D-Day veterans honored in Bedford on 71st anniversary
Senior Virginia National Guard leaders and Soldiers join the tribute to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of D-Day veterans at the observance of the 71st anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, June 6, 2015, at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. When the 116th Infantry was activated Feb. 3, 1941, Virginia communities provided Soldiers to serve in the unit, and Bedford provided Soldiers to serve in Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. During the assault on Omaha Beach, 19 of the “Bedford Boys” of Company A died. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses. Recognizing that Bedford represented both large and small communities whose citizen-Soldiers served on D-Day, Congress warranted the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, and this year’s event marked the 13th anniversary of the historic site’s dedication. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia Nationa Guard Public Affairs)
D-Day veterans honored in Bedford on 71st anniversary
Senior Virginia National Guard leaders and Soldiers join the tribute to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of D-Day veterans at the observance of the 71st anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, June 6, 2015, at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. When the 116th Infantry was activated Feb. 3, 1941, Virginia communities provided Soldiers to serve in the unit, and Bedford provided Soldiers to serve in Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. During the assault on Omaha Beach, 19 of the “Bedford Boys” of Company A died. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses. Recognizing that Bedford represented both large and small communities whose citizen-Soldiers served on D-Day, Congress warranted the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, and this year’s event marked the 13th anniversary of the historic site’s dedication. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia Nationa Guard Public Affairs)