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| Author | Comment | ||
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 Smokepole50 |
The last of the Bedford Boys has rejoined company "A" |
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Posts: 1254 (04/30/09 09:39 AM) Veteran member |
My great uncle, Elisha Ray Nance, went on to be with the Lord and rejoin his company "A" last week. He was 94 and the last surviving member of the
Bedford Boys that landed on Omaha Beach that D-day morning. He was one of my hero's.........
You can read about him here if you desire..... http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/201771 Smokepole50 |
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beanstrung |
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Posts: 5209 (04/30/09 09:52 AM) Forum Site Moderator
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May the Lord's peace be with you and your family.
Your great uncle was a true American. My dad hit Utah Beach on June 17th, 11 days after your great uncle and company-A and thousands of other heroes paved the way on June 6th. Dad passed on in April of 2005, he would have also been 94 this past March 29th.
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What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10 |
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DuWhat |
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Posts: 60 (04/30/09 01:24 PM) |
Just read the newspaper article. What a great loss of such a fine man. My prayers are with you and your family on yours and OUR loss.
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Mountain Doctor |
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Posts: 3449 (04/30/09 05:03 PM) Forum Site Moderator |
94 years is an excellent run. Sorry for your family's loss but glad to hear he is with The Lord. I look forward to buying him a beer when I get Home too.
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 WVchuck |
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Posts: 11971 (04/30/09 07:01 PM) Forum Site Moderator |
Smokepole,
I read the article. I can't imagine in my worst thoughts what those guys went through, endured and suffered during WWII and afterward. I'm sorry for your family's loss.
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Vladymere gr |
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Posts: 2489 (04/30/09 07:34 PM) Forum Co-host
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May God continue to bless your uncle. Your uncle, your aunt and every other american vet are heroes in my book.
Vlad
Looking for Gew.88 based sporting rifles
Looking for a Lyman #22 sight for the Gew.88/Mannlicher |
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7GREEN |
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Posts: 577 (04/30/09 07:50 PM) Veteran member |
We must raise one to him this June 6th-65th Anniversary.
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Carl Gustav |
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Posts: 3372 (04/30/09 11:30 PM) Forum Site Moderator
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Thanks for posting that and you have my condolences. His nightmares will now be over and he will truly rest in peace in the presence of God. Carl
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Smokepole50 |
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Posts: 1255 (05/01/09 10:18 AM) Veteran member |
Thanks for all the kind words guys. God granted uncle Ray a long and healthy life and he used part of it to help the family's of the men of his company. He
never stopped being the last commanding officer. In that article there is a link to a place to leave your condolence's and they have several pictures of
the funeral and some from England in 1944. There must have been at least 75 active duty service men and women at the funeral.
My uncle never talked to me about his experience at Omaha expect to say their machine guns were so much better than ours. I often wondered if the scene depicted in "Saving Private Ryan" where the whole Higgins boat is wiped out as soon as the door drops was company "A". After his funeral I was speaking with my cousin and she told me that in the book "The Bedford Boys" it states that Company "A" had won the right to be the first boat on the beach. The only reason uncle Ray was not killed along with his company is because there was not enough room in one boat for the whole company and he was forced to go ashore in the next boat. This allowed him the nightmarish sight of seeing his whole company wiped out in front of his eyes. One of the guys he went ashore with was Sgt. Bob Slaughter, a voice that has been instrumental in telling the story of D-Day. Randall If anyone is interested I have attached some links to the pictures I took at the funeral. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/Obie1899RS/UncleRay01.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/Obie1899RS/UncleRay02.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/Obie1899RS/UncleRay03.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/Obie1899RS/UncleRay04.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/Obie1899RS/UncleRay07.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/Obie1899RS/UncleRay10.jpg
Last Edited By: Smokepole50
05/01/09 10:58 AM.
Edited 4 times.
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gpschmidt |
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Posts: 622 (05/01/09 12:04 PM) active member |
Here's a bit on the D-Day landing with Company A...
http://www.worldwar2history.info/D-Day/Bedford-Boys.html In my opinion, the finest generation America ever produced. Greg |
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usernamehasbeentaken |
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Posts: 503 (05/01/09 08:39 PM) |
words alone cannot express...
the Greatest Generation will all be together again much too soon for those of us that are left, we can but nurse the memories I cherish my dad, but his time draws a bit closer each day, as well time is much too short Bob |
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bamasurp |
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Posts: 2067 (05/01/09 10:27 PM) |
Smokepole,
All of my wife's family is from Roanoke Virginia so I married into the Hokie community  A few years ago on a trip to Roanoke, Me, my brother in law, my
Father in law, and wife's grandfather loaded up and drove to Bedford to see the memorial. It was a beautiful day with a breeze and how the flags were
flying in that breeze We stopped by Peaks of Otter that day (my first visit there too). I took some picture postcard quality photos but the one with my
wife's grandfather (now deceased) in it is my favorite. Beautiful country with wonderful people. I'm glad you had your Uncle for so long. I know he
missed his boys too.
Regards, Bamasurp 
Soviet who?
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Smokepole50 |
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Posts: 1257 (05/02/09 08:08 PM) Veteran member |
Bamasurp, next time you are up this way give me a shout and we'll burn some powder at the home range....
Smokepole |
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