Men from Bedford serving in Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division, suffered devastating losses on D-Day, 6 June 1944, with many killed in action, others wounded, and others landing later after a landing craft sank on the way to the beaches. Additional Bedford men from Company A landed shortly after D-Day, and others were killed in action in the Normandy Campaign through August of 1944, while still others served with Company A or were involved in the campaign. Bedford's losses also marked the families at home, including Mrs. John Hoback, who lost both of her sons on D-Day and carried that grief for the rest of her life. The sacrifice is honored in remembrance of Blue Star families who sacrificed for freedom and Gold Star families who loved and lost.