detail in the First Division’s famed 16th Regiment. Lambert earned the Silver Star and multiple Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts. He saved many lives. After the war, he started two successful businesses in the Boston area. His memoir, Every Man a Hero, was published in 2019 and became a New York Times bestseller. Jim DeFelice has written over a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction for young people. His works include: Havana Strike, published in 1997, and Brother's Keeper published in 2000. He is the co-author of Dreamland with Dale Brown. He also co-authored best sellers American Sniper and American Gun with Chris Kyle. In 2014, his nonfiction ebook made the New York Times bestseller list; it was entitled Code Name: Johnny Walker. DeFelice co-authored 2015 New York Times and Publisher's Weelky bestseller American Wife with Chris Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle.