It was the highest per-capita loss for any U.S. community. White House aides said Bush wanted to use his speech in Bedford to salute the honor and valor of American service personnel and the particularly great sacrifice that Bedford made. But he also wanted, his aides said, to set the stage for his first trip to Europe as president. In meetings along the way with Russian President Vladimir Putin and NATO and European Union allies, Bush will confront strong international opposition to his pledge to build an anti-missile shield and his decision to abandon the Kyoto agreement on global warming. The structure aims to evoke the Normandy landing with an architectural representation of a Higgins boat entering a wading pool where sporadic sprays of water represent German fire.
Bronze soldiers claw up a concrete beach and climb a wall.
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