|
|
|
20 August 2008
|
|
|
01 May 2007 |
More Than Just An Arch Bedford's D-Day Memorial by Lynda Imirie John Whitney and his wife Susan had been Smith Mountain Lake residents for more than six months before they considered a trip to the National D-Day Memorial. One day, friends visiting from out of town asked, what else there was to do in the Lake area. John, a history buff since age 6, suggested the Memorial. “When we got here,” he recalled, “we were all surprised. My wife’s eyes got big as saucers and she said, ‘Wow! There’s more than just an arch here.’ We thought there would be a plaque, but we never expected this.” Indeed, visitors to the hilltop memorial on the edge of Bedford City where Routes 460 and 122 meet, find the towering arch is merely a portal through which they are transported in time. It carries them to that pivotal day in World War II when thousands of soldiers from 12 Allied countries invaded the beaches of Normandy, France. Included in the 116th Infantry Regiment of the National Guard, which led the assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, was a small company of 30 soldiers from Bedford, Virginia. Known as Company A of the 29th Infantry Division, 19 of these soldiers were killed on D-Day along with more than 4,000 others. Proportionally, the Bedford community suffered the country’s severest loss of life, a sad distinction that helped lead to the selection of Bedford as the site of the Memorial. Visitors have the choice of taking a walking tour with a clearly illustrated and informative brochure, or having a Memorial volunteer guide like John Whitney lead or drive them through the site. Without a doubt, the guides make the tour come alive. Guides provide a narrative of the events leading up to and through the invasion. But it’s more than facts that makes their tours meaningful, according to Whitney and other guides. Each of them has gleaned details and first-hand experiences from the hundreds of military veterans who visit the Memorial. “World War II, Korean War, Viet Nam vets – all of them wonder how we did it, how we overcame the odds, the obstacles,” said volunteer guide Rosalie Eldridge, a military wife whose husband was a Navy aviator, and son (now retired) and grandsons are with Special Forces. She admits to being moved by Victory Plaza as much as the veterans who come to visit. “They are usually quiet, no matter how big the crowd. You can see the tears on their faces, the emotional link to the soldiers that went before them, the past and the current. Some even come in uniform. Many don’t say a word; others don’t stop talking.” “I remember one veteran who came with his granddaughter,” Rosalie described fondly. “Weeks later she came back to say, ‘Thanks.Grandpa would never talk about the war; now he won’t stop.’” The design of the Memorial highlights three chronological phases of the invasion via three “plazas.” The first plaza depicts an English garden not unlike the one found on the estate where General Dwight Eisenhower and his key commanders planned the details of the invasion. A statue of Eisenhower, in a casual stance often seen in conversations with his troops, is centered in a folly or gazebo-like structure. A sword-shaped garden at the foot of the folly is colored by spring and summer flowers in glorious bloom, reflecting the shoulder patch of the major Allied Expeditionary Forces. The next plaza depicts the landing and land battle, with details that are both symbolic and realistic. Four planters on the outer edge of the landing plaza represent the English mooring buoys, with grey “chords” running the length of the floor, dividing the area into the five beaches involved in the invasion. One of the most powerful features of the Memorial is found here, at the far end of the landing site. The scene depicts the obstacles, sounds and sights seen by the soldiers hitting the beaches that day. Replicas of the German “hedgehogs” designed to tear open the bottoms of the Higgins landing boats are shown protruding along the tidal flats. Bullets can be heard hitting the water as soldiers spill out onto the beach, across the sand and up over the enemy bunkers to the cliff walls. “Remembering their valor, fidelity and sacrifice” is dramatically illustrated by statuary depicting the soldiers charging through the water, carrying wounded comrades, and lying still on the beach. The statuary was inspired by actual incidents, including a Bible next to the fallen soldier in the sand. Among the Bedford boys who were lost that day were two brothers, one whose Bible was recovered on the beach after the battle. It was returned to his family and is still in the possession of his sister, who lives in Bedford. Surrounding the landing plaza are the necrology walls listing the names of American service members, along with the those of other Allied Forces who were killed in that 24 hour period of D-Day. Adjacent to this plaza are two circular areas in tribute to the 5,000 naval and 11,000 air forces that participated in the invasion. The third plaza – “Victory Plaza” – features the triumphal arch which stands 44 feet and 6 inches from the ground to the highest point, reiterating the significance of June 6, 1944. Shaped like the French village rooftops and colored in the distinguishing stripes used by the naval observation planes, the arch frames a lone rifle inverted in the ground, holding a helmet and dog tags, signifying the ultimate sacrifice of these courageous soldiers. “I knew immediately I wanted to be part of the Memorial,” said Walt Johnson, another volunteer guide. “It’s worth making known to every citizen the cost of their freedom. This invasion paid the price.” Walt was further inspired by his meeting with Roy Stevens, one of the original “Bedford Boys” who took part in the invasion. “He shook my hand,” said Walt, a Bedford resident who spent 23 years in the Navy. “He made me feel special, a link to World War II. It was like touching history.” The National D-Day Memorial is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for children Guided tours are free; donations for the continuing construction and maintenance of the facility are welcome. For more information, call 540.586.3329 or visit dday.org.
|
|
Last Updated ( 09 May 2007 )
|
|
|
|
|
