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

Elmon T. Gray Plaza

— National D-Day Memorial —

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Elmon T. Gray Plaza Marker

Inscription.
Operation Overlord with its naval component, Operation Neptune, was the largest combined-arms endeavor in history. On D-Day, 6 June 1944 tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen and merchant seamen from twelve nations took part in the Allied Expeditionary Forces assault on the coast of Normandy. Gray Plaza’s size and expanse reflect the operation’s epic scale and complexity. The four chords that segment it imply the multiple shipping lanes and flight paths the Allies used to approach, the Atlantic Wall. They extend inland through the beach tableau and intersect at an unseen point inland. The triumphal arch marking that point reprises the Supreme Commander’s Order of, the Day: "The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!” More than 4,400 Allied names recorded on the bronze necrology tablets emplaced along Gray Plaza’s interior walls give a partial accounting of what that victory cost.

Erected by National D-Day Memorial.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the U.S. National D-Day Memorial

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series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1944.

Location. 37° 19.85′ N, 79° 32.156′ 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 Elmon T. Gray Plaza 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 of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Elmon T. Gray Plaza (here, next to this marker); President Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer (here, next to this marker); 320th Anti-Aircraft Balloon Battalion

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Elmon T. Gray Plaza Marker

In the background is a partial view of the more than 4,400 Allied names listed on bronze necrology tablets emplaced along Gray Plaza’s interior walls who made the supreme sacrifice.

(here, next to this marker); The Glider Pilot Regiment (here, next to this marker); 238th Engineer Combat Battalion (here, next to this marker); The United States Marines in the European Theater (here, next to this marker); Military Police (MP) Platoons (here, next to this marker); General of the Army George C. Marshall (1880-1959) (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bedford.

Also see . . .
1. Elmon T. Gray Plaza. (Submitted on March 17, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. National D-Day Memorial. (Submitted on March 17, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 158 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 17, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.