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News reports these past couple of weeks have kept the world on edge. With bated breath, we watch to see what this war will bring.
People have fled from their homes and their country because of wars past, but because of modern day communications, we are seeing it in real time. We don’t have to rely on hearsay or wait for the daily newspapers as was once the case during past altercations.
But, as difficult as it is to see, it brings to mind the sacrifices those have made in the past for the freedoms many have in their own countries.
Sacrifices we should never forget.
War memorials have been erected throughout the world so as not to forget those who died fighting for their country, their own people and for what they believe in.
Over the course of my travels, I have visited many war memorials throughout the world…Washington, D.C., Honolulu, London, Normandy and Berlin and many more.
Many notable cities have constructed these monuments to pay tribute to those who served and they attract large numbers of visitors each year. But when I learned that there was a very important memorial in western Virginia, just a few hours from my home, I was somewhat perplexed.
The D-Day Memorial was built to honor the American GIs who participated in WWII at the invasion of France at Normandy on June 6, 1944. More than 3,000 American soldiers were killed and wounded, among them eleven companies of soldiers from Virginia. More than thirty soldiers from Bedford went ashore at Omaha Beach. By day’s end, nineteen of Bedford’s soldiers were dead and four more died later in the Normandy campaign. With a population of only 3,200, this constituted one of the most severe proportional losses of any town in the United States.
Dedicated on June 6, 2001, by United States president George W. Bush, the memorial receives over 100,000 visitors per year, including veterans from different wars.
My friend Kathie, an army veteran, had wanted to visit this memorial for quite some time. Learning that its unique water features do not operate during the harsh winter months, we had postponed our trip. With a busy spring and summer, we suddenly realized that with winter approaching once again, the water feature would soon again be off.
Deciding that it was “now or never (or much later)”, we decided to make a day of it and make the long three-hour drive to Bedford in November.
Purchasing our online tickets, we effortlessly made our way past the entrance gates and to the ticket office to check in. Asked to step outside for the arrival of our guide, I walked into the Bobbie G. Johnson Pavilion to admire some of the antique military vehicles.
As prompt as a military man can be, our veteran guide joined us and introduced himself. He then asked for those veterans in the group to identify themselves. Acknowledging those with raised hands, he missed my friend Kathie. It was probably not intentional, as I’m sure he greets more men than women, but it was sad that she was passed over. Thankfully, some around us, realizing the slight, reached over to her and thanked her for her service.
After an introduction to the memorial grounds, he led us past the John Robert “Bob” Slaughter portrait bust and the sculpture Homage, for the sons of Bedford, to the Reynolds Gardens and then we were free to wander the premises on our own.
The Richard S. Reynolds Sr. Gardens are beautifully landscaped and well maintained, with its pattern mimicking the design of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force shoulder patch. Here, we discovered the sculpture, The Supreme Commander, which depicts Dwight D. Eisenhower as the Supreme Commander for Operation Overlord. In the dome above him, a mosaic tiled map details plans for the invasion and he is surrounded by busts of his principle subordinates…Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur William Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander Admiral Sir Bertram H. Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford L. Leigh-Mallory, Allied Air Forces Commander, Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, D-Day Assault Commander, Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, US 1st Army Commander and Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith, Chief of Staff. Along the wall to the north, you can observe monuments honoring the major ground forces that participated in D-Day.
Making our way up to Elmon T. Grey Plaza, where the floor is divided into five segments (alluding to the five D-Day landing beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword), it is surrounded by bronze plaques bearing the names of the 4,413 Allied service members killed in action on D-Day. The names of United States service members are on the western wall; the names of the other Allied Expeditionary Force members are on the eastern wall. There is an alphabetical register of names inside the Gift Shop.
Finally, we had reached the part of the monument where the water feature was so important. The granite “Higgins Boat”, representing the various landing craft that brought troops from their ships to shore on the morning of D-Day, sits along the “waterfront” and in the shallows lie two “hedgehogs” representing the many obstacles that the Germans had set out to deter the landing craft making their way to shore.
There are many beach sculptures which display troops on various poses of battle, honoring the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice, the hallmark of Operation Overlord. As we looked out over the scene before us, we realized that the sounds we were hearing were that of bullets whizzing by and hitting the water with small explosions. This, along with the cascading falls alongside soldiers scaling the wall, was the water feature that we wanted to experience and it really lent to the authenticity of the encounter.
Making our way to the top of the wall to Robey W. Estes Sr. Plaza, we found the highlight of the memorial, the forty-four-and-a-half foot triumphal arch. The black and white arch was designed to rise to this height to commemorate the date of the D-Day invasion…the sixth day of the sixth month of 1944.
Also in Estes Plaza, which celebrates the success in the Normandy Landing, is the sculpture, Final Tribute, the inverted rifle topped with a helmet, which salutes the more than 4,400 Allied Members of the Expeditionary Forces. You can spot the National D-Day Memorial seal inscribed on the floor beneath the arch.
Making our way past the arch to the Edward R. Stettinius Jr. Parade which shows the liberations expansion from the beaches to Paris and beyond, we encountered Le Monument aux Morts, created by French sculptor Edmond de Laheudrie in memory of the forty-four men of Trevieres, France who died in World War I. The original statue was struck in the head and disfigured. It was re-cast and serves as a reminder of peace and victory. We also crossed the path of The Purple Heart Monument which stands in the shadow of the garrison flag. It is dedicated to those who received the Purple Heart for their service on D-Day. Flying overhead are the flags of the twelve nations of the AEF in an arch along the exterior of Estes Plaza.
A couple of other items of interest on the premises is the aircraft on the western side of Estes Plaza which pays tribute to the more than 11,000 aircraft which flew in support of the D-Day operations and the Gold Star Families Memorial, which pays tribute to parents, children, spouses and siblings of those who died in service to their nation at any point in our nation’s history.
While our visit wasn’t a lengthy one, it was one that stirred up a lot of emotions for not only myself, but for my friend Kathie who had devoted some time in her life to our nation’s military. Though she never saw combat, I am sure that it brought to mind the possibilities that she could have faced, should war have been declared at that time.
At this time of so much uncertainty, we need to pray for those fighting in the world to maintain their freedoms, for those who have lost their lives and those that will. Their families will never forget them. Neither should the world.
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National D-Day Memorial
- https://www.dday.org/
- Address: 3 Overlord Circle, Bedford, Virginia 24523
- Hours: 1000-1700, daily. Closed Mondays December through February. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Memorial closes at noon on New Year’s Eve.
- Admission: Adults, $12.00 ($10.00 online), Veteran (not WWII), $10.00 ($8.00), WWII veterans and active-duty military, free, Students (https://www.dday.org/
- Address:
- Hours: 1000-1700, daily. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Memorial closes at noon on New Year’s Eve.
- Admission: Adults, $12.00 ($10.00 online), Veteran (not WWII), $10.00 ($8.00 online), WWII veterans and active-duty military, free, Students (ages 6-18 or older with college ID), $8.00 ($6.00 online), Children (under age 6), free. Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest/D-Day Memorial Combo Ticket, $20, includes admission and tour at both sites, which may be visited on separate dates.
- Getting There: From Richmond, 360 west to 460 west; Follow signs to Lynchburg and Bedford. Take 2nd Bedford Exit. Take a right off of the exit onto Burks Hill Road. Take the next left at the Bedford Area Welcome Center for ticket purchases. Total distance – approximately 143 miles. Or, 64 west to 81 south; take exit 150 to Alternate 220; Follow signs to 460 (Lynchburg and Bedford) and take a left onto 460 east. Travel approximately 25 minutes and take the 122 exit. Take a left off of the exit and proceed through the stoplight. Take an immediate left at the Bedford Area Welcome Center for ticket purchases. From Roanoke, 460 east to Route 122 north. Take the 122 exit. Take a left off of the exit and proceed through the stoplight. Take an immediate left at the Bedford Area Welcome Center for ticket purchases. Total distance-approximately 27 miles.