Bedford Remembers
The historic events that have shaped Bedford, Virginia have also helped direct the course of history in America and the world.
Among the hundreds of thousands of service members positioned off the shores of Normandy on the morning of June 6, 1944 were 44 soldiers, sailors, and airmen from the town and county of Bedford. By day’s end, Bedford’s D-Day fatalities totaled 20. In comparison with its wartime population of only 3,200, Bedford suffered the Nation’s highest known per capita D-Day loss, a somber distinction for this rural Virginia community.
In 1996, Congress designated Bedford as the most appropriate spot for a memorial to honor the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of the Allied forces that took part in the landing at Normandy, France during World War II. Though a national monument, it is not part of the National Park Service and does not receive federal or state funding. A groundbreaking was held in 1997, and the National D-Day Memorial was dedicated on June 6, 2001 by President George W. Bush.
National D-Day Memorial
Set against a backdrop that includes breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the National D-Day Memorial tells the story of the Allied sacrifice on June 6, 1944 in a way that resonates with today’s visitors. This 50-acre outdoor monument site is open seven days a week (except for Mondays in December, January, and February), 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and hosts special events throughout the year. The 80th commemoration of D-Day will take place in June 2024.
After visiting the National D-Day Memorial, take the short drive into historic downtown to the Bedford Boys Tribute Center. Located inside the historic Green’s Drugstore building, where in July 1944, the Western Union telegrams came informing families of the invasion casualties. Here you will find the personal effects of many of the Bedford Boys and learn the stories of these hometown soldiers that were lost on D-Day.
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Rarely has history so greatly been impacted in a single 24-hour period as on D-Day. D-Day has come to be understood as a watershed event, the first step in a long campaign to replace fascism with freedom, oppression with opportunity, and injustice with equality. It’s a struggle that continues to this day; we all live with the legacy of D-Day.
At the Bedford Area Welcome Center, located across from the Memorial’s entrance, many who visit have read Alex Kershaw’s bestseller The Bedford Boys, or have seen the documentary, Bedford: The Town they left Behind, and made Bedford, VA a bucket list destination. The impact is still felt today, and Bedford has come to represent all homefront communities that loved and lost during the war. Today, almost 80 years later, the town honors and pays tribute to its heroes with pride, patriotism and remembrance.
