A 4th QB has been added to the Bates family quarterback room. Banks Francis Bates has great length, seems to have the right intangibles, and most importantly, the best supporting cast and leader out there: his mom!
Thankful to God for his continued provisions over our family.
Ray’s Rock - Omaha Beach
On the morning of June 6, 1944, 23 year old Staff Sergeant Arnold “Ray” Lambert came ashore with the first wave of the 1st Infantry Division on the eastern side of Omaha Beach. At this small patch of concrete he saved nearly 20 lives:
The division came under intense fire from several German bunkers surrounding the entrance to the Colville Draw (one of two exits off Omaha Beach). Ray, a medic, immediately went to work.
He was shot in the arm. Moments later he was hit by shrapnel in the leg, but Ray kept pulling men to safety. He pulled nearly 20 wounded soldiers to cover behind this 8ft wide obstacle, treating each soldier before going out in search of others.
After several hours under fire, while pulling a wounded soldier from the ocean, he was struck by a landing craft. It dropped its ramp on top of him, breaking his back. He fell face down in the water, drowning. The craft backed up and nearby soldiers pulled an unconscious Ray to safety, eventually evacuating him off the beach.
Remarkably, Ray had already earned two Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts in Sicily and North Africa, prior to landing in France. But here in Normandy his war would end.
He awoke in a hospital back in England a day later. In the next bed over was his brother, who had also been wounded at Omaha.
When asked about his work on D-Day, Ray simply said, “I did what I was called to do.”
Ray Lambert passed in 2021 at 100 years old. He exemplified the best of American grit and why remembering this day is so important.
This photo was taken on this day at Omaha Beach in 1944 by Robert Sargent. It shows American troops leaving their amphibious boat to head to shore.
With Germans shooting from coastal positions on high, treacherous waves and heavy equipment, almost all of these soldiers died soon after it was taken.
"Into the Jaws Of Death" is the photo that gets me most. These men knew what they were getting into and still did it for our country.
Extended interview: Former Nebraska senator Ben Sasse has metastatic pancreatic cancer. He spoke with 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley about where America has been and where it could still go.
One of the worst places to find out you didn't get the job is a McDonald's drive thru.
One of the best places to find out you didn't get the job is a McDonald's drive thru.