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Monday, June 7, 2010 – Daily News – 7A Top US officer: Vets need not suffer alone BEDFORD, Va. (AP) — In a stirring tribute to the D-Day sacri- fices of American soldiers and their allies, the U.S. military’s top officer said Sunday that World War II’s defining moment should remind all that returning warriors need not ‘‘suffer in quiet despera- tion.’’ Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke in the peaceful setting of this small town, which bore the heaviest share of American losses in the June 6, 1944, landings on the beaches of Normandy. The National D-Day Memorial was established here in 2001 as a trib- ute to those who died in the inva- sion of German-occupied Europe. Mullen drew a parallel with the needs and aspirations of the men and women returning from today’s battlefields, many with the invisible psychological wounds of war. ‘‘They, too, have seen and done things we cannot know,’’ he said. ‘‘Their lives, too, are forever changed. And just as previous generations of heroes did, they must likewise adjust themselves to peace.’’ Over much of his nearly three years as Joint Chiefs chairman, Mullen has repeatedly implored the government, as well as com- munities and volunteer organiza- tions, to help care for returning veterans, as well as families of the fallen. He has called it an obliga- tion that will face the nation for decades after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have come to a close. The memorial tells the D-Day tale with details steeped in sym- bolism, including the height of the triumphal arch inscribed ‘‘Over- lord,’’ the code name for the oper- ation. The arch is 44 feet, 6 inches high to commemorate the year and month of the landings. Con- crete was poured on the pedestrian walkway to resemble waves on the beaches of Normandy. On D-Day — 2 1/2 years after Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II — allied forces charged the shores of five beaches on France’s northern coast. They faced entrenched German forces, land mines, machine guns and heavy artillery. About 215,000 allied soldiers, and roughly as many Germans, were killed or wounded on D-Day and in the ensuing three months Mon.-Fri. 10:30 to 5:30 Sat. 11-3 40 Crafters in 1 Shop! Or Rent a Space to Sell Your Crafts Gifts for family & friends Wrapping available$1.00 650 Main St., Red Bluff 530 528-2723 Come & Shop Crafter’s Boutique ‘They, too, have seen and done things we cannot know. Their lives, too, are forever changed. And just as previous generations of heroes did, they must likewise adjust themselves to peace.’ Adm. Mike Mullen before the allies took control at Normandy, opening a path toward Paris that eventually took them to Germany and victory over the Nazis. At D-Day ceremonies last year at Normandy, President Barack Obama honored the dead and applauded what he called the ‘‘sheer improbability’’ of the allies’ success in storming the beaches of Normandy, scaling its cliffs and routing the German defenders. Congress chose Bedford as the D-Day memorial’s site because it is said to have suffered the highest number of deaths on D-Day of any American community, in pro- portion to its population, just 3,200 at the time. Nineteen Bed- Health, Life, Auto, Home, Commercial, Professional Liability Free phone quotes 530-824-9900 Monday-Friday 9-5 1610 Solano St. #B Corning Lic.#0C37035 Pick a Rib with Us Daily Specials Jack the Ribber All you can eat ribs $ Friday Night Rib Dinners 1400 1150 Monroe St. 527-6108 ENDORSED BY ✓Red Bluff Peace Officers Association ✓Tehama County Law Enforcement Management Association ✓Tehama County District Attorneys Investigators Association cohenforda.com 2nd Annual ford natives in Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment were killed on D-Day. Mullen noted that one Bedford resident today is among the 88,000 U.S. troops in Iraq: Army Sgt. Gordon Musgrove. ‘‘Our young troops and their families today still want the same things they looked forward to when they left,’’ Mullen said. ‘‘A job, an education, a home and a better life for their children. We must take care of them, reach out to them, seek to understand them so they do not suffer in quiet des- peration.’’ Bedford, nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains, has nearly doubled in population since 1944. Alex Kershaw’s book ‘‘The Walk of Gratitude June 12th Appreciation Day & Veteran’s Pancake Breakfast Starts at 7:30 Speakers & Dignitaries 8:00 Walk starts approx 9:30 Washington at Oak info 527-5180 Bedford Boys’’ recounted the story of its unusually large losses on D-Day. Mullen recalled the anxiety that gripped Bedford 66 years ago as residents huddled around radios for word of progress at Normandy. ‘‘For the families of Bedford and for families across our nation the toughest part was the waiting,’’ he said. Hours became days. Days became weeks. ‘‘On July 17 as the Western Union teletype stirred in Green’s Drug Store, condolence telegrams about the Bedford boys came in, wave upon wave,’’ he said. ‘‘The wait was over and worry turned to heartbreak as family after family learned their wait would last a life- time.’’ In today’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan there will be no D- Day, no decisive offensive that brings the fighting to a conclusive end, Mullen said. ‘‘And yet, like the Bedford boys, we, our allies and our part- ners must keep moving forward, even when we are crawling,’’ he said. ‘‘We must take risks and keep pushing ahead. That was what the boys of Bedford taught us. That is Normandy’s legacy.’’ The Back Packs ARE COMING The Back Packs ARE COMING Watch for them at local businesses What’s on TV? ✓ Check out ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE select TV Free - Online - 24/7 Broadcast/Cable/Satellite Listings-Sports-Movies & More! redbluffdailynews.com RE-ELECT Tehama County District Attorney HENCRATT for Sheriff Paid political advertisement GREGG COHEN vote Paid for by Re-Elect Gregg Cohen District Attorney 2010 A NOTE TO VOTERS ON ENDORSEMENTS AND JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE I decided not to seek judicial endorsements before I began my campaign last summer. While this practice has been permitted since 1996, I believe that such endorsements dilute the principle of judicial independence by creating the perception of a link between the candidate and the endorser. Independence is the cornerstone of our judicial system, and perceptions matter here. Tehama County voters are also fiercely independent and make up their own minds based on what the candidates have to offer. What I offer Tehama County voters is 31 years of experience as an attorney, including 23 years as a public servant and county counsel in California’s rural counties. I have been your County Counsel since 2003. I am a seasoned litigator giving independent legal advice to public officers in highly charged political environments, without regard to political consequences. This is what judges do - rule on the facts and law before them without regard to political consequences. Long and varied experience is a journey toward judicial temperament and perspective gained only over time. Tehama County deserves a judge with those qualities who will also take the bench free from any perception of affiliation or loyalty. I am that candidate. I will be that judge. I am seeking the only endorsement that matters – that of the voters. I would appreciate your vote for experience, temperament and independence. Thank you. 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