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The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice Audiobook
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(4.01) - 603 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
June 6, 1944: Nineteen boys from Bedford, Virginia -- population just 3,000 in 1944 -- died in the first bloody minutes of D-Day
They were part of Company A of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Division, and the first wave of American soldiers to hit the beaches in Normandy. Later in the campaign, three more boys from this small Virginia town died of gunshot wounds. Twenty-two sons of Bedford lost--it is a story one cannot easily forget and one that the families of Bedford will never forget.
The Bedford Boys is the true and intimate story of these men and the friends and families they left behind. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and relatives, as well as diaries and letters, Kershaw's book focuses on several remarkable individuals and families to tell one of the most poignant stories of World War II--the story of one small American town that went to war and died on Omaha Beach.
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"Each year on the anniversary of D-Day, I see articles in the paper and hear on the news broadcasts about the sacrifices made that day on the beaches. This book showed me another side of that great invasion as the author tells the story of Company 29 and the many soldiers from the little town of Bedford,VA who participated, most of them dying as that first wave of men attempted to cross the beach and attack the German defenders. It was interesting to learn that these boys had signed up as National Guard members, mostly to receive the extra $1 per month to help support their families during the Depression. They were called up for regular duty and trained in England for two years readying them for this invasion that would eventually begin the end of the European theater of the war. It was sad to hear about the few who lived though it all and their survivor's guilt and post traumatic stress symptoms, things they struggled with for the rest of their lives and for which no help was available at the time. The histories of the families and their struggles to live with their sons' deaths was sobering. Having a father who fought in WWII and who would not talk about his experiences until almost 40 years later when my 8th grade daughter was assigned in school to interview a WWII veteran, this book made me appreciate again all he did to serve our country and to make this a better place to live."
— Jenny (5 out of 5 stars)
The Bedford Boys Listener Reviews
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" An excellent, haunting book of war and sacrifice. "
— Ed, 2/15/2014 -
" Great book. Read it in one day on vacation. It is about the town of Bedford, Virginia who lost 22 sons on DDay. "
— Janel, 2/11/2014 -
" This book amazes me at their sacrifice and courage. "
— Matthew, 2/2/2014 -
" This was a book about a small town that lost many of their young men on Omaha Beach on D Day. It was a good history read but not for the faint of heart "
— Chip, 1/12/2014 -
" Great book. Tells the story of 34 men from one small town who all signed up and served (and many died)together. "
— Sharon, 1/2/2014 -
" You cannot fathom how this town must have felt when they started finding out about all the deaths. It's a great book about a very sad time for a small american town "
— Joe, 12/26/2013 -
" I've read countless books about World War Two and in particular D-Day. My grandfather was there in the days after the invasion and I've spent my life trying to fill in the blanks of his story. This book is special, it doesn't spend as much time on the failures and triumphs of "The Longest Day", but instead it focuses on the human story of war. If you take the death, destruction, and senselessness out of war, and only focus on the human spirit as it relates to it, the human war story is a marvelous thing. This book does that. It's a sad love story, it's triumph and tragedy, it's the desire to live at all costs, and the struggle of loss. Two years ago, my own small American town lost its first soldier since Vietnam. Our town was as emotional as I've ever seen it for the loss of one of its sons. I can only imagine the true state of human emotion in Bedford, Virginia when it found out in one day that 19 of her sons were not coming home. This book is a must read for any history lover, and should be required reading in high school history class. "
— David, 12/25/2013 -
" Good book on Operation Overlord (Normandy Invasion). Much easier to read than "D-Day" by Stephen Ambrose. "
— Burke, 12/24/2013 -
" Lest we forget the price that was paid. Good book. "
— J, 12/22/2013 -
" Maybe next time I drive by Bedford I will actually stop. "
— Denise, 12/20/2013 -
" Bedford, Virginia troops participated in the early D-Day landings at a great cost of life. This well paced story tells how the lure of National Guard pay was one factor in recruiting many of those who served and died on the beaches of Normandy during that epic battle. "
— David, 12/18/2013 -
" An absolutely fascinating story that I knew nothing about - until I drove through Lynchburg, VA and wondered why on earth there would be a D-Day Memorial Museum there. Truth is so much stranger than fiction. Everyone should read about this part of history!!! "
— Joane, 12/16/2013 -
" I really love the voice that Alex Kershaw gives to the greatest generation. He does a wonderful job of effortless storytelling in all of his books and this one was no different. "
— Jodie, 12/11/2013 -
" Very interesting. A little dry. "
— Jennifer, 11/18/2013 -
" While the author may have researched the young men who died from this town, his details about military equipment and plane were inaccurate. "
— Ron, 11/15/2013 -
" Why the F did this guy write Jive and Jitterbug 5,000 times????? Other than that, sweet. "
— Eddie, 10/30/2013 -
" I admire all the work that went into this book, but found it hard to keep everyone straight. "
— Torieqwq, 3/2/2013 -
" Excellent true story of nineteen men from Bedford, Virginia who died in the first few minutes of D-Day. Opens your eyes. "
— Ron, 1/21/2013 -
" About a whole unit of guys from Bedford who died at the D-Day invasion. Sad. "
— Jim, 12/3/2012 -
" Have you been to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA? Do you want to know more after watching the opening Omaha Beach scenes in Saving Private Ryan? "
— Donnie, 9/26/2011 -
" Like Saving Private Ryan, but true. I couldn't take it! "
— Amanda, 6/15/2011 -
" An absolutely fascinating story that I knew nothing about - until I drove through Lynchburg, VA and wondered why on earth there would be a D-Day Memorial Museum there. Truth is so much stranger than fiction. Everyone should read about this part of history!!! "
— Joane, 6/6/2011 -
" Great book. Tells the story of 34 men from one small town who all signed up and served (and many died)together. "
— Sharon, 4/9/2010 -
" Heartbreaking story of a small town in Penn. who lost 20+ men on the first day of the D-Day invasion. "
— Chuck, 1/2/2010 -
" An excellent, haunting book of war and sacrifice. "
— Ed, 4/13/2009 -
" This book was okay. Makes you realize the sacrifices all made across the country during WWII. "
— Kenneth, 4/1/2009 -
" Bedford, Virginia troops participated in the early D-Day landings at a great cost of life. This well paced story tells how the lure of National Guard pay was one factor in recruiting many of those who served and died on the beaches of Normandy during that epic battle. "
— David, 1/7/2009 -
" Why the F did this guy write Jive and Jitterbug 5,000 times????? Other than that, sweet. "
— Eddie, 9/18/2008 -
" True story of inexperienced Reserves from Bedford Virginia are trained to fight in the first wave of D-day (Normandy). It would not have interested me had I not seen the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. "
— Sharon, 7/27/2008 -
" Like Saving Private Ryan, but true. I couldn't take it! "
— Amanda, 7/4/2008 -
" Excellent true story of nineteen men from Bedford, Virginia who died in the first few minutes of D-Day. Opens your eyes. "
— Ron, 4/22/2008 -
" Tears at your heart and makes you proud at the same time. "
— Michael, 2/26/2008 -
" This is a very sad, touching story of a town whose soldiers ended up being among the first to hit France on D-Day. A large number of them died. It was sad to see how their families reacted, some never recovering from the shock and pain. "Bedford goes to War" addresses the same topic. "
— Wachlin007, 2/21/2008
About Alex Kershaw
Alex Kershaw is the British author of several popular books about World War II, most notably the New York Times bestsellers The Longest Winter and The Bedford Boys. Previously, Kershaw has been a writer at the Guardian, Independent, and Sunday Times and has worked in television, writing and producing an award-winning documentary on Bobby Kennedy. Along with his other nonfiction work, Kershaw is also an accomplished biographer. He currently lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
About William Dufris
William Dufris attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham before pursuing a career in voice work in London and then the United States. He has won more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards, was voted one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century by AudioFile magazine, and won the prestigious Audie Award in 2012 for best nonfiction narration. He lives with his family in Maine.