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Bedford, Virginia
The town of Bedford, Virginia, lost more men per capita in World War II than any other American community, with 23 of its 3,200 citizens dying in the conflict. Twenty-one of those young men died during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. On the 57th anniversary of the landings, Bedford received recognition for its sacrifice when President George W. Bush officially dedicated the National D-Day Memorial here. Attending the ceremony were 15,000 people, many of them World War II veterans, as well as the French and British ambassadors to the United States. In his remarks, the president said, "Free societies in Europe can be traced to the first footprints on the first beach on June 6, 1944."

The monument sits on 88 acres of land and includes bronze sculptures of soldiers and a 44-foot, six-inch granite Victory Arch (the measurements are a reference to the date of the landings). It cost $13.6 million, all from donations. For more information: www.dday.org

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