Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Oct. 19, 2005

Folks in Bedford are keeping the memory alive

When our oldest son announced he had bought a home on Smith Mountain Lake, we went to the atlas to locate where it was in Virginia. About a month after his family had settled, they discovered a special historical memorial in the nearby town of Bedford. On June 6, 2001, crowds gathered there to remember the 57th anniversary of D-Day and dedicate the National D-Day Memorial. After his first visit there, our son returned often.

This first-born child arrived on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1945 in the base hospital at MacDill Air Force headquarters. World War II was ending but the end of World War I was still observed. Early in 1946, our family of three was back in the civilian life and those long years of war were seldom discussed. The little he had learned in school history about WWII suddenly became real. When we held a family reunion at his home recently, we all went to the memorial.

A consecrated 88-acre site in the quiet town of Bedford where the twin Peaks of the Otter tower in the background holds the impressive shrine honoring the 6,603 Americans killed on the coast of France during the invasion. Because the small rural farming community of Bedford had more casualties per capita on that June 6 than any U.S. community, Congress approved establishing the National D-Day Memorial there. Of the 35 National Guard soldiers from Bedford, 19 died during the first 15 minutes of the invasion, two later that day and another two in the following days.

The name used for the planning of the secretive invasion was Overlord and a huge Overlord Arch towers above the large concrete area representing the beach. Just ahead is a body of water representing the tidal flats and the loud sounds of bullets hitting the water resound. Several hedgehogs in the water typify the obstacles placed there by the Germans to scuttle any landing crafts. A stylized Higgins boat is there too. The five beaches where landings were made were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Broad dark bands of concrete separate the beaches. Sand from each of these beaches was mixed in the concrete used to form these bands.

There is large symbolic English garden area and on the many walls throughout the memorial grounds are plaques with names of the dead and others of explanation. Figurative statuary portrays the valor, fidelity and sacrifice exhibited on that day.

The final stop of the tour is at the Overlord Arch. Here are the flags of the twelve nations of the Allied Expeditionary Force and in this Victory Plaza is the sculpture Final Tribute emblematic of death in battle, the inverted rifle and helmet. It is a powerful reminder of the more than 4,000 members of the Allies who died on those beaches.

Six Bedford boys landed and survived on D-Day. Our guide told us two of those still live in Bedford and they often visit the memorial on Sunday. Our family group found the visit sobering. One was a veteran of WWII, one was in the National Guard during the Vietnam era and our grandson has almost 20 years in the Navy with a demolition explosives unit which has had one tour in Afghanistan and more duty ahead.

At the groundbreaking, former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh said, "Memories are best kept by those who love the greatest and by those who lost the most." The people in the small Blue Ridge town of Bedford worked long and hard to keep those memories alive.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday. She may be reached at ebrush@frontiernet.net