Beach Landing

 Virginia is forever linked with D-Day, a stirring symbol of America's sacrifice. The Virginia National Guard, the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division, was one of the two first assault regiments on Omaha Beach, scene of the bloodiest fighting on D-Day. The Virginia unit was the only national Guard contingent to land on D-Day. Therefore, the men from Virginia who landed together suffered heavy casualties translating into agonizing losses for their families and communities. The 116th Regiment sustained 797 casualties - mostly Virginians.

 Bedford, Virginia, with a population of only 3,200 in 1944, was the home of Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment. Of the 170 soldiers in the first assault wave, 91 men died, 64 were wounded, and only 15 were able to continue fighting. Of 35 Bedford soldiers, 19 died in the invasion's first fifteen minutes, and two more died later that day. Historians say the 21 deaths from the Town of Bedford were the highest per-capita loss from any single community in our country.