The Bedford Boys

There is a small stone monument on Hanscom AFB that reads:  "All gave some, some gave all.";  I was reminded of that line when I read this story someone EMailed me this morning. It was in today's Washington Post.

The story is about death of the last of the boys from Bedford, Virginia, who assaulted the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944.;  The little town of Bedford suffered the highest percentage of casualties that day of any town or city in the US.

The reason for that high rate of deaths is that the young men of that town joined their National Guard unit together and trained together and went ashore together. From that town of then 3,200 people, 38 were members of A Company, 116th Infantry. Half, 19, died on OMAHA Beach on 6 June.

I suspect no one reading this blog knew Mr Elisha Ray Nance.;  I didn't.;  But this story touches me in a special way.;  I can think of nothing to add to the respect he and his comrades won that day.

Regards  —  Cliff

PS:  In a way, Massachusetts is linked to this story, in that the 116th Regiment is part of the National Guard's 29th Infantry Division, which is made up of units from Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts.