San Diego, Calif., Dec 7, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Two local congressmen have intervened in the 15-year battle to save the cross atop Mount Soledad in La Jolla, Ca. They say their proposition will keep the cross where it is.
Republican Reps. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and Duncan Hunter want the site – which includes more than 1,000 plaques honoring veterans – named a national war memorial. They added the veterans’ memorial designation as a rider to a voluminous spending bill that was approved last month by Congress. The bill is awaiting the signature of President George Bush.
Under the bill, the site would become part of the National Park Service and protected. However, it would be maintained by the Mount Soledad Memorial Association, which erected the cross as a tribute to veterans in 1954.
“That cross is not just a religious symbol. It's a symbol of coming of age and of remembrance," said Mark Slomka, pastor of Mount Soledad Presbyterian Church, which has been considered an alternate site for the cross.