The twinning charter between Bedford and the municipalities of Omaha

On Wednesday, October 8, representatives of the municipalities of the Omaha Beach sector signed a twinning charter with Bedford, Virginia, at the town hall of Vierville. It provided for cultural, economic and tourist exchanges between the two territories.

The newspaper recalled that Bedford, populated by 3,200 inhabitants in 1944, had lost twenty-three of its men in the first hours of the landing. He presented this proportion of losses as the highest among the Allied D-Day forces and as the reason for the city's choice to host the National D-Day Memorial, which he described as the only American monument commemorating June 6, 1944.

During a previous visit to Normandy, G. Michael Shelton, mayor of Bedford, had contacted Jean-Marie Oxéant and the municipality of Vierville to propose this rapprochement. The signature brought together Marcelle Olard for Louvières, Ms. Lemarquand for Colombières, Jean-Marie Oxéant for Vierville, Jean-Pierre Richard for Trévières and Mr. Badufle for Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

The charter intended to promote visits and meetings, promote friendship between populations and transmit knowledge of the past to future generations. The first actions envisaged concerned communications between schools and educational institutions, especially between English and French students, using the Internet and other available means.

Reconstructed or uncertain passages:
- Bedford's loss figures and claims on the National D-Day Memorial are attributed to this period cut, without independent historical validation.

Archive image: https://vierville.cordelle.eu/Photos2008/1997-OmahaBedfJumelage0ct97.jpg