On June 6, 1944, soldiers from the United States Army 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, landed on a beach in Normandy, France code-named “Omaha.” Around 34 of these soldiers hailed from a small town in southern Virginia called Bedford. By the day’s end, 19 of them were dead. 

Bedford, Virginia suffered the highest per capita death rate of soldiers on D-Day. Four more “Bedford Boys” died later during the Normandy campaign. This tremendous loss gripped the nation, and Congress designated Bedford as the site of the National D-Day Memorial.

The memorial was dedicated on June 6, 2001. As visitors walk up Gray Plaza, they’ll pass statues identical to those along the hallowed beaches in France. A giant Overlord Arch leads visitors to the Memorial Wall, where names of all the soldiers killed on D-Day are listed.

This memorial is the perfect place to take a moment and honor World War II soldiers who died during the conflict.