The town, with a population of only 3,200 in 1944, was the home of Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment. Of thirty-five Bedford soldiers in the first assault wave, nineteen died in the first fifteen minutes of the invasion and two more died later that day. Historians say the twenty-one deaths from Bedford were the highest per-capita loss from any single community in the United States. In recognition of the town’s extraordinary sacrifice, it is a fitting location for the tribute.
When Coleman-Adams Construction was awarded the contract to construct the monument, they enlisted Symons help to choose appropriate forming systems to produce the necessary curves and other features specified. As planned, by the groundbreaking ceremony on Veteran's Day, November 11, 1997, concrete forming plans were complete.
It was decided that most of the curved walls would be produced with the Steel-Ply forming system. These walls were some of the first ones constructed on the 88 acre site.
The massive triumphal arch, with the Allied Force’s operation code name “Overlord” inscribed on it, required smooth finish provided with the Max-A-Form forming system. This focal point frames the Blue Ridge Mountains high above the town of Bedford.
President George W. Bush dedicated the National D-Day Memorial June 6, 2001.