D-Day memorial in dire need
Lucille Boggess lost two brothers in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. She wonders what will happen to the memorial to them and the other "Bedford Boys" whose deaths that day made their town in the Blue Ridge foothills a national symbol of suffering in World War II.
"I'd be very saddened" if the financially troubled National D-Day Memorial in the southwest Virginia town had to close, says Boggess, 80. "This community made a sacrifice on D-Day. We want our young people to understand."
Bedford lost 19 sons on D-Day, more proportionally than any other U.S. community. In all, 22 soldiers from the town of 3,400 died in the invasion. That loss prompted Congress to choose the town 200 miles from Washington for a national memorial to the greatest amphibious assault in history.
Congress gave little more than its good wishes. Private funds covered the $19 million construction cost. The memorial has relied on admission fees and donations since its dedication in 2001.
Bedford's remote location, the recession and the dwindling ranks of World War II veterans have combined to decimate the memorial's bottom line. Ray Nance, the last surviving Bedford Boy, died in April.
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"I'd be very saddened" if the financially troubled National D-Day Memorial in the southwest Virginia town had to close, says Boggess, 80. "This community made a sacrifice on D-Day. We want our young people to understand."
Bedford lost 19 sons on D-Day, more proportionally than any other U.S. community. In all, 22 soldiers from the town of 3,400 died in the invasion. That loss prompted Congress to choose the town 200 miles from Washington for a national memorial to the greatest amphibious assault in history.
Congress gave little more than its good wishes. Private funds covered the $19 million construction cost. The memorial has relied on admission fees and donations since its dedication in 2001.
Bedford's remote location, the recession and the dwindling ranks of World War II veterans have combined to decimate the memorial's bottom line. Ray Nance, the last surviving Bedford Boy, died in April.