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

Mojave Desert Cross To Rise Again As Veterans Memorial

The Mojave Desert Cross which was originally erected in 1934 by the VFW to honor World War I
veterans; will once again be raised on Veterans Day Nov. 11 at 11AM and will be re-dedicated
in a ceremony at 1PM.

The Liberty Institute which represented several major veterans groups as a friend of the court
in the Supreme Court case, made the announcement today.

The Memorial is located in the Mojave National Preserve, Cima Road, Cima, CA 92364.

The Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial is the only WWI Memorial that has been designated by
Congress as a National Memorial. It stood in place for over 60 peaceful years as a time honored tribute,
until 2001 when the ACLU filed a lawsuit claiming that the Cross stood on public land; and violated
the Constitution.

So for almost 13 years the legal battle has dragged on, during this time the Memorial was
bagged, torn down,  put in a box and stolen by vandals.

In April U.S. District Judge Robert J. Timlin signed an order ending the ACLU lawsuit and thus
paving the way for original 1 acre site on Sunrise Rock to be transferred to the VFW to allow them
to restore the Memorial. In 2003 the United States Congress had authorized the land transfer.

In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the Memorial and had sent the case back
to the district court to decide the land transfer.

We Thank the Liberty Institute for their help in this cause. The Institute is also representing the
Mt. Soledad Memorial Association in a similar case over the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial
that includes a cross on public land.  Also the institute is involved in another case, the Memorial
Peace Cross in Blandensburg, Maryland; a forty foot memorial that has stood for 85 years.


---- 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

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

Greenville, NC Veterans Memorial Vandalized

Greenville, NC police received notice Sunday that the Veterans Memorial statue had been vandalized.
The memorial, added in 2007 was the classic boots, rifle and helmet used to show a fallen hero.

The rifle and helmet were torn away, and the boots are loose. This is an insult to everyone who ever
served in the U.S. military. This is not a crime just against the memorial or the city but to all those
who wore the uniform of our country.

Greenville holds a ceremony and parade every year on Veterans Day, November 11, and this year they
will be without the monument. This was a place of honor and respect and now it has been ruined for the veterans of Greenville.

This is the type of wound felt very deeply, and hits deeper to those who have served in the military;
and to those who have lost loved ones who died fighting to protect the freedom and protect our country.

The person or persons responsible for this atrocity should be prosecuted to the full extent possible. They deserve to be held up to the public scorn they so richly deserve.

Greenville Parks and Recreation are working to repair the statute, which could cost $10,000 to replace.
In the meantime a sign stating the statute is under repair will be placed beside it.

Jerald Terwilliger
National 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