Why the National D-Day Memorial was built in Bedford

BEDFORD, Va. – On the morning of D-Day, the boys from Bedford had little to no chance at surviving.

Among the first wave of soldiers to the beach, they were the easiest targets for the Germans, who fired over 1,000 rounds per second.

More than 4,000 Allied troops died that day.

19 of whom were from Bedford, which experienced the highest per capita D-Day losses of any community in the country. 

That is why the National D-Day Memorial was dedicated to Bedford. 

Although there was talk to put the memorial in other places, Roanoke native Bob Slaughter campaigned to have it in Bedford, arguing this was the proper place. 

Through Slaughter's persistence, his campaign paid off and Bedford was selected for the memorial. 

With a $25 million budget, heavy equipment and contractors, the memorial site was dedicated to Bedford on June 6, 2001. 

On that day, Slaughter accompanied President George W. Bush as the president reflected on why Bedford was the right place. 

"Upon this town fell the heaviest share of American losses on D-Day. Nineteen men from a community of 3,200; four more afterward. When people come here it is important to see the town as a monument itself. Here were the images these soldiers carried with them and the thought of when they were afraid. This is the place they left behind and here was the life they dreamed of returning to," said Bush when speaking at the 2001 dedication.

Now, when people visit the memorial, they see the town as a monument itself.

Sixty-thousand people visit the site every year.