Military holidays are particularly relevant to Evergreen Burial Park, which among other distinctions, holds the legacy of interring veterans of all American wars dating back to the Civil War. Keeping with one of its many annual traditions for these holidays, Roanoke’s historic cemetery will host another special Memorial Day event on Saturday, May 25th.
This Memorial Day commemorates the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and the event will feature a portrayal of renowned D-Day veteran Bob Slaughter by historical actor David Gilmer. Slaughter was one of the Bedford Boys—a group of forty-four soldiers belonging to the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th division, based in Bedford, Virginia. This division was among the first to land on the shores of Normandy, where sixteen were killed within minutes of the assault. An additional four were killed later, bringing Bedford’s death toll to twenty—the largest per capita D-Day loss of any American community.
Slaughter survived the conflict and would later provide instrumental leadership in the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial, which is located on an 11-acre site in Bedford and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Attendees for the event should meet at the Chapel of Light at 10 a.m. For more information, please call Don Wilson, president of Evergreen Memorial Trust, at (540) 342-2593, or visit evergreenburialpark.com.