Bedford
BoYS
By Charles Alexander
The Enduring
Legacy
of the
Bedford Hoback was one of 21
members of the 29th Infantry Division’s
Company “A” from Bedford who were
killed in action during the Normandy
campaign. Two others from Bedford who
were assigned to other companies were
also lost. Based on the community’s
population (at the time) of about 3,200
souls, Bedford suffered the greatest per-
capita loss of life on D-Day. For that
reason, it was decided that the D-Day
Memorial would be located in Bedford.
Lucille Boggess, who retired some
time ago as Chairman of the Bedford
County Board of Supervisors, lost two
brothers that day at Normandy: Bedford
Hoback, and their brother Raymond.
She still has the military Bible that was
issued to one of them; another soldier had
found it on the beach, with the inscription
“Hoback Bedford, VA” inside it. Lucille
was active as the Chair of the Bedford
Board of Supervisors when the D-Day
Memorial was dedicated by President
George W. Bush.
Local bon-vivant Charlie Walker,
himself a retiredArmy officer and Korean
War veteran, was drawn to the story of
the “Bedford Boys”, as they were called,
after taking a class to become a tour guide
at the D-Day Memorial. Soon Charlie
and his wife, Lib, became members of
the Bedford International Alliance. BIA
is a non-profit association of present (and
a few former) Bedford county residents,
along with others who are in some way
connected, and who are dedicated to the
promotion and preservation of the legacy
of the Bedford Boys.
Their organization is twinned with
At 2:39 p.m. on June 7th, 2014, Lib Walker
laid a small bouquet of flowers on the
grave of Bedford Hoback, 70 years plus one day
since his death on Omaha beach at Normandy, as
French-born Franklin County lake resident Denise
Gregory sang “Taps”.
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