Goulet, Raymond

Raymond Goulet was born January 14, 1923 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  His parents were French-Canadian, so Ray and his brothers grew up speaking French and English, and attending Catholic schools, all against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  When the war came, Ray chose to volunteer, while his two brothers were drafted.  He went through basic training, where he specialized in the quartermaster corps, and soon after he boarded a troop ship in New York City, bound for England.  During his time there Ray served as a military police officer, a duty he “volunteered” for and didn’t especially like; he recalled using the billy club but never the .45.  The time to go France came on June 6, 1944, and Ray was chosen to be part of the first wave that hit the infamous Omaha Beach.  As a quartermaster, Ray’s task was to prepare the beach for the arrival of the all-important supplies that would keep the army on the move, and he completed this dangerous task in the weeks after the invasion, personally delivering supplies to the 101st Airborne inland, and later playing a role in the Red Ball Express, the network of trucks and roadways that kept the front line troops moving and on the offensive.  And Ray did all the way to the Belgian border, while the front line troops pushed into Germany and ended the war.  His service complete, Ray waited his turn and came back to Massachusetts later in 1945, ready to get back into the rhythms of civilian life.  Even now, at 98 years old, he continues his connection to the military, as he welcomes returning soldiers at Pease ANGB in Portsmouth, N.H.  Ray Goulet was interviewed over zoom in April 2021 by Scott Masters and Crestwood students, while he was at his home in New Hampshire; we thank his friends Bruce and Teresa for helping to set this up.