February 22, 2020 - D-Day Memorial
Bedford, Virginia

Lynnette and I were returning by car from Johnson City, Tennessee visiting my mother and sister for a week.  We decided to stop at the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia since it is only about 20 minutes off Interstate 81.

I didn't really know what to expect.  It turns out that the D-Day Memorial is in fact, a large, extremely well done memorial.  It is not a museum.  There's a small admission fee, worth every penny.  That said, the memorial offers hourly tours with a Guide.  We went on a tour and I'm so glad we did because the Guide was beyond outstanding.  I read a lot of World War II history, have read Stephen Ambrose's book D-Day and Max Hasting's book Overloard multiple times, have been to Omaha and Utah Beach and I can honestly say I didn't hear a single thing from the Guide I disagreed with.  Furthermore, I learned some things.   Of course, Overlord and D-Day were so massive and complex events, it's impossible for someone to know every detail about them.  The Guide, Kevin, tied it altogether in a seemless and interesting way.

Furthermore, there are hundreds of placards on the walls and statues -- it would take all day to read all of them.  

Why is this memorial in the remote little town of Bedford, Virginia?