D-Day anniversary events remember the ‘Bedford Boys'
The town lost 20 young men while they were storming the beaches of Normandy, giving Bedford, a town of just over 3,200 at the time, the highest per capita death toll from D-Day.
Executive Director of the Bedford Boys Tribute Center Ken Parker says 19 of those men were killed within the first nine minutes, without ever having fired a shot.
'They gave up all their tomorrows for our today,' said Parker. 'They perpetually teach us that freedom is not free.'
At the National D-Day Memorial, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke in front of hundreds, including 10 of the few surviving World War II veterans.
He called on listeners to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives that day, many of whom, he pointed out, were barely old enough to graduate high school at the time.
Clarence 'Bill' Wenzel was one of those men, just 17 at the time he joined the Navy during World War II.
On Friday morning, he recalled the moment he was notified that he had been drafted.
National D-Day memorial in Bedford commemorates 80th anniversary of D-Day
'I didn't like being drafted to go to war, because I was raised by a pastor,' said Wenzel. 'I was taught to love everybody and now here I'm being trained on how to kill another human being.'
Later in the day, dozens gathered outside the Bedford County Courthouse for the annual wreath-laying ceremony for those 20 'Bedford Boys.'
On the 10-year anniversary of D-Day, roughly 5,000 met at the courthouse for the dedication of a memorial stone shipped from France to honor the boys.
Every year over the next four decades, two of the surviving 'Bedford Boys,' met at the stone to lay an ivy wreath at its base in honor of their fallen brothers.
On the 81st anniversary, the town carried on that tradition, as relatives of those two men had the honor of placing the ivy wreath by the stone, while the descendants of the fallen 'Bedford Boys,' looked on.
'It's without a doubt the highlight of our entire year,' said Parker. 'To pay homage and respect to our beloved Bedford Boys.'
Finally, at 6:44 p.m., a nod to June of 1944, all the church bells in town rang for one minute, while the bell atop the courthouse rang once for each of the 'Bedford Boys,' that laid down their lives in service of their country.
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