Shot in the side, scaling 100-foot cliff, Toms River D-Day hero Bud Lomell focus of book

TOMS RIVER -- A new book about Toms River resident and World War II hero Leonard G. "Bud" Lomell describes his actions on D-Day in Normandy, when Lomell and his Army Ranger platoon climbed the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to disable five big German guns.

Lomell, who died in 2011 at age 91, is profiled in author Stephen Gillon's "Len Lomell -- D-Day Hero," a new book that features interviews with Lomell's friend and Toms River Historian J. Mark Mutter, as well as relatives, former law partners and friends.

A book signing featuring Gillon is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Toms River American Legion Post 129, 2025 Church Road.

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A photograph of Lomell hangs in Toms River's town hall, and a township street, Lomell Lane, is also named after him. Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr., a U.S. Navy veteran, and the township council have asked that the new Veterans Administration clinic, under construction on Hooper Avenue, be named after Lomell.

Lomell's exploits on D-Day were previously featured in Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation." Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Point Pleasant with his family and graduated from Point Pleasant Beach High School before attending Tennessee Weslyan College on a full scholarship. When war broke out, Lomell joined the Army, and volunteered to become an Army Ranger.

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During the planning for D-Day, Lomell and his platoon received their assignment: to scale the sheer, 100-foot-high cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and take out a cache of five giant German guns which could prove deadly to troops landing on Utah and Omaha beaches. The guns had a range of 10 to 15 miles.

Lomell was shot in the side as he exited the landing craft, but in spite of the pain he and his platoon continued to the cliffs. As they climbed up on ropes, many were killed or fell to their deaths, and another surprise awaited when Lomell and his remaining men reached the top. The "guns" were actually telephone poles placed at angles to mimic weaponry.

Lomell and two other Rangers went off in search of the missing weapons, finding them unguarded in an apple orchard, where they destroyed them with grenades and other explosives.

Historian Stephen Ambrose has described Lomell as the single individual, besides Allied Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower, who was most responsible for the success of the June 6 invasion of France.

Following the war, Lomell graduated from Rutgers University Law School, married, and raised three daughters while establishing a successful law practice in Toms River, where he and family lived.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 38 years. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River D-Day hero Army Ranger Bud Lomell tells story in new book