Bedford Goes to War is the compelling World War II story of Bedford County, Virginia--a story of heroism, sacrifice, and remembrance. From a population of 30,000, some 4,000 men and women served in the military. Some 50 fought in the Normandy Invasion, and 20 were killed in action on D-Day--19 in the 116th Infantry's Company A, which had been a National Guard unit in Bedford. The county is believed to have lost more men per capita on D-Day than any other community in America. As tragic as D-Day was for Bedford, its sacrifice throughout the war was far greater. Its men fought and died on the ground, in the air, and at sea in all major theaters. Over 140 were killed or died, many more were wounded, and over 20 were POWs. On the home front, citizens produced war material and food, prepared for civil defense, bought war bonds, contributed to the Red Cross and USO, restricted consumption, salvaged scarce materials, grew Victory Gardens, prepared surgical dressings for the military, and wrote to loved ones in the service. Bedford has honored and memorialized those who fought and died. It also proudly hosts the National D-Day Memorial. Bedford Goes to War tells what happened during the war in general to Bedford County--to those who served in the military and those who remained on the home front--and in specific detail to 35 veterans and their families. The book is based on extensive research in Bedford County's library, museum, and courthouse and interviews with over 30 veterans or their families. The book includes 367 pages of text, 30 pages of photos and maps, two appendices, a bibliography, and over 900 endnotes. Bedford Goes to War was nominated for the 2005 Library of Virginia Literary Awards, and from 60 nonfiction books nominated a panel selected it as one of five finalists for a Peoples Choice Award.
About the Author: James W. Morrison served nearly 30 years in the U. S. Department of Defense, three as a U.S. Army officer and nearly 27 as a civilian in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, he directed offices dealing with international security policy. He is a graduate of Indiana and Columbia Universities and the National War College and served as a visiting fellow at the National Defense University, where he wrote and had published two short books on international affairs dealing with Russia and NATO. He has devoted much of his retirement to creative writing and volunteer activities. In 2003-2004, he served as president of the Virginia Writers Club. He has been active in the Valley Writers Chapter and the Smith Mountain Arts Council's Lake Writers. He lives with his wife, Edie, at Smith Mountain Lake in Southwest Virginia. The Morrisons have two grown children and two grandchildren. He has completed the writing of a World War II novel, and several essays, short stories, and poems are awaiting publication in an anthology of the Lake Writers.