Kathy Godwin and her siblings, Carol Miltner and Robert Friederich, poured months of time into learning, reconstructing, and preserving the legacy of their late father, Col. Lambert P. Friederich, a decorated World War II officer.
Lambert, born on September 18, 1922, entered the U.S. Army on February 11, 1943, at Camp Blanding in Starke, commissioned as an officer in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. In a rare family legacy, Lambert actually served in the same historic unit as his own father, Lambert A. Friederich, who served in World War I.
The 3rd Infantry Division fought relentlessly throughout a number of battles and operations, including Operation Dragoon, the Vosges Mountains, Rhineland and the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign. For their fearsome reputation, enemies called them the “Blue and White Devils,” after their insignia’s colors.
Lampert’s battalion also participated in the liberation of the Augsburg-Pfersee subcamp of Dachau in 1945, where brutal medical experiments were being conducted. One prisoner was so grateful that they made a portrait of Lambert.
“Everything that I have has actually either come from the 30th Infantry or a book that was written — this is how I first learned the information; it was 10 years ago,” said Godwin.
Godwin called the 30th Infantry, who told her to first read the book to learn her father’s war history. Afterward, they further explained the history.
“The history is really hard to follow, and I wanted to make sure that whatever I gave to anybody, I wanted my documentation to be exactly 100 percent correct,” said Godwin.
For his dedication to his country, Lambert was highly decorated, having received a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, to name a few.
A graduate of H.B. Plant High School and an active ROTC member, Lambert achieved his dream of becoming a Florida Gator. He later moved to Brandon in the early 1960s. There, Godwin said, he founded Brandon Insurance Agency, the first local insurance office; was a president of the chamber of commerce; helped fight to have the Brandon Regional Hospital built; was a mayor of Brandon; and helped create the Rotary Club of Brandon and the Brandon ’86 Rotary Club.
To preserve his great legacy, Godwin donated her father’s documentation and personal materials to the WWII Veterans History Project, which is located at 4327 S. Hwy. 27, Ste. 139, in Clermont.
You must be logged in to post a comment.