D-Day Memorial at risk of closing

[underpants]

Source: Roanoke Times

BEDFORD -- The National D-Day Memorial is running out of cash, William McIntosh, president of the memorial's foundation, said Thursday afternoon.

The problem is so dire the World War II memorial honoring the largest land, air and sea operation in military history is at risk of closing -- and the news comes just days before a major celebration planned for D-Day's 65th anniversary.

Since the memorial opened in 2001, the foundation has been besieged with problems: millions of dollars in debt, Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a high-profile alleged fraud case in federal court.

All debts were paid off in late 2006; the problems the foundation faces today are new.

The foundation operates on a $2.2 million annual budget. About $600,000 -- or about 27 percent -- is generated by the guests who visit the memorial through ticket sales, tours and gift shop proceeds. The rest comes from contributions, and that revenue flow has slowed with the economy.

Read more: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/206455

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Another possible fix for the memorial would be for an umbrella agency to take over operations. The ideal fit, McIntosh said, is the National Park Service, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Kevin Hall, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, confirmed the senator's office has been contacted about having the National Park Service take over the monument.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Bedford is 'nowheres' VA. Appropriate, but inconvenient place for the memorial. nt

[JBear]

4. So I guess I am litterally from nowhere...

My family is from Bedford. The reason it was chosen for this memorial is that NONE of the soldiers from Bedford returned from that bloody day. I am eternally thankful that my grandfather went to the Pacific and not the European theater.

Memorials are often placed where they mean something rather than in a generally populated area. I do hope that this one survives. It means a lot to those who's families were affected.

:bounce:

[Captain Hilts]

9. I also have ties to Bedford. I know Bedford's role in D-Day well & said it was an "appropriate"

site for the memorial.

It's just in an awkward location.

[RamboLiberal]

11. A few survived - Last survivor died this year - Ray Nance

Last of the ‘Bedford Boys’ dies

The storied journey of the “Bedford Boys” came to an end Sunday with the death of the group’s last surviving member, Ray Nance.

Nance, 94, was among the 35 young men from Bedford who stormed Normandy’s Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.

In a 2007 interview, Nance recalled the day 65 years ago when he was wounded by shrapnel in his hand and foot. He took cover from machine gun fire in a pool of floating bodies. He watched friends die, he lay on the beach for hours and was ultimately rescued by a sergeant from Roanoke.

Of those 35 Bedford Boys to land on the Nazi-held beaches at the start of the D-Day Invasion, 19 died in the first wave and two shortly after. The loss of 21 soldiers in Bedford’s community of 3,200 gave Bedford the highest proportional losses for D-Day, which ultimately led to the decision to build the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/state_regional/article/last_of_the_bedford_boys_dies/39023/

I hope they find a way of keeping the museum open. But I'm one of those people who enjoy visiting history museums large & small.

[sofa king]

12. Uh, not exactly.

It appears that only nineteen Bedford boys in the 116th Infantry Regiment died that day, rather than the 23 originally claimed. There were http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Blog&ContentRecord_id=aac59bba-84bf-4ce5-9cd3-9403572859d3&ContentType_id=ec227f31-cc52-4e56-87db-385a02e2bceb&MonthDisplay=4&YearDisplay=2009">34 Bedford residents in Company A. Two of them were still alive in 2002. The last of them died about two months ago.

Other small-ish towns in southern Virginia, such as Radford or Staunton or Buena Vista, may have suffered comparable casualty rates that day, but probably not per capita. Unfortunately, per capita deaths by town were not tracked by the U.S. government, the Bedford statistic being the unique work of an independent researcher.

What did most of the rest of the Bedford kids in--and most of the other original members of the 116th--was the fact that after D-Day the 29th Infantry Division was kept in combat continuously for almost 200 days after hitting the beaches, with virtually none of the original infantrymen escaping unscathed.

Even then the casualty rates scarcely compare to the total destruction of the 116th's ancestor, the Stonewall Brigade, in which 6000 soldiers served during the Civil war, but which could count only 219 soldiers at war's end, none above the rank of Captain.

None of that, of course, detracts from the tragedy experienced by that small and still amazingly attractive little town. It was noticed and remarked upon almost immediately, and Bedford became a symbol of sacrifice which serves to commemorate all the participants in the Overlord operation.

[bertman]

2. You'd think that one of these patriotic right-wing billionaires who spends his money on

torpedoing Democratic candidates might find this to be a more worthwhile, all-American cause to bankroll.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Soon, D-Day will be but a whisper...

[ohio2007]

7. The ranks of "Greatest Generation America Has Ever Seen" are thinning.

History books will be rewritten.........

[jehovas_waitress]

10. No it will not. Nor should it.

Too many people lost too many loved ones and family in the most important operation in the liberation of Europe.

[obxhead]

5. How in the world could it cost $2.2 million to maintain this?

just curious.

[4lbs]

8. Easy.

Electricity and other utilities (like water, sewage, and air conditioning/heating inside).

Security Guards.

Cleaning Crews.

Grounds/Landscaping crews.

Weekly garbage pickup.

Tour guides.

Shop clerks.

Other administration duties.

Restocking items.

Equipment to allow visitors to view film footage or read actual newspaper reports.

It's not some small 20 foot x 20 foot room. It's pretty large and multiple buildings.

Look at the aerial view:

http://www.dday.org/index.php?page=showGallery&module=gallery&id=1000007&action=F

[Algorem]

6. Change it's name to National A+ Day Memorial.Positive.Upbeat.