Did You Know?
Parkway construction began in September of 1935 at Cumberland Knob near the North Carolina and Virginia state line (at Milepost 217.5). Photo from NPS Archives
Color Guard on Veterans Day at National D-Day Memorial
Dates
Thurs, Nov 11, 2010
11 a.m.-noon
Cost
Free
Contact
National D-Day Memorial
Shannon Brooks
540.586.3329
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.dday.org
Location
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Did you know that 1 out of every 13 Americans is a veteran? That we are a nation of 23 million vets? Take time out to meet and honor those who have served our country then and now at the Veterans Day Observance at the National D-Day Memorial. Located just minutes off the Blue Ridge Parkway at the foot of the Peaks of Otter, the National D-Day Memorial stands in Bedford, the small Virginia town that sustained the highest D-Day losses in the nation. The observance includes music, wreath-laying, recognition of veterans, color guard, ROTC youth, and much more. Veterans of all conflicts and campaigns are welcome, as it the general public. Come meet the heroes who walk among us this Veterans Day.
Like dozens of other communities along the Parkway, Bedford is no stranger to military service and sacrifice. From the French and Indian Wars to present-day, hundreds of Bedford boys and girls have answered their country’s call. In WWII, 19 of the 26 sons of Bedford who landed on Normandy’s shores on D-Day were killed. Their regiment, the famous 116th “Stonewall Brigade” drawn from communities all along the Parkway, lost almost 400 men in the Omaha Beach landing of June 6, 1944. Their names, along with 4000 other Allied servicemen killed in action that day, are listed along the Memorial’s walls.
Located in the heart of Parkway country, the National D-Day Memorial reminds all visitors of the exceptionally high price Appalachian communities have paid historically to preserve American freedom and opportunity at home and abroad. Hours are from 11 a.m. to noon.
