Virginia history doesn’t always happen within the state line. On June 6, 1944, a day cemented in Virginia history occurred along the beaches of France. In planning for over a year, the D-Day invasion (known as Operation Overlord) became a defining moment in World War II. For one small Virginia town, the Allied assault came with a devastating cost. The mountain community of Bedford, located about 30 miles west of Lynchburg, suffered the nation’s highest percentage of casualties, proportionally, as a result of the D-Day battle. A total of 19 were killed during the D-Day invasion, followed by another two over the course of the campaign. Two more men from the small Virginia community also gave the ultimate sacrifice. That’s significant for a town with a population of around 3,200 at the time. There were between 30 and 35 “Bedford Boys” involved in the battle, according to various sources, and some survived the war. Following a hospitalization due to injuries sustained during the D-Day...