BEDFORD, Va. (WFXR) – Few traditions in southwest and southern Virginia can match Veteran’s Day at the National D-Day Memorial. Monday, it hosted its annual Veteran’s Day celebration.
Although the memorial is specifically for D-Day, all veterans were welcomed and encouraged to attend. Some from different wars, including World War 2 veteran Richard Inlow, attended the ceremony to receive the credit they earned in combat.
“To all our veterans who are here and who are watching, thank you,” April Cheek-Messier, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, said. “Thank you for your service, your sacrifice and your unwavering commitment to our nation, whether you served abroad or at home in peacetime or in war, we are grateful.”
One of the big events planned for the day was the addition of a new name on the Memorial Wall. The wall is the world’s most complete list of fallen victims on D-Day.
After years of research and verification, Father Ignatius Maternowski became the 4,427th name added to the wall.
“As American soldiers fought for life and freedom, Father Maternowski fought the battle of eternal life and freedom of sin, spreading hope and peace to the injured and dying men,” Deacon Mark De la Hunt of Mary Catholic Church, said. “While doing so, lord, he paid the ultimate sacrifice, and you called him home.”
Unfortunately, the ceremony did not go exactly as planned. The memorial was supposed to have a flyover from Whiskey-7, a C-7 plane used by the Allies on D-Day.
Due to the poor weather conditions on Sunday, they could not get the plane down to Bedford for the flyover and had to cancel the event.
“I have a sense it’s going to be hard for me to convince you that weather is an issue today for the C-47 that was going to fly,” Brigadier General (BG) David L. Young, a retired Air Force veteran from Lynchburg, said. “Unfortunately, as April said a moment ago, if you looked at the weather map up and down the east coast yesterday, you would’ve seen where it had been quite difficult to fly all the way from upstate New York, here (in Bedford).”
However, the ceremony still went on. The event ended with each branch of the military’s song, with every veteran in attendance getting recognized for their service. As the event came to an end, America the Beautiful was played.