Los Angeles, Calif., Nov 10, 2012 / 08:02 am
The World War I veteran memorial cross that was stolen from the Mojave Desert in 2010 has been recovered just days before the installation of its replacement.
"My reaction was one of surprise," Jim Rowoldt, Veterans of Foreign Wars California Adjutant, told CNA Nov. 8.
The cross, which has served as a memorial for fallen soldiers of the First World War since 1934, was stolen in 2010 following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that it did not violate the separation of church and state.
On Nov. 5, just days before the installation of the new memorial on Veteran's Day, the cross was found with a note identifying it as the one that had been stolen nearly 400 miles away, just outside San Francisco, KGO-TV reported.