Good Morning from the National D-Day Memorial did you know if you live locally in the New River Valley area…you could save hundreds of dollars in gas and hotel fees and avoid DC traffic and see the Japanese Cherry Tree Blossoms locally here at the Memorial. There are 116 trees planted here that are dedicated to the 116th Virginia National Guard Unit which still exist today. In fact the 116th Virginia National Guard returned from a one year deployment to the Horn of Africa on January 30, 2023.
During World War II, the 116th would join with units from Delaware, New York and Maryland to form the 29th Division the first unit to land on Omaha Beach at 630am Dec 6, 1944. By nightfall that fatefull day of the 175 men who formed Company A,B,C,D and F only 15 lived to fight another day the Division suffered a 90 percent casualty rate and the memorial was built here in Bedford because Company A came from here and it alone sustained 20 deaths that day making this small town have the largest per capital rate for casualities during opening phase of D-Day. For this reason Japanese Cherry Blossoms have been planted at the Memorial to honor the memory of the 116th Virginia Regiment and the 29th Division..please come out and enjoy the Cherry Blossoms while remembering the sacrafice of the Bedford Boys and the 29th Division.
