A Day at the D-Day Memorial

[David]

(originally posted in home page Family section)

He walked with his cane to the guard rail and looked over the water and bronze figures. The water spouted in random across the black marbled shallow pool like bullets skipping on the water. The ball cap that covered his gray hair read "D-Day Veteran."

He gazed across the memorial, the newly dedicated one, the one dedicated this past Wednesday by President Bush on June 6th for the men who stormed onto Normandy Beach in France the same day in 1944. His eyes focused on the statue of the bronze soldier coming out of the water, then to the soldier already on the beach helping his fallen comrade, and then there was the bronze soldier laying face down on the beach...clutching a Holy Bible. He seemed to relive the entire war in that short moment. A nice looking older lady touched his sleeve and he seemed to come out of a trance. He looked at her lovingly and simply said, "Momma, I'm not ready to go yet...I need look a little more." She smiled and stepped aside.

A young 10 year old boy stood beside the man looking at the same statues, but surely seeing something very different. The older man looked at the young boy and hesitantly asked, "Do you know how much that packed weighed?" pointing to the backpack on the soldier helping his fallen comrade. The boy shook his head, no. "Well, they were mighty heavy...and the water was mighty deep...and well you see that thing around the middle on the belt....it was a flotation and when it filled up would turn a man so that all you saw was his feet in the air. A man would drown because he was carrying too much weight." The boy's eyes began to get large and his focus was on the soldiers. Then the man said, "See that man there on the ground, the one with the Bible....that man's belt is already deflated...that's what's hanging down." The boy fiddling with the disposable camera in his hands, looked again at the soldiers and asked, "Were you there? Did you know them?" "Yes," the man said quietly, "and I came home...many of us didn't." Both young boy and old man gazed over the memorial together never saying a word. Maybe the boy was seeing a different picture in his head now. Maybe the man was seeing something different too.

"Well, it's time for me to leave," the old man said "...I'm taking up space for others to look....it's time for me to go now."

As the man began to walk away, the young boy bashfully asked, "Can I take your picture?" The old man, a little humbled and quite proud, said, "Why, yes, I would be honored for you to take my picture....thank you..."

The boy held the camera to his eye steadied his image and took the picture of a Real American Hero. My nephew, Hunter, extended his small hand into the large hand of the D-Day Veteran and said, "Thank you. Thank you, sir."

Note: by: Mary Loose DeViney, US Coast Guard Auxiliary

[Packo]

David....the last thing I needed was to cry tonight. Lord, what a story. Thank you.

Pack

[darrels joy]

Bedford, VA – 250 Years of History in the Making

By: Michelle
Nestled in west central Virginia and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, the James River to the northeast and Smith Mountain Lake to the south, Bedford, VA embodies a true sense of “small town America”. Upon arrival to this slightly out of the way place, visitors will find an unassuming community filled with many spectacular scenic views, but closer inspection will reveal that the town holds many additional treasures both literally and figuratively.
Bedford is home of the infamous Beale Treasure purported to contain over 30 million dollars worth of gold buried somewhere in the area in the early 1800’s. To this day no one has been able to decipher the cryptogram with the exact location of the treasure. In fact, there is considerable debate as to whether the entire story is a hoax. However, treasure seekers still continue to try to solve the mystery.
If the possibility of the buried treasure doesn’t capture your attention, Christmastime presents a treasure of a different sort as the Elks National Home, lights up the holiday season with a stunning display that draws in 100,000 visitors form around the world in early December. This, along with the Christmas display at Liberty Lake Park, has helped Bedford, VA become known as the “Christmas Capital of Virginia”.
On June 6, 1944 Bedford also earned another distinction as the town sustained the highest per capita loss of lives on D-Day in Normandy, France. Within the span of a single day, the community lost 19 citizen soldiers from the 29th Infantry Division of the National Guard. (The entire population of Bedford at that time was 3200.) For this reason, Congress chose Bedford as the site for the National D-Day Memorial which was dedicated on June 6, 2001 to memorialize “the valor, fidelity and sacrifice” of the Allied Forces on D-Day and to ensure that future generations would continue to remember and learn from that historic event.
The monument is a fitting tribute to that fateful day in which the future of the free world rested in the hands of 150,000 service men who had embarked on a mission of sacrifice, leaving 4000 of them dead and over 10,000 casualties. The careful planning of the memorial is evident as every detail seems to be steeped in symbolism - from the height of the triumphal arch inscribed OVERLORD (the allied code name for the Normandy landing) which is precisely 44’6” high to commemorate the date of June 6, 1944 to the way the very concrete was poured on the pedestrian walkway to resemble waves on the beaches.
The primary focus isn’t on technology, though it was important. The centerpiece of the memorial is the human aspect – the individual soldiers who faced nearly insurmountable odds as the ramp to their Higgins transport opened up on the beachhead and there was only one way to go – out 200 or more yards, slogging through the water and scaling cliffs with 80 lbs of gear, totally unprotected, surrounded by enemy fire, and immersed in chaos and devastation. Yet they persevered and thanks to the courage and sacrifice of these young men, many less than 20 years old who had never heard a gun fired in hostility before, the grip of oppression in Europe finally began to loosen as the Nazis stronghold had been penetrated.
It is very hard to imagine what it must have been like to survive the hell of those endless hours. However, visitors to the memorial are offered a glimpse into the emotions that must have been felt through the faces portrayed on the statues representing determination, teamwork, agony and even death. In a single moment visitors are captivated by the pride of the soldiers determined to carry out their duty intermingled with undeniable sadness of the dead and wounded soldiers along the path to victory. All the while the fountains shoot noisy bursts of water in random fashion to represent shots being fired on the beach capturing the attention of even the youngest of visitors - Another reminder that all of us, no matter what age, have in some way are affected by the events of that day.
To fully appreciate all the symbolism and history, a guided golf cart tour is highly recommended. The additional cost is nominal and our tourguide, a D-Day Veteran, was able to provide personal insight and detail which provided us with a much more meaningful experience.
In addition to being the home of the D-Day Memorial, the Beale Treasure and the “Christmas Capital of Virginia”, Bedford also has the “largest yellow poplar tree in the World” and “the largest tree in Virginia”, as well as “the oldest secondary school in the nation” - New London Academy. Though the town has many claims to fame, Bedford still maintains its sense of history, community pride and an easy going lifestyle that is sure to satisfy the treasure hunter in all of us.

http://www.virginiawind.com/virginia_travel/bedford.asp

[Packo]

Have not been back to that area in years. I was born not far from there, but assure you that I grew up knowin' about the sacrifice of the Beford men. TRUE VIRGINIANS! I also knew about the monument and donated money to it. Can't wait to see it some day along with Omaha Beach, St. Mere Egilse, Caratun, etc. etc. I will probably get to see Bedford first. Thanks for posting this.

Pack

PS They are part of the 720 Virginians awaiting each and every one of the Islamic Murderers we kill every day. Surprise....they are Virginians, not Virgins.