I’m watching a History Channel program about D-Day. Among others, they’ve interviewed two veterans of the 29th Infantry Division who landed on Omaha Beach.

The 29th “Blue and Gray” Division was created in June of 1917 from units of the Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, and District of Columbia National Guards. The nickname “Blue and Gray” symbolized the coming together of troops from former adversaries in the War Between the States….In April of 1919, the 29th Division headed home and its units dispersed back to their original National Guard status and the Division was deactivated.

On February 3, 1941 the 29th Infantry Divisionwas indicted into Federal Service and moved to Fort Meade Maryland. The Division began a massive reorganization to convert itself to the new “triangle” formation adopted by the Army. As a result, the 29th was composed almost entirely of National Guard units from Virginia and Maryland.

To honor the men who fought and fell in World War II, in 1993 Virginia designated US Route 29 (which north/south through central Virginia) as “The 29th Infantry Division Memorial Highway.” This is the road we take when we go to visit my wife’s family in the Shenandoah Valley.

Let us never forget the sacrifice that they and many others made this day 60 years ago.

Posted in uncategorized on June 6th, 2004 by Thibodeaux | RSS 2.0 |