So well said. Because of the sacrifice of the men of Company A of the 29th
Infantry Division, Virginia National Guard, Bedford to this day has, the
unenviable record of the highest percentage of casualties of any town in any
of our wars. I visited the museum in Bedford about 6 years ago, and met one
of the survivors. I believe that he is the person whose death was reported
in the press a week or so ago -- the last of the men who went ashore with
Company A. 21 years ago, Mary Kay and I walked the Normandy Beaches, and
visited the cemetery. We spent several nights in a nearby hotel, and
contrary to the tradition of icy French non-welcome, when those people found
out we were Americans, they thanked us and were most appreciative of what
America had done liberating France. Today, the 29th Army Band is the only
band remaining in the Virginia National Guard. I encourage everybody to
come out to the joint concert of that band and the Stonewall Brigade Band on
June 29 in Staunton. The program is heavy on patriotic music, and I am
honored that they will play "Afghan Andy", the march I wrote earlier this
year to celebrate the safe return of my young friend, Major Andrew Ashley.
Randy Cabell
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 1:33 PM
Subject: [VA-HIST] D-Day June 6, 1944
> In the assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, the first landing craft
> dropped men of Company A of the 116th infantry Regiment of the 29th
> Infantry Division. The 29th was made up of units of the National Guard
> from Virginia and Maryland. The 116th, descended from the Stonewall
> Brigade that fought at First Manassas, was from Virginia and company A was
> from Bedford. German artillery found the range of the approaching boats at
> 1000 yards, but those not hit continued to the beach to drop their troops
> in too deep water in face of withering machine gun fire. Within thirty
> minutes there was no Able Company.
> Today, in Bedford, there is the World War II D-Day Memorial reminding us
> of that day on the beaches of Normandie. Opened in 2001, it is now in
> financial distress and its future uncertain. Perhaps the sacrifice of
> those Americans on that day long ago has faded from our collective memory
> and there is no money for monuments to duty, honor, country.
> I walked the graveyard at Saint Laurent sur-Mere which stretches along the
> bluffs overlooking the landing beaches. Its perfect rows of white crosses
> record the names of 9,387 men who will never leave France. Afterward, as
> our tour bus pulled away, the guide read a note from the visitors log that
> had been written by a French child. It went something like this: My school
> visited the graveyard today of those Americans who came to save France.
> There were so many of them, and so few of us there to say 'thank you.' The
> strains of a Glenn Miller waltz then slowly filled the perfect stillness.
>
>
> Richard E. Dixon
>
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