Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 31, 1994 TAG: 9405310067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
He wanted to honor the memories of the 23 Bedford County residents who died during the D-Day invasion of Normandy 50 years ago.
When the allied troops stormed the coast of Omaha beach on June 6, 1944, Marie huddled in the basement of his home and listened to the bomber planes whiz overhead.
Just one day earlier, he had celebrated his fifth birthday.
Marie and his family went into the cellar at 3 a.m. and, for nearly 12 hours, listened to the fighting surrounding them.
"The house was trembling so much that we didn't know whether we would come out alive," Marie said. The fighting finally stopped and Marie emerged from underground to see his mom hugging an American soldier.
"She told us they were the good soldiers," Marie said with a light French accent.
Marie moved to the United States in 1979 and became an American citizen in 1985.
He now runs an international trade company in Sullivan's Island, S.C., but the sound of war planes roaring overhead is burnt into his memory.
In April, Marie read in USA Today how Bedford County's Company A of the 116th Infantry had a higher percentage of men killed than any other community involved in the D-Day invasion.
Looking for a way to express his gratitude for their sacrifice, Marie contacted Bedford Museum officials, who in turn invited him to their Memorial Day celebration.
About 500 people gathered at the Bedford County Courthouse to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy and honor the members of Company A.
"I'm here today to thank you, you survivors and loved ones of those brave men," Marie told the crowd. "I can assure you in France we have never forgotten what you did."
As part of the celebration, Bedford Mayor Michael Shelton gave the last two survivors from the Bedford company, Ray Nance and Roy Stevens, keys to the city.
The national media also continued to focus on this small Virginia city.
Camera crews from CNN and a television station in Washington, D.C., were on hand for Monday's ceremony, which also was mentioned on the CBS Evening News. Monday morning, Shelton appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America".
The Bedford City/County Museum featured an exhibit of wartime memorabilia as part of Monday's festivities. Included in the artifacts were uniforms worn by Bedford servicemen, a samurai's sword, a French paratrooper's gun and a ration book.
Dorothy and Austin Goode had special reason to examine a display case that featured photographs and medals from members of Company A.
Dorothy's brother, 24-year-old John Wilkes, was among the men killed during the invasion.
Dorothy, 71, recalled that it took nearly two months for the family to hear that her brother had been killed.
"Nowadays, you'd hear it the same day," she said.
Austin Goode also was a member of Company A, but, a few weeks before D-Day, he was transferred to Fort Benning, Ga., away from his Bedford County buddies.
"I trained with all those fellas," he said, gazing at a photograph of the company. "They were all good men."
Bernard Saunders was another World War II veteran from Bedford who was not a member of Company A, but the atrocities he faced during the war equal those of any soldier.
Saunders was a 21-year-old Air Force enlistee stationed in the Philippines when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
He was captured by Japanese troops shortly after that and subjected to the Bataan death march that killed thousands of American soldiers.
"They were real brutal people," the 74-year-old Saunders recalled.
For 3 1/2 years, Saunders was imprisoned in five different Japanese army camps. On a diet primarily of rice, his 150-pound physique shrank to 90 pounds.
The former owner of Coffey and Saunders farm supply shop said he still has nightmares about his days in the prison camps.
"It's not something you could ever forget," he said.
Saunders said he doesn't mind that his war experiences sometimes are overshadowed by the group heroics of Bedford's Company A.
"They deserve every bit of it," he said.
by CNB