Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

United States Coast Guard

— National D-Day Memorial —

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. United States Coast Guard Marker

Inscription. In our public memory of D-Day, the role of the United States Coast Guard too often goes unremarked. While Coast Guardsmen served in smaller numbers than their counterparts in the Army, Navy and Merchant Marine, their service was a vital ingredient in the eventual Allied victory, and certainly made a life-saving difference in hundreds of lives in the waters off of Normandy.

The US Coast Guard served in a variety of roles in Operation Neptune, the naval component of the Normandy invasion. Coast Guardsmen served individually on naval and merchant marine vessels, but also crewed several of their own craft, including five attack transports, eleven Landing Ships Tank, and twenty-four Landing Crafts Infantry (Large), carrying up to two hundred troops at a time. Many of the smaller Higgins Boats taking men to the beaches on June 6, 1944 were manned by Coast Guardsmen-many of whom made the risky decision to take aboard wounded soldiers from the water and the beach and transport them back to safety. These Coast Guard forces rendered crucial service to ensure the success of the invasion, and fifteen Coast Guardsmen paid with their

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lives. In terms of vessels lost or damaged, June 6 was the costliest day in US Coast Guard history. After the initial invasion, the Coast Guard continued to transport supplies and reinforcements to carry on the fight.

In addition, the Coast Guard operated a flotilla of sixty 83-foot cutters designated "Rescue Flotilla One." The armada of fragile wooden vessels with underpowered gasoline engines was unofficially dubbed the "Matchbox Fleet." It operated all along the invasion zone and by the end of Operation Neptune had rescued more than 1400 soldiers, sailors and airmen. The service of Rescue Flotilla One became a model for similar operations in the Pacific War.

Naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that the Coast Guard received orders in WWII to "do a little of everything-the Coast Guard is used to that." For more than two centuries the Coast Guard has ably served the nation, protected our national interests, and assisted those in need at sea. Never was the Coast Guard motto "Semper Paratus" (Always Ready) more impressively demonstrated than in the English Channel and along the Normandy coastline in 1944.

Given

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. United States Coast Guard Marker

by Captain T.E. Deeming, USCG (Retired); Vietnam 1967-1968.

Erected by National D-Day Memorial.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the U.S. National D-Day Memorial series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1944.

Location. 37° 19.822′ N, 79° 32.179′ W. Memorial is in Bedford, Virginia, in Bedford County. It can be reached from Overlord Circle 0.4 miles west of Burks Hill Road. The Marker is located within the George “Jimmy” Green Circle on the grounds of the National D-Day Memorial. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 3 Overlord Circle, Bedford VA 24523, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Southwest Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 3, 2026

3. United States Coast Guard Marker

of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: USS Arkansas, BB-33 (a few steps from this marker); USS Texas, BB-35 (a few steps from this marker); USS Nevada, BB-36 (a few steps from this marker); USS Rich, DE-695 (a few steps from this marker); Mulberry Harbors at Normandy (a few steps from this marker); USS Augusta, CA-31 (a few steps from this marker); USS LST-5 (a few steps from this marker); U.S. Armed Guard and Merchant Marine (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bedford.

Also see . . .
1. U.S. Coast Guard Flotilla One. (Submitted on February 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. National D-Day Memorial. (Submitted on February 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 3. submitted on July 25, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.