{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413392", "Ahead of Tuesday\u2019s opening Smith introduces legislation to name new Toms River veterans clinic after highly-decorated local war hero Bud Lomell", "2024-10-18", "2024", "2024-10", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), the author of more than a dozen laws to help our nation\u2019s veterans and their families, today introduced legislation (HR 9997) to name the new veterans clinic in Toms River after World War II hero and longtime Toms River resident, Second Lieutenant Leonard G. \u201cBud\u201d Lomell. Smith\u2019s bill, which notes that Lomell is \u201cexceedingly deserving of the posthumous honor,\u201d is already cosponsored by Reps. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ).\n\n\u201cA decorated war hero and upstanding citizen, Bud Lomell sacrificed so much for our country and courageously led his platoon during the D-Day invasion of Normandy,\u201d said Smith, who served two terms as Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. \u201cFor his incredible leadership and remarkable bravery, Bud Lomell received a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is only fitting that the new modern health care facility in Toms River that will serve so many of our Nation\u2019s heroes living in our community be named after one of our very own heroes from Ocean County,\u201d Smith said.\n\nSmith\u2019s legislation has received the strong support of the entire Lomell Family\u2014including Bud\u2019s surviving wife, Charlotte Ewart Lomell, who was married to Bud for 63 years.\n\nAfter citing Lomell\u2019s extraordinary heroism, HR 9997 concludes: \u201cAs a decorated war hero, model citizen, and dedicated husband and father, Second Lieutenant Lomell is exceedingly deserving of the posthumous honor of having a new and long-awaited Toms River-based Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic named in his honor.\u201d\n\nLomell, who served as a U.S. Army Ranger in World War II through multiple engagements including the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, was recognized by famed historian Stephen Ambrose as \u201cthe single individual\u2014other than Dwight Eisenhower\u2014as most responsible for the Allied successes on D-Day.\u201d\n\nLomell was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his valor and leadership while scaling the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc in a critical and highly difficult mission to disable an installment of German heavy guns. He later earned a Silver Star for his actions to capture and secure Hill 400 in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, during which he led the Rangers in defending the hilltop against a German counterattack, even after being severely wounded.\n\nAfter serving our nation overseas, Lomell returned home to Ocean County, where he was appointed to serve as the first director of the newly organized Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau to assist veterans with their transition to civilian life. He went on to study law on the GI Bill and also served as President of the Ocean County Bar Association, a director of the First National Bank of Toms River, and a member of the then Dover Township Board of Education. He died of natural causes in 2011 at his Toms River home.\n\nThe new Toms River clinic\u2014a 68,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility located on Hooper Ave\u2014will replace Ocean County\u2019s Brick clinic that Smith secured in 1991 but can no longer accommodate the large veterans population in the area. As part of his push to establish that clinic, Smith had authored three amendments passed by the House of Representatives to bring a Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinic, for the first time, to Ocean County.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413392"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.903593074530363, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}