Virginia Guard joins World War II veterans and community of Bedford for commemoration ceremony for the 66th anniversary of D-Day
Retired Warrant Officer (Junior Grade) Ralph E. Shanks, 92, of Martinsville, Va., commander of the Virginia Guard’s 116th Regimental Band during World War II, presents a period photo of his band to the leaders of the Virginia Guard’s 29th Army Band June 6 at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford. (From left to right: Brig. Gen. Frank Batts, commander of the 29th Infantry Division, 1st Sgt. Fred Lewis, II, of the 29th Army Band, Ralph E. Shanks, and Warrant Officer Donald Carlson, commander of the 29th Army Band) The Virginia National Guard joined World War II veterans and the community of Bedford, Va., at the commemoration ceremony for the 66th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at the National D-Day Memorial June 6 in Bedford. The Virginia Guard’s 29th Army Band provided music with the commander of the 116th Infantry Regimental Band from World War II joining the band as a guest conductor, and Soldiers from the 116th Infantry Regiment provided escorts for the wreath laying. Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, Brig. Gen. Frank Batts, the commander of the 29th Infantry Division, and Lt. Col. Bill Zana, former commander of the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, read short historical vignettes during the ceremony. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen shared his reflections of D-Day, and then greeted veterans and Virginia Guard Soldiers supporting the event. (Photo by Maj. Cotton Puryear, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)
Virginia Guard joins World War II veterans and community of Bedford for commemoration ceremony for the 66th anniversary of D-Day
Retired Warrant Officer (Junior Grade) Ralph E. Shanks, 92, of Martinsville, Va., commander of the Virginia Guard’s 116th Regimental Band during World War II, presents a period photo of his band to the leaders of the Virginia Guard’s 29th Army Band June 6 at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford. (From left to right: Brig. Gen. Frank Batts, commander of the 29th Infantry Division, 1st Sgt. Fred Lewis, II, of the 29th Army Band, Ralph E. Shanks, and Warrant Officer Donald Carlson, commander of the 29th Army Band) The Virginia National Guard joined World War II veterans and the community of Bedford, Va., at the commemoration ceremony for the 66th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at the National D-Day Memorial June 6 in Bedford. The Virginia Guard’s 29th Army Band provided music with the commander of the 116th Infantry Regimental Band from World War II joining the band as a guest conductor, and Soldiers from the 116th Infantry Regiment provided escorts for the wreath laying. Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, Brig. Gen. Frank Batts, the commander of the 29th Infantry Division, and Lt. Col. Bill Zana, former commander of the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, read short historical vignettes during the ceremony. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen shared his reflections of D-Day, and then greeted veterans and Virginia Guard Soldiers supporting the event. (Photo by Maj. Cotton Puryear, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)