At Dawn This Day - Lest We Forget

It was 68 years ago this morning - June 6, 1944 - that the misty dawn off France's Normandy coast revealed the largest invasion effort in history. It was the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe.

It was D-DAY .

Lest we forget , 150,000 Allied soldiers, sailors and aviators massed, crossed the English Channel and stormed Hitler's Fortress Europe to begin the invasion to restore freedom, safety and dignity to the world.

There would be 10,000 casualties that day and 4,000 deaths as Allied soldiers endured tremendous fire.

We have read stories of American heroes like NASCAR participants Nelson Stacy and Bud Moore and their exploits following that fateful day.

Dawn, June 6, 1944, Normandy Coast of France

Nowhere on the planet were the Allied losses suffered on D-Day felt any worse than in the tiny town of Bedford in the Virginia hills, 28 miles from Roanoke and 64 miles from the Martinsville race track. Stories have been written and movies made commemorating the "Bedford Boys."

The tiny town of 3200 in the Commonwealth of Virginia was home to the 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia National Guard - "Citiizen Soldiers." 19 of those citizen soldiers from Bedford made the ultimate sacrifice on June 6, 1944 - the greatest per capita loss of life suffered by any community on D-Day. Ultimately, 23 Bedford soldiers would perish during the Normandy invasion.

It took quite a while to sort out the losses from D-Day, but on July 17, 1944, the tiny Western Union office at the Bedford Drug Store began to receive the first of 19 telegrams it world have to deliver to Bedford families that day. Each telegram contained the same message over and over... "The Secretary of War Regrets to Inform You...."

In recognition of the town's sacrifice and loss to preserve our freedom, The Congress of the United States chose Bedford, Virginia as the site of the National D-Day Memoria l . The Memorial was dedicated on June 6, 2001 in this town of heroes.

In April 2009, Mr. Ray Nance of Bedford passed away at age 94. He was one of the last of the 38 "Bedford Boys" survivors. His funeral procession made one final ride around the National D-Day Memorial - a fitting tribute to one of the last of the brave boys from the tiny town in the hills of Virginia.

Today, my Charlotte paper carried a few photos buried deep in the paper with just a cut line that today was the 68th anniversary of the invasion.

I am saying it here in this forum and thanking those brave folks who gave their all for us. Thank you to the "Bedford Boys" and all their counterparts. Lest we forget .

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM

From the Bedford Bulletin :

D-Day Memorial Foundation statement on death of Bob Slaughter
National D-Day Memorial Mourns Founders Passing
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 5:29 pm

The National D-Day Memorial Foundation is deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend and founder John Robert Slaughter. Bob brought the same energy, tenacity, and drive to the creation of the D-Day Memorial that he displayed 68 years ago on Omaha Beach, and throughout the war.

Bob Slaughter entered the service in 1940 at the tender age of 15 (after convincing his parents that he wanted to join the National Guard and earn extra money for household expenses). By the age of 19, he found himself engaged in the largest amphibious assault in history on the beaches of Normandy, France. Bob served with Company D, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division. Company D was a heavy weapons company that supported rifle companies in combat. Slaughter was wounded twice while in France and was discharged in July 1945 at which point he returned to his home in Roanoke, Virginia. He married in 1947, and he and his wife Margaret had two children. Over the years, however, memories of what took place on that stretch of sand in Normandy continued to haunt him.

In 1987, Bob Slaughter declared We have no gathering place, no meeting hall, no memorial, where our country can collect its memories and the lessons we learned from D-Day. Shortly thereafter, Slaughter, along with several other supporters, formed a committee to raise money and search for an appropriate location for a small memorial.

After visiting Normandy on several occasions, the vision for a memorial took shape and in 1989, Slaughters small committee introduced a seventeen-member board of directors. The committee faced a series of challenges and a discouraged board was near disbandment when a resurgence of interest in D-Day, due to the 50th anniversary in 1994, led to increased publicity and new momentum.

Shortly thereafter, Bedford City officials donated eleven acres of land to the D-Day Foundation for the site of the proposed memorial and an additional seventy-seven acres was purchased by the Foundation to protect the site from further development.

Mr. Slaughter served as the Foundations Chairman from 1994-2001. Congress also adopted legislation designating the site a national memorial in 1994. The Foundation hired its first employee in 1996 and the Memorial was officially dedicated by President George W. Bush on 6 June 2001.

In 2007, Bob authored Omaha Beach and Beyond, an auto-biography, chronicling his wartime experience and the creation of the Memorial.

In 2008, The John Robert Slaughter Youth Learning Center was dedicated at the Memorial. That area has always been and continues to be the hub of the Foundations education initiatives. Last year the Foundation celebrated Bobs achievements by welcoming him as Director Emeritus.

Bob Slaughter was a very special man and one who was respected and admired. In his book in 2007, Bob noted Now that I am in my eighties, I am well aware that the long march that began so many years ago is about to come to a halt. I am proud to say my generation helped save the world from tyranny, prevent the extinction of an entire group of people, and preserve the democratic freedoms of our wonderful American way of life. I wouldnt change a thing, except to wish that my dear army buddies could be here to see and touch the magnificent National D-Day Memorial that was built for us all.

While Bob will be deeply missed, his legacy is preserved in perpetuity at the National D-Day Memorial. The Foundation Board, volunteers and staff extend their deep and heartfelt condolences to Bobs family and his many, many friends.

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

The strategy behind the Normandy invasion was urgent and required some luck with a blessing from above.
The genius behind the liberation of Europe was the Allied command's unleashing of George Pattons tanks as they ran through like a juggernaut. The allied forces faked Germany's high command on at least two occasions. Firstly they fooled Germany's commanders into thinking the invasion was going to take place in another area. Secondly was turning Patton loose as his command was held in reserve just for this purpose.

The valor and bravery of our warriors exemplifies why America is the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

My three grandsons, 15, 13, and 8, along with me, discussed D-Day this morning. Those boys know the history and appreciate what these men did, all men, during WWII. The three boys honor the veterans and have since they were old enough to know what one was. God bless America, and my three grandsons!!!!

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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.

My hats off to you Tim--Others should be as interested in their kids and grandkids --