Grave Markers

Memorials, we call them. Markers we erect to honor our fallen heroes, the warriors who die for our freedoms. To one person, it is the symbol of a cross, the symbol of sacrifice, of courage. To another, it is a grave maker, an 'x' marks the spot, if you will. To one, a religious monument , to another, a secular symbol of death, a marker.

Our fair city had the privilege of gathering this evening to give testimony about the cross shown here. It is atop a Viet Nam Veterans memorial. Twenty citizens of our community gave their lives in that conflict. It is located in our city park, erected by citizens of our community with permission from the city council in 1972.

Hundreds of people gathered this evening to share testimony of what that monument means to them. The vast majority who managed to get inside the, all too small, venue, were in favor of leaving the memorial as it was, a place for the families of the fallen to remember, to weep, to feel the warmth and gratitude of the community their sons and daughters fought for. Many gave no thought at all to the symbol on the top, but recognized that symbol as being representative of the sacrifice made by the brave men and women who lay down their lives for the lives of 0thers. A symbol of death.

The park is full of symbols and little plaques on benches donated in the memory of loved ones. They bear symbols of various religions and cultures. We respect all of them, whether they are cultural traditions or religious symbols, they express the various people who live here.

There are some, and maybe some of my readers as well, who see a cross and feel excluded. They feel that this symbol means that only the fallen who are Christian are honored here. They feel that the city itself is promoting one religion over another by allowing the cross to be atop this memorial. This was the assertion by the organization called "Freedom From Religion Foundation" who sent a formal letter telling the city that they are obligated to remove the cross. They didn't, however have anything to say about the various other religious symbols in the park. It was noted in the meeting tonight, that the entire park would have to be dismantled if we were to say that religious symbols can not be displayed here by the will of the people living here.

Had they not shared their views with our city, I would have never experienced the outpouring of love in this room tonight. Love for our soldiers, our countrymen, for our city. There was a powerful sense of unity in the room throughout the evening. A powerful message from our military men, "we fought for you, now we want you to fight for us".

To them, discussing this topic brought tears to their eyes. Stories of the tragedies they experienced in war, of good friends, and lives lost. Stories of sons and daughters.

I was very proud of the well thought out discussion and testimony of our community. The intelligence, and the peaceful determination that we will not sit silently by while anyone tells us how to honor our heroes.

The second monument that I have pictured here is that of three fallen fire fighters who gave their lives while protecting our community from a fire in a local business. That monument is precious to us because it represents three specific men who sacrificed their lives for the sake of others. They and their families paid dearly to do so. It would be ridiculous to suggest that those who raised this monument should have made it differently. They raised it this way for a reason, it represents three specific men who gave their lives. However, I can imagine someone in the not too distant future, knowing nothing of it's history, suggesting it doesn't represent all fire fighers equally because it isn't multicultural enough and should come down.

The trend for squelching speech is frightening. There are so many symbols around the world that represent various world history, events and beliefs that are held dear to various people everywhere. I hope that we will learn to honor and respect those who raised them, and those they are intended to help us remember.