Exploring the National D-Day Memorial

Perched among the rolling hills near Bedford, Va stands an amazing tribute to the fallen of D-Day.  One cannot see it from the roadside, and you don't quite know what to expect when you start the long drive to the top of the hill, but once through the guard booth, the expanse that greets the eye is surely not to be forgotten.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a spot where one could photograph the memorial in its entirety.  This photo represents only a facet of the grounds. 

One might wonder why a memorial to D-Day, which took place on the beaches of Normandy, France, would be tucked into this rather remote location.  I was certainly curious.  We would learn that this was actually not the original preferred location.  The man behind the mission, a D-Day Veteran named John Robert Slaughter, who was born and raised in Roanoke,  had approached that city's council with the idea of purchasing a piece of land where he could make his dream a reality.  But his request was denied. 

Determined to fulfill his dream, he continued his search for an appropriate location.  Bedford, just 30 miles northeast of Roanoke, is a small town with strong connections to the Normandy invasion.  It has the sad distinction of being the town that suffered the highest per capital deaths in one single day:  D-Day. 

It was easy to see why the local community would embrace the idea of a memorial to the town's fallen. 

The path from the information office, leading to the center of the memorial, features a tribute to John Slaughter. 

An inscription on the side  has this quote from John, dated 2007: Now that I am in my eighties, I am well aware that the long march that began so many years ago is about to come to a halt.  I am proud to say my generation helped save the world from tyranny, prevent the extinction an entire group of people, and preserve the democratic freedom of our wonderful American way of life.  I wouldn't change a thing, except to wish that my dear army buddies could be here to see and touch the magnificent National D-Day memorial that was built for us all."  

As a brief history, we learned that the town of Bedford had many young men who had enrolled in the National Guard from 1935 forward.  Thirty-seven of them were assigned to Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.  Of those 37 men, 31 of them would find themselves loaded onto a landing craft headed towards Omaha Beach in the first wave of the invasion.  26 of them landed on the beach, but 16 of the these brave young men were killed within minutes.  Four were wounded. And three were originally listed as Missing in Action and later declared KIA despite having no body to bury. A 20th man from the town, who was assigned to Company F was also killed that day.  

A tribute to the Bedford fallen can be seen in the distance from Slaughter's memorial.

This is a closer view. 

Below the statue is a marker with the list of names of the Bedford casualties. 

One can only imagine the effect that this significant loss had on this small, tight community.  Every person living in Bedford had personally known a casualty of the invasion.  

In one family, one son came home a survivor; his brother perished that day.  In another family, one son's body came home.  He had been one of the first killed on the beach.  His brother, with him that same day, continues to be listed as Missing in Action. 

Just behind the "Bedford  Boys" statue is Gray Plaza, which is set up to symbolize the channel crossing and landing.  Surrounding this plaza are bronze plaques bearing the names of more than 4400 Allied service members who were killed on D-Day. 

At the top of the circle, a rocky waterfall represents the infantrymen who managed to cross the beach.  You can see it from a distance under the arch.  Although the details cannot be seen from this vantage point, it features four soldiers climbing a rocky embankment, each in a different state of despair.  

At its base, imported sand stretches to the water, which represents the sea.  The Higgins boat in the distance is open and empty.   36 men have made their way through the water towards the shore.  One is shown lying in the sand, two advancing, and the four making their way up the rocky incline.

In the distance, a soldier wades through the water towards the shore. 

A lot of details went into the representation of that fateful day.  The statues are all life sized.  The somberness left quite an empty feeling in me. 

Opposite Gray Plaza is Reynolds Garden.  Amont other things, it holds busts of the various Allied generals who were involved in the planning of the Normandy Invasion.  

Omar Bradley

Montgomery

and Walter "Beetle" Smith, to name just a few. 

At the far end, a statue of Dwight D Eisenhower stands beneath an open domed structure.  If you look closely, you can see a replica of the Normandy Invasion map set into the ceiling. 

Looking out from this spot, Gray Plaza which, as mentioned, features the Final Tribute to all 4400 members of the Allied Expeditionary Force killed on D-Day. 

From Gray Plaza, here is the opposite view: The white sword represents valor. 

Interspersed along the many walks are memorial benches in shady areas.  The area is vast, and it was quite thoughtful of the designers to add this extra comfort. 

Above Gray Plaza is Estes Plaza.  It features a towering arch with the word OVERLORD emblazed on the finish.  That was the name given to the invasion on D-Day.  The black and white stripes at the top represent the Allied stripes that were painted on aircraft to make them easily identifiable as Allied planes. 

The National D-Day Memorial Seal is inscribed on the floor in Latin:  

Ad com memorandum fortitude, fidelity, sacrificiumeorum:  

Remembering their valor, fidelity and sacrifice. 

The twelve flags of the Allied Expeditionary Forces fly on either side of the arch:  Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom. 

The invasion was supported by 5000 ships, 11,000 airplanes and parachute and glider landings. The history is told throughout the memorial. 

There were countless metal plaques, each meticulously designed,  explaining particular details stemming from invasion maps

to landing crafts

just to name two. 

Outside the memorial circle stands a unique statue that was donated by the Guy Wildenstein family.  The original, named Le Monument aux Morts, was sculpted by Edmond de Laheudrie.  

It represents Victory wearing a utility belt and helmet of a World War I French soldier.  She was dedicated in 1921 in the village of Trevieres, France in memory of 44 men from that village who perished during the first world war.  The bottom jaw of Victory was blown off during World War II when it was struck by artillery fire.  The locals decided to keep the damaged statue as is, as a memorial to both World Wars.  

It is unclear why the Wildenstein family chose this place to erect a replica of this statue.  History tells us that his family fled France during the German occupation and emigrated to the United States.  The front of the statue is inscribed:

A gift to the National D-Day Memorial

the City of Bedford

and the Nation

from Guy Wildenstein and his family

With our eternal gratitude

to the United States of America

for restoring France's freedome

for granting asylum to our parents,

and for halting the extermination of a people.

In memory

of the American soldiers who gave their lives

on the beaches of Normandy

in June 1944.

We had opted to take a tour with a volunteer guide named Rick.  He was a wealth of knowledge and knew the personal stories of many of the men who perished that day.  He was also well versed on the invasion tactics as well as the personalities of the generals who were involved. He ushered us from spot to spot for well over an hour and a half.  And, that was just the highlights!

It was obvious that this man was quite proud of the efforts put into this memorial.  He stopped to thank every person we passed for taking the time to visit.  Since the National D-Day Memorial is NOT government or state funded, the volunteers appreciate every visitor who enters.  

Rick was sure to recognize the man with the vision, John Robert Slaughter, as well as Charles Schulz (of Peanuts fame) who donated 1 million dollars and Steven Spielberg with his quarter of a million donation.  Without these generous contributions, this memorial might never materialized. 

Before leaving,  we took photos of Estes Plaza.

Then we turned out of the circle to make our way down the long drive, out of the site of this amazing tribute to the fallen soldiers of D-Day. 

It certainly was a memorable visit and one most definitely worth visiting.  

As a side note, I realized while walking through the grounds, that one of the men who had served with the 116th Infantry during the invasion had recently gone from Missing to Identified.  On March 20, 2025, Sgt Ivor D Thorton was officially declared identified. He had been buried as an unknown in Normandy American Cemetery all of these years.  Now his remains can be reinterred and one more family will be able to claim closure. And although I did not personally play a part in the identification of Thorton, I am grateful to DPAA for crossing one more off the long list. 

If you find yourself driving along I-81 and are anywhere near Roanoke, I suggest that you make a slight detour and explore this amazing memorial.  You will not regret it.  There is an admission fee, but keep in mind that any funds received are spent on upkeeping this tribute that preserves the memory of so many brave young men who went into battle and never returned to their families. 

As I close, I admit that it certainly seems appropriate to post this on Memorial Day Weekend. We must never forget these men and women who sacrificed their lives for this country. 

Until next time....