June 4, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 93 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H4229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING BEDFORD, VIRGINIA, SOLDIERS

  (Mr. RIGGLEMAN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RIGGLEMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the sacrifice 
made by our brave men in uniform on the shores of France 75 years ago 
this week.
  As the dawn hours rose on June 6, 1944, the choppy waters of the 
English Channel were filled with American and Allied soldiers. Thirty 
of those brave men were from the town of Bedford, Virginia, a small 
hamlet nestled in the southern part of my district. These boys, who 
competed for the honor of being the first to reach Omaha Beach, etched 
their hometown into history as one with the highest per capita loss of 
life.
  By the end of that fateful day, when the sun had set on Omaha Beach, 
19 Bedford soldiers were dead. Four more died in the Normandy campaign. 
Every one of them was a hero.
  Seventy-five years have passed, and yet, their heroism stands the 
test of time.

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