Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
A Commonplace Book for D-Day
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 3, 2026
1. A Commonplace Book for D-Day Marker
A Commonplace Book is a collection of noteworthy passages and quotations copied from other written sources or recorded from memory. Its purpose is to stimulate, chasten, inspire, encourage, amuse, strengthen, comfort, delight, and uplift. Sergeant George Bowler Tullidge III, who jumped into Normandy on 6 June 1944 with the 507th Parachute Infantry, which was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, had such a volume. Compiled by his mother, it was a pocket-size notebook containing short poems, literary excerpts, and Bible verses. In August of 1944 she wrote, "We felt that in the lonely, anxious, and trying experiences he was passing through, a few moments of reading these [passages] might give him hope and strength." Here are some of them:
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.
_ Proverbs 28:26
Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end, requires some o the same courage which a soldier needs.Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men to win them.
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_ Ralph waldo Emerson
A Young Man's Prayer God, make me a man_
Give me the strength to stand for right
When other folks have left the fight.
Give me the courage of the man
Who knows that if he wills he can.
Teach me to see in every face
The good, the kind, and not the base
Make me sincere in word and deed,
Blot out from me all shame and greed.
Help me to guard my troubled soul
By constant, active, self-control.
Clean up my thoughts, my speech, my play,
And keep me pure from day to day.
O make of me a man!
Heroism is simple, and yet it is rare. Everyone who does the best he can is a hero.
_ Josh Billings
Sergeant Tullidge was killed on 77 June 1944 in a firefight outside St. Mere Eglise. His "aggressiveness and unusual courage" during the fight resulted in his being awarded the Bronze Star posthumously. The general order awarding the medal records that the wounded Sergeant Tullidge "refused to withdraw until the enemy had been completely routed."
Given by the Garland and Agnes Taylor Gray Foundation and by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Tullidge Sr. as a
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 3, 2026
2. A Commonplace Book for D-Day Marker
Marker is the middle marker.
Erected by National D-Day Memorial.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1944.
Location. 37° 19.853′ N, 79° 32.158′ W. Memorial is in Bedford, Virginia, in Bedford County. It can be reached from Overlord Circle north of Tiger Trail, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located at the National D-Day Memorial. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 3 Overlord Cir, 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: Military Police (MP) Platoons (here, next to this marker); President Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer (here, next to this marker); 238th Engineer Combat Battalion (here, next to this marker); Fifth Ranger Battalion (here, next to this marker); First Infantry Division (here, next to this marker); 320th Anti-Aircraft Balloon Battalion (here, next to this marker); 5th Engineer Special Brigade (here, next to this marker); Second Ranger Battalion (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bedford.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 26, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 26, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
