This weekend we went to visit Kaos008 (now retired from the BallteField) at VA Tech. As this is the second year there we really
weren't up for the "go visit all the stuff" so we took off to the National D-Day Memorial in
Bedford, VA.
It's easy to start at any point in the memorial, but there really is a plan. You start off in the Reynolds Garden. This garden is
built to reflect the English Gardens that surrounded the SHAEF haedquarters. Under a Greek Dome is statue of Gen. Eisenhower, teh
Supreme Commander, Europe:
Tucked up in the dome is a mosaic of the landing plan:
As you turn around you see The Gardens. Pay special attenrion to the construction of the planters:
The gardens are planted to represent the SHAEF shoulder patch (more on that later). Beyond the point of the swoard are arches of
colored flowers (to represent the top of the patch) then up to the massive Gray plaza, then up to the Estes Plaze, the OVERLORD
Vistory Arch and then on to the Stettinius Parade. Hopefully you can read this plaque which describes the idea:
Once past the gardens, is an arching wall. In the center of the wall is the SHAEF Shield & Eisenhower's speach to the landing
forces. The SHAEF shield is meant to represent the flaming sword of Justice (Victory?) slicing thru the dark of the Nazi
occupation, pushing through to the bright blue sky of victory. The "rainbow" represents colors that appear in the flags of the
allied nations.
On either side of the SHAEF cener are plaques telling the history and contributions of the units that actually hit the beach.
There are plaques all over the monument, they tell the stories of all the supporting units, air wings (like the Mobile Barrage
Balloon unit made up entirely of "Colored" soldiers & sailors)& ships.
If you go up the left set of stairs to the Gray Plaza, you pass the VPI (VA Tech) & VMI Commeorative Plaques
You make it to Gray plaza - it's HUGE and empty. This photo from the Victory Arch does not convery the vastness of the plaza.
The plaza is divided into five section representing the five Beaches of the Landing. The walls that surround the plaza are filled
with bronze plaques - the Honor Roll of the men who never made it off the beach. The western wall contains the names of the US
Servicemen:
The eastern - all of the rest from the other nations. At the far end of the Eastern Wall were severn plaques. Each one with a
relief & description of the "Mother's & Widow's" medals awarded to the next of kin of those brave men.
Finally you come to the center piece of the memorial - the Landing Tableau:
Currently there are only four figures and two obsticals. Perhaps as donations come in, more will be added:
Set about the figures are are pressurized water jets that send up a spray of water to represent the enemy fire. As you cross the
bridge, you come face to face with The Wall.
On the way up to the Estes Plazez, is a tribute to the "Grasshopper", an observaton plane.
Now you walk up the stairs to the Estes plaza which surrounds the OVERLORD Victory Arch.
I turned around and snapped this picture. It was sometimes hard to reconcile the beauty of the day, the grounds & surrounding
mountains with the horrors that this place was made to remember.
Remember the wall? Well, here's the first soldier over, then I backed up for a more panoramic view:
Once under the arch, this is enscribed on the marble floor:
And a tribute to the fallen:
Here is a picture of the OVERLORD Victory Arch. The top represents teh "Invasion Stripes" that were on all Allied Aircraft. Kaos
told us something like the arch is decribed as "66 feet, 44 inches tall." 6-6-44!
Around the arch are inscribed the names of the five beach heads. Can you remember them? No peeking!
You leave the Arch and proceed into the part of the Monument that represnts the push inland. THis statue appears to be a tribute
to the men as they push forward, aiding each other as they fell.
You then reach The Parade. This avenue is meant to emote memories of the many streets & plazas the liberating forces walked down
as the pushed teh Nazis from Europe.
Then you run into this crazy statue:
So, here's this goddess, wearing a French WWI helmet, wielding a bayonet, missing most of her face. Well, it turns out this statue
was originally cast to commemorate the fallen French of WWI. It was damamged by shore fire during the landing and subsiquently
given to the memorial by the family that rescued it as the Allies rescued them from the Concentration Camps.
Finally, you reach the end, fittingly marked by a monument to those who earned The Purple Heart.
weren't up for the "go visit all the stuff" so we took off to the National D-Day Memorial in
Bedford, VA.
It's easy to start at any point in the memorial, but there really is a plan. You start off in the Reynolds Garden. This garden is
built to reflect the English Gardens that surrounded the SHAEF haedquarters. Under a Greek Dome is statue of Gen. Eisenhower, teh
Supreme Commander, Europe:
Tucked up in the dome is a mosaic of the landing plan:
As you turn around you see The Gardens. Pay special attenrion to the construction of the planters:
The gardens are planted to represent the SHAEF shoulder patch (more on that later). Beyond the point of the swoard are arches of
colored flowers (to represent the top of the patch) then up to the massive Gray plaza, then up to the Estes Plaze, the OVERLORD
Vistory Arch and then on to the Stettinius Parade. Hopefully you can read this plaque which describes the idea:
Once past the gardens, is an arching wall. In the center of the wall is the SHAEF Shield & Eisenhower's speach to the landing
forces. The SHAEF shield is meant to represent the flaming sword of Justice (Victory?) slicing thru the dark of the Nazi
occupation, pushing through to the bright blue sky of victory. The "rainbow" represents colors that appear in the flags of the
allied nations.
On either side of the SHAEF cener are plaques telling the history and contributions of the units that actually hit the beach.
There are plaques all over the monument, they tell the stories of all the supporting units, air wings (like the Mobile Barrage
Balloon unit made up entirely of "Colored" soldiers & sailors)& ships.
If you go up the left set of stairs to the Gray Plaza, you pass the VPI (VA Tech) & VMI Commeorative Plaques
You make it to Gray plaza - it's HUGE and empty. This photo from the Victory Arch does not convery the vastness of the plaza.
The plaza is divided into five section representing the five Beaches of the Landing. The walls that surround the plaza are filled
with bronze plaques - the Honor Roll of the men who never made it off the beach. The western wall contains the names of the US
Servicemen:
The eastern - all of the rest from the other nations. At the far end of the Eastern Wall were severn plaques. Each one with a
relief & description of the "Mother's & Widow's" medals awarded to the next of kin of those brave men.
Finally you come to the center piece of the memorial - the Landing Tableau:
Currently there are only four figures and two obsticals. Perhaps as donations come in, more will be added:
Set about the figures are are pressurized water jets that send up a spray of water to represent the enemy fire. As you cross the
bridge, you come face to face with The Wall.
On the way up to the Estes Plazez, is a tribute to the "Grasshopper", an observaton plane.
Now you walk up the stairs to the Estes plaza which surrounds the OVERLORD Victory Arch.
I turned around and snapped this picture. It was sometimes hard to reconcile the beauty of the day, the grounds & surrounding
mountains with the horrors that this place was made to remember.
Remember the wall? Well, here's the first soldier over, then I backed up for a more panoramic view:
Once under the arch, this is enscribed on the marble floor:
And a tribute to the fallen:
Here is a picture of the OVERLORD Victory Arch. The top represents teh "Invasion Stripes" that were on all Allied Aircraft. Kaos
told us something like the arch is decribed as "66 feet, 44 inches tall." 6-6-44!
Around the arch are inscribed the names of the five beach heads. Can you remember them? No peeking!
You leave the Arch and proceed into the part of the Monument that represnts the push inland. THis statue appears to be a tribute
to the men as they push forward, aiding each other as they fell.
You then reach The Parade. This avenue is meant to emote memories of the many streets & plazas the liberating forces walked down
as the pushed teh Nazis from Europe.
Then you run into this crazy statue:
So, here's this goddess, wearing a French WWI helmet, wielding a bayonet, missing most of her face. Well, it turns out this statue
was originally cast to commemorate the fallen French of WWI. It was damamged by shore fire during the landing and subsiquently
given to the memorial by the family that rescued it as the Allies rescued them from the Concentration Camps.
Finally, you reach the end, fittingly marked by a monument to those who earned The Purple Heart.
