bedford

The D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA is Wonderful

I started posting editorials for the online edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1998, and when my essays were cited by established print publications like the New York Times and the Associated Press, I presciently told me friends that in the near future newspapers would be obsolete.

Almost three decades later and newspapers may not be obsolete, but they have seen a drastic drop in circulation, and many only have an online presence.

Twenty-eight years later I’m no longer a big fish in a small pond, I’m just a minnow in an ocean of bloggers, podcasters, influencers and vloggers, and my online essays receive virtually no attention from the mainstream media.

Sometimes I submit letters to the editor to local newspapers, and recently in a letter that was published by the Bedford Bulletin I mentioned that I have lived in Lynchburg for 24 years and never visited the D-Day Memorial.

Bill a retired gentleman who volunteers as a tour guide and is also part of the maintenance crew, read my letter and sent me an email offering to give me a tour of the D-Day Memorial. His friend Reggie drove me to Bedford and back to Lynchburg.

Bill has an encyclopedic knowledge of World War II in general and D-Day in particular. In my 66 years I’ve taken many tours of museums, memorials and other attractions, and no tour guide has ever impressed me as much with his knowledge of the attraction, respect for the visitors and love for his job. We were joined in the golf cart tour by his friends and fellow volunteers, Steve and Reggie.

Thank God for community newspapers like the Bedford bulletin that are still publishing print editions, and thank God for salt of the earth gentleman like Bill, Steve and Reggie.

Bedford, VA Needs an Amtrak Train Station

I’m a senior citizen who rarely drives: the stress of rush hour traffic, the irritation of traffic scofflaws, and the anxiety of skyrocketing gas prices means that my car rarely leaves my driveway.

I’m even more in dread of traveling by air: the humiliation of being groped by TSA Agents, the fear of terrorism, and the boorish behavior of passengers means that I only fly when there’s no other way of reaching my destination.

But I love Amtrak, I don’t have to worry about nodding off at the wheel, or being pinned between two large passengers in a cramped airplane cabin.

Trains invoke a sense of nostalgia when folks weren’t in a rush to get to their destination as quick as possible. Riding a train is a therapeutic experience, the gentle swaying of the cars lulls you to sleep as you sit in your cushy and ample seat.

I love taking the Amtrak to Washinton D.C., and I’m delighted to learn that there may soon be an Amtrak station in Bedford. I’ve lived in Lynchburg for 23 years but I’ve never been to the D Day Memorial, but as soon as Amtrak comes to Bedford, I will purchase my train ticket.

I hope Bedford secure the funding for the Amtrak train station.