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‘We have casualties...’: The making of the Bedford Boys documentary

BEDFORD, Va. – We can’t talk about D-Day without talking about the Bedford Boys, the many who lost their lives on that fateful day.

“Good morning Bedford.. We have casualties.”

That’s how news spread through a telegraph that the Bedford Boys had died. Now, those words are being used again, as the title of a new documentary called “We have casualties...” that tells the story of their tragic journey.

“Landed in the first wave of allied troops, U.S. Army on Omaha Beach, at 6:36 in the morning at dawn,” Parker said. “Nine minutes later, they were dead, and that is what they’re internationally known for. It was the highest casualty company for the U.S. army in the entire war.”

Ken Parker operates the Bedford Boys Tribute Center and never imagined he’d be the maker of their documentary, too. Parker says he was inspired by a question he kept getting from visitors.

“Their comment was really this,” Parker said. “‘We’ve read all the books about the Bedford Boys. Is there a movie?’ Well sure enough, one thing led to another.”

After about seven months of production, the documentary was finished.

“We actually had six nieces and nephews of the Bedford Boys speak of their uncle,” Parker said. “The stories that they heard in their family about the boys being raised up.”

Parker hopes the documentary sheds light on their stories for generations to come.

“They will never be forgotten, Parker said.