BEDFORD, Va. – U. S. and French flags adorned lamp posts along this rural community’s quaint Main Street as thousands gathered to mark the 75th…
BEDFORD, Va. – U. S. and French flags adorned lamp posts along this rural community’s quaint Main Street as thousands gathered to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Bedford, home to the National D-Day Memorial, was also home to the “Bedford Boys,” 30 National Guard soldiers who joined tens of thousands in storming the beaches of Normandy on June 6,1944. An astounding 19 of them perished, giving this town of fewer than 7,000 the most casualties per capita in the nation.
Two miles from the center of town, the memorial looms large, punctuated by an imposing stone arch at its center. Vice President Mike Pence was among the luminaries scheduled to offer remarks Thursday.
On Main Street, Green’s Drug Store is a landmark. The Bedford Boys spent many of the defining moments of their young lives there: going on dates, falling in love, even working the counter. Owners Linda and Ken Parker, transplants from Oklahoma, have turned the Bedford institution into a tribute center for the D-Day soldiers.
“The boys finally have their voice,” Linda Parker said. “This is staying open for a long, long time, because this isn’t just for D-Day. The town has always needed something for the Bedford Boys.
