Patriot Retort: It’s the 74th anniversary of D-Day today.
And every D-Day, I like to take a moment to remember the Boys from Bedford.
Bedford is a small Virginia town up in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
And it is there, not Washington DC, where the National D-Day Memorial is located.
Why?
Well, no town in the United States suffered more loss on D-Day than Bedford, Virginia.
Proportionately, Bedford sacrificed far more – nineteen men – during the D-Day invasion. Two others died later in the operation. And another two men from another unit perished as well.
And when you consider that Bedford, Virginia had a population of 3,200, twenty-three lost is a staggering number.
I lived/worked in Lynchburg, so i know the D-Day Memorial and the story of the Bedford Boys well.
The ‘boys’ were in the first wave of attack and were slaughtered in the first few minutes.
I have been to Omaha Beach twice and Utah Beach once.
I am humble.
“HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD…”
These words are on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier…but also many of the crosses at the Normandy Cemetary at Colleville-sur-Mer.
I cried
The youngest soldiers who survived D-Day and World War 2 would now be 93-94 years old. God speed gentlemen for your service in saving the World from Nazi tyranny. I don’t know if my generation, the baby boomers could’ve done the same. The last of the WW 2 vets will be gone in another 5-10 years and the World owes them a great debt of gratitude for their sacrifices.
All gave some, some gave all. Unforgotten hero’s all.
I have a great uncle buried in the Allied cemetery atop Omaha Beach. He was not a part of the D-Day landing, having arrived on Jun 09 1944. He was killed in inland fighting Jul 16 1944. He saw active combat for one week….only 7 days….and paid the ultimate price. He landed a private and died a sergeant. He was only 19 years old.
I spoke to a gentleman who was there,a Mr. McGill. In the afternoon of June 6, there were 20,000 American bodies on Omaha beach.
I can’t remember where I saw it, an iconic photo of men leaving their landing craft, the caption:
American teens leaving their safe space
The first post is me…
I’m pretty sure the Boys from Bedford were part of Company A of the 116th Reg of the 29th Division (116th was a Virginia NG outfit). This is the saddest story from D-Day. This unit had the misfortune of landing in front of a draw that was festooned with German MG42 nests. The company was virtually wiped out before these kids even reached the beach. Years ago, I recall a figure of 192 lost out of 198
More recent estimates aren’t that drastic, but at least 90% of the company were casualties. And in situations like that, when the casualties come so fast, the death rate is usually very high, as the First Aid responders are overwhelmed. Moreover, some of the kids drowned outright while many others were shot while in deep waters with little possibility of survival
My father’s best friend from grade school through high school was in the third wave behind the Bedford Boys at Omaha Beach. He survived the landing and fought all the way through France and ended the war a Master Sargent in Germany. He was one of only three men of his original company who made it all the way to the end of the war in Europe. He never mentioned his time in the Army unless he was with other veterans, until the last years of his live when he started going to high schools telling kids about the sacrifices his generation made. His name was Bill Lewis. RIP.
Here’s another testimonial to all of them, courtesy of Political Clown Parade. I’ve seen this several times and still cannot watch it without tearing up.
A little boy’s silent tribute: http://politicalclownparade.blogspot.com/
Have a gentleman who flew “right seat” in the fire bombing of Tokyo in an e-mail group that I send to. Words do not do him or that generation justice. I consider it a privilege to have met and share a small bit of correspondence with him. Told me once that he stopped sending to many as they requested he stop as “he was to political.” If you don’t agree with his politics or thoughts, who on the face of this earth is more entitled to voice an opinion?
A damn shame that I believe the majority of our population have no concept of what we’re losing with the loss of this group of people.
@really enraged – Thank You for that link.
Powerful
Twenty- five or so years ago I discovered the memorial in Bedford quite by accident, or maybe fate. I had attended a motorcycle rally in Tenn. On the ride home I decided to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to Fancy Gap and turn north there. But the BRP was either socked in with dense fog or pouring rain the whole way. I missed several exits ending up farther east & north than intended. As it was getting dark i finally found an exit and spent the night there. Where I discovered the National D-Day Memorial was only a couple of miles from the motel. Well worth seeing if you are anywhere close.
I had four uncles in WW2. All brothers. One in the Pacific and three in Europe. The oldest brother was part of the D-Day landing, he completed the war in Europe & was in Hawaii on his way west to invade Japan when the war ended. His wife was also in the Army, but stationed in NY. So my grand parents were one of the few families with 5 star service flag or banner.
The National WW2 Museum is in New Orleans. It was originally called the National D-Day Museum.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_National_WWII_Museum .
https://www.nationalww2museum.org .
I have not been there. I did covered it’s existence a few years ago when searching the internet for the memorial in Bedford.
there were 20,000 American bodies on Omaha beach.
2000 KIA. 5000 total casualties. That’s a 12% casualty rate for the 2 division landing force, much worse for the first two assault waves.