A Handshake with History: Remembering the Bedford Boys

Quick answer: Who were the Bedford Boys?

The Bedford Boys were soldiers from Bedford, Virginia, who served in Company A, 116th Infantry, 29th Division. Nineteen were killed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, believed to be the highest per capita D-Day loss of any American community, which is why the National D-Day Memorial stands in Bedford.

Bedford, Virginia, has never forgotten the young men it sent to war with Company A of the 116th Infantry. Nineteen of them died on Omaha Beach on D-Day, believed to be the heaviest per capita loss of any town in America. John began his visit at the National D-Day Memorial, which honors everyone who landed on June 6, 1944. Then he stopped at the Bedford Boys Tribute Center, once Green's Drug Store, where the boys used to hang out. There he met Marguerite Reynolds Cottrell, sister of Jack Reynolds, one of the Boys. Her handshake, he writes, carried a silent promise: we won't forget. At Greenwood Cemetery he walked among the graves. Staff Sergeant John Wilkes. John Clifton. Ray Stevens, who told his twin brother he wasn't coming back. Frank Draper Jr. Captain Taylor Fellers, their company commander. Wallace Carter. Then a pickup truck pulled up and Marguerite stepped out, and John realized he was standing beside her brother's grave. He couldn't find Dickie Abbott's grave until he was driving away. He later learned Marguerite had died. Her handshake stays with him.

Why it matters for leaders: Remembering the fallen by name, in the places that knew them, keeps their sacrifice personal for the next generation.

Q: Why is the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford?

A: Because Bedford is believed to have suffered the highest per capita D-Day losses of any community in the United States.

Q: What unit were the Bedford Boys in?

A: Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, part of the first wave at Omaha Beach.

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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation