The Bedford Boys by Alex Kershaw.
I really enjoy reading books about American history, and I have read a multitude of WWII books. But this one is going to keep me up for awhile tonight. Wow. What a profound sacrifice the town of Bedford, Virginia made on D-Day.
Thirty-five young men from Bedford landed on Omaha Beach that day...twenty-two were Killed in Action. Most of them had joined the 29th Infantry Division, a National Guard unit before it was activated, during the Depression.
The book is a very moving account of their lives, relatives, town, and tragedy. It is a damned sad book. I would like to say The Bedford Boys is inspirational, but I'm not so sure. A very stark portrayal of the cost of war.
I think of my 20 year old son lying in his bed tonight. Imagine him buried in the cold French soil, under a cross facing west, towards home. Puts a lump in my throat...
