Inaugural Parade, 1958
(WDBJ Television, Roanoke, VA)

WDBJ coverage of the inaugural parade included commentary that the Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets had the distinction of going into battle at New Market in "the War between the States." VMI, the commentator said, was "the West Point of the South." Other units in the parade included the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division which fought in World War II at D-Day on Omaha Beach. The unit was one of the only state units to participate in the landing and suffered some of the highest casualties. As a result, a few towns in Virginia, such as Bedford, lost dozens of sons in the climactic battle. The unit's intense sacrifice came to symbolize Virginia's military heritage to the nation, and its honor continued to be recognized in parades such as the inaugural.