[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 96 (Thursday, June 5, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          NATIONAL D-DAY MEMORIAL IN BEDFORD COUNTY, VIRGINIA

  (Mr. Griffith of Virginia was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, June 6, marks the 81st 
anniversary of D-day, June 6, 1944.
  In my district, Bedford County, Virginia, is designated as a World 
War II Heritage City by the National Park Service, the only such World 
War II Heritage City in Virginia.
  Bedford County is home to the National D-day Memorial. This memorial 
commemorates the soldiers who courageously stormed Omaha Beach on June 
6, 1944.
  Bedford had the largest D-day loss per capita of any town in the 
United States, losing 20 men on Omaha Beach. Known to many as the 
Bedford Boys, they were amongst the first soldiers to land at Normandy 
as part of Operation Overlord. Their stories of heroism and sacrifice 
will be passed along from generation to generation.
  One of the men who sought to memorialize their heroic actions was 
Staff Sergeant Bob Slaughter. A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Mr. 
Slaughter served in Company D, 116th Infantry Regiment. Soldiers from 
central, southside, and southwest Virginia served in the 116th.
  Mr. Slaughter and the 116th were part of the first wave on the 
beaches. Mr. Speaker, when you watch the opening scenes of the film 
``Saving Private Ryan,'' you will see the terror and chaos the men of 
the 116th saw.
  Mr. Slaughter was one of more than 34,000 Americans who stormed the 
beach over the several days of the operation and faced heavy artillery 
from the Atlantic Wall and the Nazi war machine.
  Mr. Slaughter, 19 years old at the time, lived through the horrors 
and mass casualties of D-day. His company faced heavy shelling as his 
landing craft reached the beach. The incoming fire from enemy weapons 
persisted as he stormed the beach and bravely trekked up the dangerous 
terrain.
  Even though many from his unit were killed before leaving the beach, 
he was part of a small group who found a goat trail that was protected 
from Nazi fire. That group circled behind the enemy and took out enemy 
positions firing on the American soldiers below.
  More than 10,000 Americans lost their lives on D-day, including many 
of the Bedford-based soldiers of Company A.
  Mr. Slaughter received two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his 
service. Later in his life, however, he wanted to award and honor the 
countless lives who heroically fought on June 6, 1944. The memories of 
these soldiers had to be preserved, and that was his task.
  Those memories drove Mr. Slaughter to undergo a journey to honor the 
lives of those young men who served our country on one of the most 
daunting days in American history.
  Mr. Slaughter, along with others, including Lucille Hoback Boggess, 
who lost two brothers on D-day, pushed for Bedford to be the home of 
the National D-day Memorial. He founded the National D-day Memorial, 
served as its chairman for 7 years, and later wrote a memoir, ``Omaha 
Beach and Beyond,'' to commemorate the sacrifices of our D-day 
soldiers.
  U.S. President Bill Clinton signed legislation designating the 
National D-day Memorial in Bedford as the Nation's monument to D-day, 
and President George W. Bush dedicated the memorial in 2001.
  Every year, the National D-day Memorial hosts an anniversary event to 
pay tribute to and recognize the sacrifices of America's valiant 
soldiers. That would be tomorrow, and Bedford is not that far away.
  As a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the 
Congressman from Virginia's Ninth District, I continue to visit the 
memorial and pay tribute to America's Greatest Generation.
  For last year's 80th anniversary event, nearly two dozen World War II 
veterans were present. Tomorrow's event is slated to welcome several.
  Tomorrow's event will also feature a special panel that discusses the 
legacy of Mr. Slaughter, who, unfortunately, is no longer with us. He 
died in 2012, and he would have turned 100 this year. Mr. Slaughter's 
son will participate on the panel.
  The tremendous success of the memorial, the patriotism that it 
inspires, and the stories that continue to be shared can be attributed 
to Staff Sergeant Bob Slaughter, Company D, 116th Infantry Regiment, 
29th Infantry Division.
  As a resident of the Roanoke Valley, I had the honor of getting to 
know Mr. Slaughter. Tomorrow is about honoring 19-year-old Bob 
Slaughter and all the men who went to fight for freedom. What mattered 
was their sacrifice, strength to fight, and willingness to put their 
lives on the line so others could be free. What mattered was Bob 
Slaughter's drive to memorialize the countless sacrifices of his 
brothers-in-arms.

                              {time}  1030

  To all our world war veterans, to all of the families of those who 
served on D-day and to Mr. Slaughter, our Nation owes them a thank you. 
I thank all of them for their extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of 
American liberty.

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