A two-decade fight over the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in San Diego took a solemn turn when an appeals court ruled the towering tribute to American War Veterans is unconstitutional and favors the Christian religion.
The war memorial overlooks San Diego and contains six concentric walls that contain 3,200 black granite plaques, purchased by donors, etched with the names and photographs of war veterans.
Built in 1952 on public land, the cross at the war memorial has been ground-zero for a decades-long constitutionality battle in San Diego.
Once word of the court decision reached two San Diego Congressmen they promptly wrote letters to the Department of Justice Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates urging them to defend the San Diego landmark.
“For more than a half-century, the Mount Soledad Memorial has been a fixture of the San Diego community, honoring not only the service and sacrifice of the brave Americans whose stories are told by the monument’s plaques, but millions of others who served in defense of our nation,” said Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. (R-CA).
“The Ninth Circuit’s decision is a disservice to these men and women and blatantly ignores the Memorial’s proud history as a symbol of military service. I’m confident the Memorial will remain intact as the judicial process proceeds, but it’s important the federal government does whatever it can to defend the Memorial and ensure it remains untouched,” Hunter said.