Mt. Soledad Cross Memorial Saved

This should be an end to the long and costly fight to save the Mt. Soledad Cross.

The Mt. Soledad Memorial Association purchased the land where the Cross is located from
the Department of Defense to save the 43 foot cross that had been erected in 1954.

The battle began in the late 1980s, when the ACLU and the Jewish War Veterans sued to have
the cross removed; saying that it was against their constitutional rights. Claiming it violated the
separation of Church and State.

It is not proper that the Association should have been forced to purchase the land from the
government.

Preserving this monument which is a tribute to all fallen members of our Armed
Forces, which is part of a larger memorial with over 3,700 plaques honoring veterans of
various wars.

At a price of $1.4 million the land consists of one-half acre that surrounds the Cross it seems
like a very costly venture, but one that is well deserved to honor our fallen veterans.

California Representative Duncan Hunter and Senator Dianne Feinstein were instrumental
in writing and the passage of legislation that made this possible.

In a related attack on a memorial, in 2012 a court ruled that the Mohave Desert Cross owned
by the National Parks Service could be sold to the VFW. The VFW will maintain the Cross.

All our nation's veterans should hail this victory and the ensured safety of another Memorial
to our fallen brothers and sisters.

---- Jerald Terwilliger Chairman Emeritus,  American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Veterans Memorial In Danger

Another Veterans Memorial is in danger and facing possible court action. Might it have to moved?

This time it is a tribute to WWI veterans who gave their lives for our country. The memorial is
facing the same old problems that have beset other memorials. Some people just do not like
it and are attempting to have it removed, citing separation of church and state.

In Blandensburg, Maryland the  forty foot tall Memorial Peace Cross is a well know landmark that has 

stood for over 85 years.

The monument honors 49 men from Prince George's County that lost their lives in WWI, the cross

was dedicated July 13, 1925 by Snyder-Farmer Post of the American Legion.

The Cross sits at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Annapolis Road, which places it on state

property. 

A group based in Washington,  The American Humanist Association, wants to have the memorial

removed. Claiming a religious image on public land violates the principle of separation of church

and state under the constitution. 

Veterans organizations and some civic groups are fighting to keep the Memorial standing where it

is. The local park and planning commission is researching the legal issues.

The Cross has a large gold star in the middle, around the base are the words Valor, Endurance, Courage,

Devotion. Also are inscribe the names of the 49 Heroes. A bronze tablet contains the famous quote

by Woodrow Wilson: "The right is more precious than peace. We shall fight for the things we always

carried nearest our hearts. To such a task we dedicate our lives."

Standing tall in memory, it is close to the WWI, WWII, Korean and Vietnam memorials and the heart

of our nation. 

So it continues, the attack on our veterans, our heroes and our memories. We can not just sit by

and watch as more freedoms are take away.

Wake up America before it is too late

---- Jerald Terwilliger Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996