Bedford ceremony honors D-Day veterans on 72nd anniversary

Senior Virginia National Guard leaders and Soldiers help pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Normandy 72 years ago and honor those who lived to fight another day at the observance of the 72nd anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, June 6, 2016, at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virignia.

Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, shared his memories of the impact D-Day veterans had on his early life and military career as one of the speakers. Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, the Virginia National Guard Assistant Adjutant General - Army, presented a wreath honoring the United States of America along with other Allied countries who took part in the invasion, and Brig. Gen. John M. Epperly, 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 and performed additional music throughout the day, then played taps to close out the day's events.

For the first time ever, the memorial staged a public reading of the names of all 2,499 American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coastguardsmen who lost their lives during the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. Brig. Gen. Lapthe Flora, the Virginia National Guard Assistance Adjutant General - Strategic Initiatives, joined a team of readers including staff, volunteers, family members of the fallen, local and regional dignitaries and others.

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 15th anniversary of the historic site’s dedication.