Salute!

Ray Nance, the last of the Bedford Boys, died on Sunday and was laid to rest today. He was 94. A 21-gun salute marked his passing.

Nance was one of 32 Virginia National Guardsmen from Bedford, VA who landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Nineteen were killed and five others injured. The death toll per capita is one of the highest ever suffered by an American community. That is a major reason the National D-Day Memorial is located in Bedford.

The memorial is an easy day trip for those of us in the Shenandoah Valley. Make the trip for yourself. Make the trip to learn more about an important event in American and world history. Make the trip for Ray Nance and the Bedford Boys.