BEDFORD, Va. – Hundreds of people came to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford this Memorial Day to pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Despite the heat, people made their way to the special ceremony.
They honored all who have died in the line of duty, but much of the focus was on Bedford’s sacrifice on D-Day.
Alex Kershaw has dedicated the last two decades to sharing the story of the Bedford boys. He's an award winning author of several New York Times best-selling books about World War II. He gave the keynote speech Monday.
One of his books, published more than 20 years ago, is credited with bringing a lot of attention to the community's sacrifice.
"I spent quite a bit of time here. I felt the pain. I felt the passion. I felt the pride, of which there's a hell of a lot today, but it connected me to a place in America that's still really close to my heart," Kershaw said.
Kershaw's latest book, "The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II," was just released to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.