By Jerry Carino Published January 13, 2026 at 5:06 a.m. ET TOMS RIVER -- On D-Day, Leonard “Bud” Lomell performed one of the great feats of valor in World War II, leading a group of Army Rangers who scaled 100-foot cliffs and disabled five big German guns that threatened the Allied landing at Normandy’s Utah and Omaha beaches. Lomell, who grew up in Point Pleasant Beach and later lived in Toms River, gained worldwide acclaim in the 1990s when his actions on June 6, 1944, were featured in books b... Read more

By Jeanne Wall Published January 13, 2026 at 4:21 AM NEW JERSEY— The newly constructed Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient facility was officially named the Leonard G. “Bud” Lomell VA Clinic during a ceremony held this month, honoring the life and legacy of a decorated World War II hero and longtime Ocean County resident. The naming follows legislation, covered in a previous TAPinto article, that was introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in July and signed into law by President Trump in Se... Read more

By Lakewood Alerts Published January 11, 2026 Rep. Chris Smith announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1.5 million in federal funding to the Ocean County Utilities Authority (OCUA) for a major wastewater treatment infrastructure improvement project. The funding was secured through a congressional earmark Smith included in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 118-42). The funds will be used to replace and upgrade Primary Digester No. 2 at the Ocean Cou... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided $1.5 million in critical federal funding to the Ocean County Utilities Authority (OCUA) for a greatly needed wastewater treatment improvement project. The funds were made possible by Smith’s direct earmark to the OCUA, which he included in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (PL 118-42). “I am pleased to announce that the Ocean County Utilities Authority—which owns and operates the Cent... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and stalwart defender of mothers and the unborn, today debated on the House floor on the need to apply Hyde Amendment protections to pending legislation that would extend the COVID-era Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit. The Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from paying for elective abortion, was neither included in the original ACA enacted by President Obama in 2010, nor was it appended when President ... Read more

By Karen Wall Published January 8, 2026 at 3:23 PM ET TOMS RIVER, NJ — After lengthy delays, the new Veterans Affairs outpatient medical clinic in Toms River finally bears the name of Leonard G. "Bud" Lomell, the World War II hero from Ocean County. The clinic opened in November 2024, and efforts to name it for Lomell — a D-Day hero whose actions as an Army Ranger in Normandy saved the lives of thousands of soldiers during the D-Day invasion — had stalled for nearly two years. On Tuesday, Lomell... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, sat down with Tony Perkins on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins to discuss the importance of the Hyde amendment, which prohibits federal funds from paying for elective abortion, and the need to apply it to Obamacare subsidies. The full interview can be viewed by clicking here. ### Read more

By Andrew Rice Published January 6, 2026 TOMS RIVER – The Veterans Administration clinic just hosted its official naming ceremony, as it will now be known as the Leonard G ‘Bud’ Lomell VA Clinic. Leonard ‘Bud’ Lomell was a local World War II hero. After his service, he assisted other veterans when they arrived home via his work with the local veterans affairs offices. His impact rippled throughout the local veterans communities in Toms River. Lomell’s service included the raid on Pointe Du Hoc w... Read more

In accordance with legislation offered by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in July and signed into law by President Trump in September, the newly constructed Toms River VA facility was today named in honor of Second Lieutenant Leonard G. “Bud” Lomell, a World War II hero and longtime Toms River resident. Rep. Smith, the former Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said, “Today, directed by an act of Congress, signed by the President of the United States, this world-class VA outpatient clinic... Read more

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