[2-Dedication]

[NEWSCAST=6]

[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=01-12 TC1:52:14]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


It's been years in the making.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Today, the work of countless volunteers and contractors came to fruition.
[SOT 11:59:07-11:59:12]
(///// SOT /////)

((NAT SOUND))
[RUNS=:05]

[NAT SOUND]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=403-Bedford]

Under the blazing sun, the United States Navy Band and the Sea Chanters set the tone for the dedication of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford. An estimated 15 and a half thousand people fell silent as dozens of speakers took turns at the podium. Many were D-Day veterans themselves, there to share memories of the landing on Normandy's beaches.
(///// SOT at :20 /////)
[SOT 12:13:01-12:13:15]
[IN Q=We were rolling heavily in the southwest swells...]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=chattering with cold and fright.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Other Allied countries were represented, as well. Offiicals from France and the United Kingdom offered their deepest gratitude to America and her soldiers.
(///// SOT AT :09 /////)
[SOT 12:45:29-12:45:46]
[SUPER=401-Francois Bujon de l'Estang/French Ambassador;]
[IN Q=With an astonishing premonition...]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=France does not stand alone.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The ceremony peaked with a speech from President George W. Bush. We'll hear an excerpt from that presentation coming up later on this special broadcast of News 7.
(------------)



[Coleman]


[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=01-39 TC00:19]
[GRAPHIC=D-Day Memorial]


The NATIONAL D-Day memorial is in Bedford, because of 19 men who died the same day... all from this one community.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=403-Bedford]


Their names are listed on a plaque in front of the Bedford Courthouse. A special stone was brought over from France to put it on. The plaque was dedicated June 6, 1954.
There are more than 19 casualties listed, though. Even accounting for soldiers who'd been assigned to other units, there are at least two too many.
Andrew Coleman missed the assault on Omaha Beach. He'd become ill in England was shipped back to the States and was hospitalized at the Greenbrier.
He died about six weeks after D-Day and is buried in Bedford's Longwood cemetery along with several other 29th Infantrymen.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=HOLD]


Thanks to the family of Andrew Coleman, the director of the Bedford Museum and the D-Day Foundation, we think we've come up with an accurate list of the 19 soldiers from "A" Company in Bedford who died in the initial assault.
[DIRECTLY TO BUMP]

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(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT MUSIC]

((LIST OF THE DEAD. ))
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=NAT MUSIC]


[MUSIC CONTINUES ON TAPE]

[COMMERCIAL #1]


[Speech-Bush]
[NEWSCAST=5:30]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=01-15 TC09:31]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Nineteen men who died in war long ago drew the Commander in Chief to their hometown today.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


Because of them, the President said the national D-Day Memorial is right where it belongs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=You have raised]
[RUNS=4:36]
[OUT Q=the World War Two generation.]

[APPLAUSE] [DISSOLVE OUT]

[Bump#6]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


Stephen Spielberg re-created the D-Day invasion for Saving Private Ryan, but a Canadian news crew actually caught the real thing in living color.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


We'll give you a taste of that as News Seven's special coverage continues from the D-Day Memorial in Bedford.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=ALL THE SHIPS]

((ALL THE SHIPS ARE BLAZING AWAY NOW. ALL AROUND THIS ENORMOUS CIRCLE. YOU CAN'T IMAGINE ANYTHING LIKE THIS MARCH OF SHIPS. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SO INTENSE. A PURPOSE SHARED AMONG MANY SHIPS. MANY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FIGHTING MEN ARE GOING IN NOW TO THE COAST OF EUROPE.))
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=the coast of Europe]


[MUSIC CONTINUES]

[COMMERCIAL BREAK #2]


[France-Trip]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=01-38 TC31:09]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ANCHOR=SHANNON 2-SHOT]

640 members of the 29-th Infantry lie buried in the cemetery at Coleville sur mer above Omaha beach.
[ANCHOR=KEITH 2-SHOT]


Many D-Day veterans and their families walked through the cemetery in 1994.
They searched the graves for the names of relatives and fallen comrades.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT Documentary-----1:03:03]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=each man along the way.]


[29th-Division]
[NEWSCAST=11AM]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=01-]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ANCHOR=KEITH 2-SHOT]

Hubert Hobbs was part of the 29-th Infantry, the only National Guard Division to storm Omaha Beach on D-Day.
[ANCHOR=SHANNON 2-SHOT]

Known by some as the blue and gray, since members of the guard come from both the north and the south, this group takes a special pride in their division. Kate Weidaw has their story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=401-Hubert Hobbs/D-Day Veteran;:20]
[SUPER=401-Paul Calvert/29th Division Veteran;1:24]
[SUPER=419-Kate Weidaw/kweidaw*wdbj7.com;2:38]
[RUNS=2:42]
[OUT Q=kw news7.]

((At the age of 20 Hubert Hobbs found out he was being drafted to fight World War two. While going into battle wasn't his life long dream, he never imagined what lie ahead of him the day he boarded the boat heading for Omaha Beach.

[SOT 21:21:01]
[INQ=]

((HUBERT HOBBS: WE THOUGHT IT WAS A LARK NO BODY TRIED TO GO A WALL NOBODY TRIED TO RUN OFF WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY WAS GOING TO MAKE IT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS IN STORE FOR US.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]


But he quickly realized his fate when the door to his boat opened.

[SOT 21:21:43]
[INQ=]

((HUBERT HOBBS: OUR LIEUTENANT SAYS I'M GOING TO OPEN THE DOOR AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE AND WHEN HE DID MACHINE GUN FIRE CAME ACROSS RATATAT, HE SLAMMED THAT DOOR AND GREAT BALLS OF PERSPIRATION CAME DOWN.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 14]


With a pack of TNT on his back, making his way up the beach became an even greater challenge. Hobbs says he would have lost his life that day if it hadn't been for an officer directing his company to run in front of him.

[SOT 21:25:19]
[INQ=]

((HUBERT HOBBS: WHEN SIX OF HIS MEN GOT 20 FEET FROM ME, ARTILLERY SHELL CAME IN THERE AND BLOW HIS MEN TO PIECES THAT'S HOW CLOSE I CAME TO BEING ANNIHILATED.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 13]


29-th Division Transportation Sergeant Paul Calvert spent D-Day off shore. He arrived on Omaha Beach on the next day, June 7-th, already used to German fire.

[SOT 6:21]
[INQ=]

((PAUL CALVERT: THE GERMANS WERE SHELLING ALL NIGHT AND HITTING SHIPS ALL AROUND US BUT WE WERE FORTUNATE NOT TO GET HIT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 9]


While the majority of men made their way on foot, jeeps carried radios and wiring equipment. Keeping the vehicles up and running was a hard job.

[SOT 13:24]
[INQ=]

((PAUL CALVERT: THE SHRAPNEL AND BULLETS WOULD GET THE TIRES, RADIATORS, AND GAS TANKS THAT WAS THE BIGGEST TROUBLE.))


[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 11]


When both Calvert and Hobbs' companies regrouped they found out the true hardship of war, the friends that were lost. Hobbs' company of 220 men was down to 30.

[SOT 21:34:37]
[INQ=]

((HUBERT HOBBS: DON'T A DAY GO BY THAT WE DON'T THINK ABOUT SOME OF OUR BUDDIES.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 4]


Looking back on the medals both men won and some souvenirs Hobbs stole off two German soldiers, they remember how the war changed the course of history.

[SOT 21:31:23]
[INQ=]

((HUBERT HOBBS: I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE DEEPLY REALIZE THAT IF HITLER HAD THROWN US BACK INTO THAT OCEAN EVERYBODY WOULD BE LIVING UNDER DICTATORSHIPS.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 14]


But in the end 29-th Divison veterans like Hobbs say they had a job to do and they did it well. Kate Weidaw News7.))

[Bump#14]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Still ahead-- an in-depth conversation with the architect who had the enourmous task of designing this memorial.


[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


News Seven's special coverage of the dedication of the National D-Day Memorial continues.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT MUSIC]

((BEFORE ALLIED TROOPS STORMED THE BEACH, D-DAY BEGAN WITH 13,000 AMERICAN AND 7500 BRITISH AND CANADIAN PARATROOPERS LANDING INLAND.))
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=NAT MUSIC ]


[MUSIC CONTINUES ON TAPE]

[COMMERCIAL #3]


[Architect]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=01-29 TC21:06]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The memorial is a solemn reminder of the horrors of D-Day, the struggles most of us can only imagine, the sacrifices made by thousands of men for the freedoms we hold so dear.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The designer says the monument is meant not only to honor the fallen soldiers, but to encourage an understanding of D-Day and its significance.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'm just probably the luckiest guy.]
[SUPER=401-Byron Dickson/Architect; :00]
[RUNS=2:06]
[OUT Q=We certainly don't want to forget them.]
(([SOT 2:27:30-2:27:39]
[IN Q=I'm just probably the luckiest guy...]

((I'm just probably the luckiest guy, I'm certainly the luckiest architect in the world. I'm just pleased I had a chance to do it.)) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=pleased I had a chance to do it.]

Byron Dickson may have designed the National D-Day Memorial but he won't take full credit for it. Since the beginning of construction 22-months ago a series of obstacles has threatened to derail the project. Dickson describes the work completed to date as "impossible".
[SOT 2:25:43-2:25:53]
[IN Q=Like I say, we look back at it now...]

((Like I say, we look back at it now and there's no good reason why we're finishing on time. Other than that, just somebody had to be looking out for us.)) [RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=somebody had to be looking out for us.]

Dickson says the entire process seems to have been guided by "Divine Providence". It was 1989 when the architect and his small Roanoke firm volunteered to take on the task. Never having designed a monument, Dickson immersed himself in research and turned to the experts for help.
[SOT 2:29:14-2:29:27]
[IN Q=Every time I had an opportunity to talk with a veteran...]

((Every time I had an opportunity to talk with a veteran I would always ask about the experience, how they visualized it, what were their feelings, what were their emotions, what did they do.)) [RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=what did they do.]

Dickson is a Vietnam veteran. His war experience and a fascination for all things World War Two are apparent in the monument's tri-level design. The lowest level, The English Garden, represents Allied preparation for the massive Normandy raid. The second tier, complete with concrete waves, landing craft, beach and casualties commemorates the invasion itself. Finally, towering over the water feature, is th arch, memorializing the thousands who never made it back home.
[SOT 2:31:13-2:31:28]
[IN Q=First and foremost it must commemorate.]

((First and foremost it had to commemorate. Second it had to educate and inform about the event. And three, it had to be entertaining.)) [RUNS15]
[OUT Q=it had to be entertaining.]

Meaning, the memorial had to be interesting enough to hold the attention of generations unfamiliar with the sacrifices made on D-Day.
[SOT 2:35:00-2:35:12]
[IN Q=I always hoped that an appreciation would come.]

((I always hoped that an appreciation would come. The folks that have a chance to walk around this monument will take away an appreciation for what these guys did. We certainly don't want to forget them.)) [RUNS:12]
[OUT Q=We certainly don't want to forget them.]))
(-------------)


[Cliff-Sculpture]
[NEWSCAST=11AM]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=01-]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-SHOT]


Several statues at the memorial depict the struggle to move up Omaha Beach....
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

But the biggest shows the difficult task of scaling the cliffs at Normandy.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The soldier's mission was to take out the enemy's big guns at Point de Hoc. Len Lomell describes climbing the 100 foot cliff with his men.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:14]
[IN Q=We grabbed the rope]

((LEN LOMELL/D-DAY VETERAN: WE GRABBED THE ROPES AND UP THE ROPES WE GO. THE GERMANS WERE DROPPING BOULDERS, CUTTING THE ROPES, SHOOTING AT US, DROPPING THEIR HAND GRENADES ON US. IT WAS A HELL OF A WAY UP TO NORMANDY.))
[SUPER=401-Len Lomell/D-Day Veteran]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=up to Normandy.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Their struggle is immortialized in a 19 foot sculpture at the National D-Day Memorial.
(------------)



[Bump#10]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR= 2-Shot]


It took decades for one veteran's D-Day stories to resurface.
[ANCHOR= 2-Shot]


His family's story and a glimpse at the forecast when News 7 returns.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=MUSIC]

((D PLUS 21, OR JUNE 27TH, 1944: THE ALLIES RECLAIM THE GERMAN STRONGHOLD OF CHERBOURG, FRANCE. MILITARY EXPERTS CALL IT THE ALLIES' GREATEST STRATEGIC TRIUMPH OF THE WAR.))
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=Second Page Reveals]


[MUSIC CONTINUES ON TAPE]

[COMMERCIAL #4]


[Stanley]
[NEWSCAST=D-Day]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-17 TC51:11]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Carlton Stanley's story is like thousands of others of D-Day veterans.. he fought, he was wounded, he came home to start a family.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


But Stanley died three years ago.. leaving behind some unique memorabilia to tell what happened.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Carlton Stanley's]
[SUPER=403-Bedford Co.; :00]
[SUPER=401-Tim Stanley/Son of D-Day Veteran; :46]
[SUPER=420-Steve Smallshaw/ssmallshaw*wdbj7.com; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:26]
[OUT Q=News7, Bedford County.]

(( Carlton Stanley's early claim to fame was being the first Roanoke boy to land in Normandy on D-Day.
A paratrooper with the 101st Airborne, Stanley escaped the invasion without a scratch but was wounded in Holland three months later.
When he got home, Stanley sat down with what was then WDBJ Radio to talk about his experiences.
His children found a transcript of that interview while going through their father's things after his death.
[natsot 11:35:09]

((A BURST OF FLAK KILLED A MAN DIRECTLY BEHIND ME AS HE STEPPED INTO THE DOOR OF THE PLANE..))
[RUNS= 07]


Tim Stanley wishes he had paid better attention to his father's war stories.. all he has left now are the ribbons, the medals and the pictures.
[natsot 11:53:30]

((HERE HE IS RIGHT HERE..))
[RUNS= 02]


He hopes other veterans' families take the time to listen.
[SOT 11:09:53]

((TIM STANLEY: HE HAD WONDERFUL STORIES. I JUST WISH IN THE TIMES HE WAS TELLING SOME STORIES THAT WE HAD WROTE 'EM ALL DOWN, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PART OF HISTORY AND A PART OF HIS LEGACY, EXACTLY WHAT HE WENT THROUGH.))
[RUNS= 15]
[OUT Q=he went through.]
[SOT 11:13:26]

((TIM STANLEY: HE WANTED TO SEE THE MEMORIAL GO UP BECAUSE PARTS OF HISTORY ARE DYING OUT.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=dying out.]


Like thousands of other veterans, Carlton Stanley didn't live long enough to see the memorial dedicated.
Still, the former paratrooper will probably be watching Wednesday.. from his usual position in the sky.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Bedford County.))
[Live-Bump]
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[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR= 2-Shot]


More than 15-thousand people, many of them veterans themselves, showed up for today's ceremony.
[ANCHOR= 2-Shot]


We'll hear from them...
(XXXXXXX)
[LIVE=Jib Camera/Beauty Shot]

[MUSIC UNDER!!!!!]
[SUPER=405-Bedford]

when News Seven's special coverage of the National D-Day Memorial Dedication continues.
(-------------)



[COMMERCIAL #5]



[Ceremonies]


[ANCHOR=]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=01-21 TC1:00:12]
[GRAPHIC=]


It was a ceremony befitting the size and scope of the D-Day invasion itself.
Thousands of veterans, their families and grateful citizens gathered this morning for an event like Bedford has never seen before.
[DOUBLE BOXES= Steve/Microwave;]


Steve Smallshaw has been on site all day.. Steve after all the planning and set-up, are officials pleased with how things came off today?
[LIVE=Steve/FULL]
[SUPER=419-Steve Smallshaw/ssmallshaw*wdbj7.com]
[SUPER=405-Bedford]


Considering how things looked here around this time last night, D-Day Foundation officials are probably pretty pleased they got through this day relatively unscathed.
The weather was hot, the wait was sometimes long.. but almost to a person, this was a ceremony worth waiting for.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=They came by]
[SUPER=403-Bedford; :00]
[SUPER=401-Ashley Hicks/Student;]
[SUPER=401-Frank Mays/D-Day Veteran]



[SUPER=401-Francois Bujong de l'Estang/French Ambassador]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=June 6th, 1944.]



They came by the thousands.. drawn to this hilltop by a sense of history and a desire to pay tribute to a generation of men whose service to their country can never be adequately measured.
[SOT PRE-CEREMONY TAPE]

(( HICKS: ))
[RUNS=09]


Veterans and their wives, grandfathers and their grandsons and others who simply wanted to experience this for themselves
[natsot song 1:56:20 #1]
[RUNS=04]


They filled the plaza in the shadow of the massive Overlord Arch, and spilled out into the aisles on either side.


[SOT 2:06:00 #2]

((MAYS: THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS.. ...SHELLS WERE EXPLODING.))
[RUNS=09]


Veterans were given a chance to tell their stories from that day.. and dignitaries on every level paid homage to the Operation that set the tone for democracy throughout Europe in the last half of the 20th century.
[SOT 2:57:19 #3]

((LACEY PUTNEY: A NATION'S SOUL IS ITS HEROES... ..SHALL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.))
[RUNS=14]
[SOT 2:45:15 #3]

((de L'ESTANG: A FREEDOM PAID FOR DEARLY BY THOSE WHO FELL... 21 BRAVE BOYS FROM BEDFORD.))
[RUNS=15]
[SOT 3:03:08]

((GILMORE: TODAY WE DEDICATE NOT JUST A MEMORIAL TO THE PAST, BUT A MONUMENT TO PRINCIPLE.))
[RUNS=08]
[natsot Bush walking up, crowd cheering 3:06:25 #4]
[RUNS=02]


The governor helped introduce today's other guest of honor, commander in chief President George W. Bush.
Bush noted that it was more than just a beachhead that troops gained that fateful day.
[SOT 3:10:14 #4]

((PRESIDENT BUSH: THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OPERATION OVERLORD IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERSTATE.. ...JUNE 6TH, 1944.))
[RUNS=23]
[LIVE=Steve /FULL]
[SUPER=405-Bedford;]




[DOUBLE BOXES= /Microwave;]



[Veterans]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#01-13 TC1:13:50]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]
[ANCHOR=/2-Shot]
There were tears and jokes today as D-Day veterans made their way to the memorial built in their honor. [ANCHOR=/2

-Shot] It drew thousands of veterans from several wars, states, and military branches.
[Double Boxes=Keith-Shannon and Marya/Azimuth]

Marya Jones talked with them on this historic day.
[Live=Marya Full/Azimuth]
[SUPER=419-Marya Jones/mjones*wdbj7.com;]
[SUPER=405-Bedford;]
( ad lib)
(Rollcue:57 years ago today. )
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=403-Bedford; :00]
[SUPER=401-Hal Baumgarten/D-Day Veteran; :13]
[SUPER=401-Arthur Van Cook/D-Day Veteran; :28]
[SUPER=401-Don McKee/D-Day Veteran; 1:05 ]
[SUPER=401-Dan Weigand/D-Day Veteran; 1:33]
[SUPER=401-Bob Slaughter/D-Day Veteran; 1:56]
[RUNS=2:15]
[OUT Q=thank you, sir. "nat sound"]



[Live=Marya Full/Azimuth]
[SUPER=405-Bedford;]
( ad lib)



[Double Boxes=Keith-Shannon and Marya/Azimuth]



[Bump#5]
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[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


There's lots more ahead, including a closer look at President Bush's visit.
Plus the memorial's visitors mean big bucks for Bedford.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Those stories when News Seven's special coverage of the dedication of the National D-Day Memorial continues.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Soldiers, Sailors and]

((SOLDIERS SAILORS AND AIRMEN OF THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE: YOU ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK UPON THE GREAT CRUSADE TOWARD WHICH WE HAVE STRIVEN THESE MANY MONTHS. THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE UPON YOU.))
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=music pad]


[Streaming Video Announce]

[Commercial#6]


[6Mini-Intro]
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(------------)
[LIVE=Beauty Shot Full]
[SUPER=405-Bedford]

[***D-DAY MUSIC UNDER***]
(Shannon & Keith adlib return)
(------------)

[2-SHOT]
[Bush]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=01-10 TC1:55:31]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


It was a quick trip, but President Bush did make it to the dedication ceremony.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Joe Dashiell has more on his trip from Washington to Roanoke to Bedford... and back again.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Air Force One]
[SUPER=403-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=403-Bedford; :13]
[SUPER=419-Joe Dashiell/jdashiell*wdbj7.com; 1:34]
[RUNS=1:47]
[OUT Q=JD News 7, Bedford]


[Chaplain]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=01-11 TC1:54:03]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


After President Bush's speech, the head chaplain of the U-S Coast Guard offered a rousing dedication prayer.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


We want to share some of that with you now.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:29:39 Azimuth #3]
[IN Q=We dedicate this memorial]
[SUPER=401-Leroy Gilbert/U. S Coast Guard Chief of Chaplains;]
[RUNS=:52]
[OUT Q=a blessing to the world]




[Bump#4]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


Of course there were plenty of prayers offered before, during and after D-Day.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


As we take a short break, we'll leave you with part of one of the more famous ones offered by President Franklin Roosevelt.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Help us to conquer]

((HELP US TO CONQUER THE APOSTLES OF GREED AND RACIAL ARROGANCES LEAD US TO THE SAVING OF OUR COUNTRY -- AND WITH OUR SISTER NATIONS INTO A WORLD UNITY -- THAT WILL SPELL A SURE PEACE. THY WILL BE DONE ALMIGHTY GOD))
[RUNS=:27]
[OUT Q=will be done, almighty God.]


[MUSIC CONTINUES]

[COMMERCIAL #7]


[Traffic]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#01-14 TC1:13:12]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR= 2-Shot]


Getting to the memorial site was easy .. compared to the challenges many people faced on their return trip.
[ANCHOR= 2-Shot]


Some people waited more than two hours for the bus ride back to the parking lot.
And that was just the beginning of their journey.
[Double Boxes=Keith-Shannon and Justin/Microwave]


Justin McLeod has that part of the story.
[Live=Justin Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=419-Justin McLeod/jmcleod*wdbj7.com;]
[SUPER=405-Bedford;]


Keith and Shannon, those attending the memorial arrived this morning to find parking lots covered in mud from last night's storm.
The rain held off for the ceremony, but Mother Nature wreaked havoc late this afternoon, just as many people returned to their cars.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=403-Bedford;]


Each parking facility had tow trucks on hand to help motorists maneuver their way out of the mud. More than a dozen cars got stuck, and state police tell us their were a few minor accidents.
And some people had no car to protect them from the elements.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I was standing]
[SUPER=401-Rebecca Smith/Lee, VA; :00]
[SUPER=401-Warren Bingham/Raleigh, NC; :07]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=but there was no plan.]
(-----------)
[VO-NAT]

((Justin adlibs tag))
[RUNS=:20]
(-------------)
[Live=Justin Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=405-Bedford;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Keith-Shannon and Justin/Microwave]



[Normandy-Ceremony]


[ANCHOR=SHannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-16 TC1:26:58]
[GRAPHIC=None]


Another group of D-Day vets was immortalized today in France...
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


"E-company" was an elite group of American paratroopers whose experience is chronicled in "Band of Brothers", a book that Stephen Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks have turned into a mini-series.
(///////SOT//////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We hope to enlighten]

((TOM HANKS: WE HOPE TO ENLIGHTEN THOSE WHO ARE UNAPPRECIATIVE OF THE COST OF PRESERVING OUR GREAT FREEDOM.))
[SUPER=401-Tom Hanks/Actor]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=our great freedom.]
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=403-Utah Beach, France]


Those veterans and their families were remembered today on Utah Beach in France.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This is the biggest]

((CARLWOOD LIPTON/VETERAN: THIS IS THE BIGGEST GATHERING OF E COMPANY SINCE THE WAR. THERE ARE 41 STILL ALIVE AND ABLE TO BE HERE.))
[RUNS=10]
[SUPER=401-Carlwood Lipton/D-Day Veteran]
[OUT Q=to be here.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


These Veterans say the price of freedom was steep.
Over 6 thousand Americans were killed or wounded on D-Day.
(------------)



[Bump#11]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


Weather for the ceremony was nothing like the severe storms that roared through the memorial at this time last night.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


Robin Reed's weather, and a final look at today's ceremony are still ahead.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nat Music]

((DIPLOMATS REPRESENTING HOSTILE NATIONS IN WORLD WAR II WERE HOUSED AT THE GREENBRIER RESORT UNTIL AMERICAN DIPLOMATS COULD BE RETURNED SAFELY.))
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=NAT MUSIC]


[MUSIC CONTINUES ON TAPE]

[COMMERCIAL #8]


[Bedford-Tourism]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-19 TC54:23]
[GRAPHIC=None]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]


Thousands of tourists today came fully equipped with thousands of dollars to spend on food, lodging, and souvenirs.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]


And local businesses were prepared to earn every penny of it.
News 7 business reporter Jennifer Miele has a tourism update.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The Golden Corral is used]
[SUPER=403-Bedford; :00]
[SUPER=407-Chuck Pace; :21]
[SUPER=401-Eric Hansson/Days Inn; :42]
[SUPER=401-Nanci Drake/Bedford Tourism Director; 1:05]
[SUPER=420-Jennifer Miele/jmiele*wdbj7.com; 1:17]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=News7, Bedford.]

(( The Golden Corral is used to feeding busloads of tourists -- but today they were ready for truck loads.
The manager says they doubled their staff, and even changed seating arrangements to make the rows between the tables wider.
For locals like Chuck Pace, all the hustle and bustle to accommodate tourists was an inconvenience, but, he says, it is well worth it.
[SOT]

((CHUCK PACE: I GUESS THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS THESE FOLKS DIED FOR ME TO BE WHERE I AM TODAY, IT'S JUST THAT SIMPLE.))

[RUNS06]
Tourists traveling a little further up 460 might drive right by the Days Inn... but that's wishful thinking for hotel staff.
Eric Hansson says the days leading up to D-Day have been crazy.
[SOT]

((ERIC HANSSON: WE'VE BEEN BOOKED FOR MONTHS AND I MEAN PEOPLE ARE STILL CALLING TO THIS DAY TO GET RESERVATIONS. I KEEP REFERRING THEM TO LYNCHBURG AND SURROUNDING AREAS SO THEY CAN GET ROOMS FOR THE NIGHT.)) [RUNS13]
So will these hungry masses ever return to Bedford, or is the memorial a one-time visit?
Bedford's new tourism director says they'll be back -- and she plans to make sure of it.
[SOT]

((NANCI DRAKE:I THINK THAT WE CAN POSITION OURSELVES AND MARKET OURSELVES TO THESE TYPES OF INDUSTRIES, THERE IS A GOOD POTENTIAL MARKET HERE.)) [RUNS10]
So thanks to the D-Day Memorial, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smith Mountain Lake may see more tourists than ever.
Jennifer Miele, News 7, Bedford. ))

by SS