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.
🗣️ “What do we think of Tottenham?”
Zohran Mamdani: “Sh*t! Congratulations to them for staying in the league, big achievement! You can’t get beat by Arsenal if you’re not playing Arsenal!” 🤣❤️
🎥 @pablofindsout
Night one in West Palm Beach was weather-shortened, but leaned hard into the deep cuts, with I Did It making a rare appearance as opener and a run of genuine rarities stacking up through the first half -- What You Are, Dreamgirl, #27, and Only Takes a Moment all sitting under 10% frequency. Jake Renick Simpson joined on fiddle for five songs from Lie In Our Graves through the closer and into the encore, bringing that fiddle energy fans have missed since 2017. Joy Ride surfaced as the only tour appearance, and Carlos Malta brought both his flute and saxaphone for a smoldering Say Goodbye and Crush pairing.
05/29/2026 — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
https://t.co/bZmU4Mtm9T
1,000 World Cup tickets. $50 each. All for New Yorkers.
We fought hard to make the people’s game available to the people — and won.
Let the summer of soccer begin.
This has arguably been the hardest Premier League to win. Previous champions spending £400m in the summer. Pep buying two of the best players in the league in January. Three teams making European finals. A CL team in 17th. Fewest points between 1st and 18th in over a decade.
For everyone who suffered through 8-2.
For everyone who half 6 at Stamford Bridge in Wenger’s 1,000th game.
For everyone who suffered through Baku.
For everyone who had to go to school after conceding 10 to Bayern.
Today is for you. Drink it all in. We deserve this.