Amazing story of one town's participation and sacrifice in the D-Day assault. It was so interesting getting the back stories and then following these boys into the battle. ( )

As I read each name of the Bedford Boys I couldn't help but flip through the memorial section to see if that soldier survived. I will always prefer books that focus on the individual soldiers and their stories over those that try to generalize the strategy.This is a very well written account of one region's sacrifice on DDAY as a part of "the greatest generation." ( )

a really interesting and well written book about the town of bedford virginia and the landing on d-day. 19 young soldiers were killed in the opening minutes of d-day all from the town of bedford. this book follows the training of the unit, the stories of the families back home, and the aftermath of d-day both in the men who served and the families who lost loved ones. i found this book to be incredibly moving and it really made the immense loss of d-day hit home in a profound way. i highly recom...morea really interesting and well written book about the town of bedford virginia and the landing on d-day. 19 young soldiers were killed in the opening minutes of d-day all from the town of bedford. this book follows the training of the unit, the stories of the families back home, and the aftermath of d-day both in the men who served and the families who lost loved ones. i found this book to be incredibly moving and it really made the immense loss of d-day hit home in a profound way. i highly recommend this one. ( )

I highly recommend The Bedford Boys for those readers interested in learning history, but who need to feel personally connected to the historical characters in order to enjoy the "story". The book reads like a story, but provides a detailed account of the experiences of both the homefront, a small Depression-hit town in Central Virginia, and the inexperienced, young GI going off to war. It also gives a higly detailed account of the military plans leading up to D-Day and the reality of the events as they unfolded that morning. Prior to this reading, most of my information was from watching Private Ryan. This book is consistent with the historical version of that film, but shows it from the perspective of young, scared teenagers, at the mercy of the larger military machine looking at the grand picture of the invasion. This would be a great book for a high school history class to consider, especially an honors or AP level. ( )