[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4371-S4372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING THOSE WHO DIED ON D-DAY

  Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, as we approach the 56th Anniversary of D-
Day, June 6th, 1944, we should pause to reflect on the valor and 
sacrifice of the men who died on the beaches of Normandy. In the 
vanguard of the force that landed on that June morning, was the 116th 
Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. In 1944 the 116th Infantry 
Regiment, as it is today, was a National Guard unit mustering at the 
armory in Bedford, Virginia. They drew their members from a town of 
only 3,200 people and the rich country in southwestern Virginia nestled 
in the cool shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
  On the morning of June 6th, 1944, Company A led the 116th Infantry 
Regiment and the 29th Infantry Division ashore, landing on Omaha Beach 
in the face of withering enemy fire. Within minutes, the company 
suffered ninety-six percent casualties, to include twenty-one killed in 
action. Before nightfall, two more sons of Bedford from Companies C and 
F perished in the desperate fighting to gain a foothold on the blood-
soaked beachhead. On D-Day, the town of Bedford, Virginia gave more of 
her sons to the defense of freedom and the defeat of dictatorship, than 
any other community (per capita) in the nation. It is fitting that 
Bedford is home to the national D-Day Memorial. But we must remember 
that this

[[Page S4372]]

memorial represents not just a day or a battle--it is a marker that 
represents individual soldiers like the men of the 116th Infantry 
Regiment--every one a father, son, or brother. Each sacrifice has a 
name, held dear in the hearts of a patriotic Virginia town--Bedford.
  Mr. President, in memory of the men from Bedford, Virginia who died 
on June 6th, 1944, I ask unanimous consent that their names be printed 
in the Record at the end of my statement as a tribute to the town of 
Bedford, and every soldier, sailor, and airman, who has made the 
supreme sacrifice in the service of our country.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER: Without objection, it is so ordered.


                               COMPANY A

       Leslie C. Abbott, Jr., Wallace R. Carter, John D. Clifton, 
     Andrew J. Coleman, Frank P. Draper, Jr., Taylor N. Fellers, 
     Charles W. Fizer, Nick N. Gillaspie, Bedford T. Hoback, 
     Raymond S. Hoback, Clifton G. Lee, Earl L. Parker, Jack G. 
     Powers, John F. Reynolds, Weldon A. Rosazza, John B. Schenk, 
     Ray O. Stevens, Gordon H. White, Jr., John L. Wilkes, Elmere 
     P. Wright, Grant C. Yopp


                               COMPANY C

       Joseph E. Parker, Jr.


                               COMPANY F

       John W. Dean.

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