BEDFORD, Va. –
Virginia National Guard senior leaders and Soldiers participated in the 81st D-Day Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony June 6, 2025, at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, on the anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy during World War II.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Craig Crenshaw, the Virginia Secretary for Veterans and Defense Affairs, gave remarks during the ceremony, and Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, recited the names and stories of the 10 WWII veterans in attendance.
VNG Soldiers assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, participated in a wreath laying, and the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided ceremonial music during the commemoration.
“With each passing year, fewer and fewer of these historic men are here to receive our thanks and to tell their story of a day that changed the world,” said Youngkin. “It is fitting that we gather here today to honor the greatest generation who are here with us, to keep alive the spirit, the true American spirit, of these mighty heroes.”
“Today, on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the National D-Day Memorial pays tribute to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of all of those who fought on June 6, 1944, as well as those who continued to fight in the days, weeks and months that followed,” said Crenshaw.
After Youngkin and Crenshaw’s remarks, the 10 WWII veterans in attendance were escorted over the bridge of the monument as Ring described their roles in the war and beyond.
“I have visited Normandy many times over the years, and I’m always struck by what was achieved on that day by the determined few who changed the course of history,” said Ring. “This date remains a cornerstone in modern history, but also to the testament and courage in a pivotal moment for freedom and democracy around the globe.
“They made it possible for the freedoms we enjoy in our generation and the generations that followed them, and the generations yet to come.”
When the 116th Infantry was activated Feb. 3, 1941, Virginia communities provided Soldiers to serve in the unit, and Bedford provided Soldiers to serve in Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. During the assault on Omaha Beach, 19 of the “Bedford Boys” of Company A died, along with about 2,500 other American troops. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses. That sacrifice ultimately led to the building of the memorial in Bedford.
“Before they were the boys of Omaha Beach, they were the Bedford Boys,” said Youngkin. “In the wake of D-Day, this tight-knit community that believes in America, this tight-knit community that lives and breathes the values that we hold dear, bore an unbearable sacrifice.”
Crenshaw also told the story of the Red Ball Express, the nickname of the logistics and supply truck convoy operations vital to providing ammunition, food and other vital materiel to the Soldiers who fought their way inland after the D-Day landings. He also announced the addition of a commemorative plaque honoring the Soldiers of the Red Ball Express.
“On behalf of all of us here today, thank you for ensuring their story is remembered and passed on for generations to come,” Crenshaw said.
More photos from the ceremony: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCh8iL