D-Day veterans honored in Bedford on 71st anniversary - June 6, 2015

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.

Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Brig. Gen. Walter Mercer, the Virginia National Guard Land Component Commander, presented a wreath honoring the United States of America along with other Allied countries who took part in the invasion, and Brig. Gen. Blake C. Ortner, Deputy 29th Infantry Division Commander - Virginia, joined members of the 29th Infantry Division Association in placing a memorial wreath for the division.

The Clifton Forge-based 29th Division Band provided ceremonial music for the event and played a special concert in the afternoon.

The U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard Silent Drill Team also performed during the ceremony.

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 14th anniversary of the historic site’s dedication.