San Diego, Calif., Jul 30, 2008 / 23:04 pm
Tuesday the Federal District Court of Southern California ruled that the 29-foot cross overlooking San Diego County will not be removed from its position on Mount Soledad. The cross, originally dedicated in 1954 to honor Korean War veterans is the center of a national veteran’s memorial.
According to the Thomas More Law Center, Federal District Court Judge Larry Alan Burns ruled: “The Court finds the memorial at Mt. Soledad, including its Latin cross, communicates the primarily non-religious messages of military service, death and sacrifice.”
The judge also mentioned a friend of the court brief filed by the Law Center on behalf of the families of two Marines killed in Iraq when a missile hit their attack helicopter. The two Marines are honored along with over 2,400 American war veterans at the national veteran’s memorial.
The President and Chief Counsel for the Law Center, Richard Thompson, commented, “This is a wonderful victory, not only for the families of Majors Martino and Bloomfield who can have some comfort knowing that the memories of their loved ones are preserved under the Cross, but for all Americans who care about our young men and women who have sacrificed their lives in defense of our country.”