Dishonoring the War Dead: Seven foot Mojave Desert Cross Stolen

Thieves Nab War Memorial

Speculation still looms whether the theft is linked to the Supreme Court ruling which allowed the cross to remain.Clearly, it constitutes an egregious example of dishonoring the dead whose lives were lost defending the Nation.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - The seven foot high cross in the Mojave desert that caused such a controversy has been stolen. A metal monument, which replaced a wooden cross that was erected in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars as a memorial to those who had died in World War I, was taken late Sunday night or early Monday morning.

The metal cross had been covered with plywood but vandals stripped off the wood this past weekend. When workmen went up to replace the wood, they found the bolts had been cut and the structure was gone.

Speculation is varied as to whether the theft had any direct relationship to a legal battle over the cross or whether thieves were just after the metal.

Clarence Hill, national commander of the American Legion told the Associated Press, "The American Legion expects whoever is responsible for this vile act to be brought to justice. While the memorial has been attacked, the fight will continue to ensure that veterans memorials will remain sacrosanct."

The group will offer a $25,000 reward for catching those responsible.

Just two weeks ago, the issue of whether this cross should be allowed to stand in a National Park was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which referred the case back to lower courts.In effect, allowing the cross to remain standing.  

The battle over thissimple war memorial began ten years ago when a former park service employee complained that the crosssomehow  violated the separation of church and state. He was assisted by the ACLU in his efforts to have it removed. A long legal battle ensued.
 
In the midst of it all, an effort was made to resolve any claim of establishment clause violations through a compromise. The plot of land upon which the cross stood was transferred to private ownership,in a legal exchange. The complainant alleged the the transfer was improper and an attempt to evade the Court order. 

A lower court ruling agreed, finding the transfer of land to be improper and that the cross was to be dismantled. On a 5-4 vote, the US Supreme Court overturned the decision and referred the case back to the lower court.

Now, after all these years, and after the expenditure of an extraordinary amount of money, the "cross in the desert" has been stolen. Writing for the majority, US Supreme Court Justice Kennedy wrote: "Here one Latin cross in the desert evokes far more than religion. It evokes thousands of small crosses in foreign fields marking the graves of Americans who fell in battles - battles whose tragedies are compounded if the fallen are forgotten." 

The theft has elicited a strong public reaction. Clearly, it constitutes an egregious example of dishonoring the dead whose lives were lost defending the Nation. As soon as the investigation reveals more about the culprits, we will file a further report.

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