Arlington West switching to once-monthly schedule

By ERIC LINDBERG — Feb. 5, 2009

For more than five years, a group of tireless war veterans and volunteers have doggedly placed thousands of wooden crosses in the sand near Stearns Wharf every Sunday in a display known across the world as Arlington West.

Unless rain or inclement weather made the job too difficult, visitors could count on seeing the somber rows of neatly organized crosses, each representing a soldier killed in the Iraq War.

After a lengthy discussion and vote by members of the local Veterans for Peace on Monday evening, organizers decided to continue putting up the display during the first Sunday of the month, rather than every weekend.

“Generally speaking, people are getting pretty tired, pretty burned out,” said Steve Sherrill, founder of the display. “We’ve had a fall-off in our volunteer support from the community. That coupled with the reduction of violence in Iraq and, we hope, imminent troop withdrawal under the new presidential administration, we think it’s appropriate.”

But while organizers view the policies of the Obama administration as promising, they made it clear that as long as large amounts of troops remain in Iraq, the display will continue to appear along West Beach.

“We view as encouraging the dramatic decline in casualties in recent months in Iraq, and the promises of the new administration to bring the Iraq War to a conclusion, bring our troops home and return Iraq to the Iraqi people,” Ron Dexter, a Korean War veteran and founding member of the display, said in a prepared statement. “But if these promises are not kept, we stand ready to vigorously oppose war-making actions, by all peaceful means necessary.”

An ever-evolving display, Arlington West initially started in November 2003 as a protest against the war and policies of the Bush administration, particularly those prohibiting photographs of flag-draped coffins returning to U.S. soil.

But the long rows became a memorial when a woman used a marker to write the name of her son, who had died in the war, across one of the crosses.

The practice grew, organizers said, and to date more than 1,700 visits have been made by family and friends who lost someone in the war.

“Our purpose continues to be to raise public awareness of the costs of war, and pay tribute to our fallen servicemen and women and innocent civilian victims of war,” Dexter said.

At some point, the number of dead grew beyond the logistical capabilities of the Veterans for Peace — only so many crosses could fit in their trailer. So organizers set up signs with the actual number of deaths — now more than 4,200 — while continuing to plant a grid of 3,000 white crosses in the sand.

Santa Barbara’s display ignited similar efforts across the country, spawning more than 20 memorials including Arlington West at the Santa Monica pier. It has been covered by national and international media outlets.

During the past five years, there have been plenty of touching moments at the local memorial. Sherrill recalled one Sunday several years ago when a platoon of Marines traveling through town stumbled across Arlington West.

“They went out into the field of crosses and walked through,” he said. “Every one of them recognized names on the crosses.”

One gunnery sergeant, Sherrill said, pointed out 19 names of men he had trained.

“This big, strapping Marine who could probably break us in half with no effort just sat down on the wall and cried like a baby,” he said. “That really hit home.”

For now, those moments will likely continue. On the days when the memorial is not on display, organizers will place a sign explaining their new policy.

It’s a bittersweet moment for Sherrill, who has been deeply committed to putting up the display every Sunday since its inception. But he’ll get to spend more time with his children and wife, who had taken to calling herself a Sunday widow.

“A lot of people have been giving up their Sundays, including myself, away from their families and other endeavors,” he said. “It’s been quite a sacrifice for everyone.”

And despite the fact that the veterans and volunteers who have been constructing and deconstructing the display for the past half a decade have become a second family of sorts, Sherrill said he recognizes the possibility that the memorial will one day end.

“We all realize that regardless of the fact that Arlington West has been a success beyond our wildest imagination, it was not something that can or was intended to last forever,” he said.

While it’s not a policy yet, he said all indications are once organizers see a meaningful troop withdrawal from Iraq, they will sit down once again to determine the fate of Arlington West. It’s a day organizers wouldn’t mind seeing sooner than later.

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The truth comes out : 2/6/2009

This is further proof the Arlington West as simply an anti-Bush statement officially sanctioned by the City of Santa Barbara. The display has been up every weekend for FIVE YEARS then just days after a democrat comes into office they decide the memorial is not necessary anymore.

anonymous

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It's about time : 2/6/2009

We need to return the beach to it's natural beauty - these folks got FREE use of this beach for this blight for way too long. They should have been forced to rent a space like everyone else. I will be glad when it's gone altogether and they can go back to LaConchita and smoke their wacky weed.

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The Truth Comes Out - It's About Time : 2/6/2009

The Truth Comes Out Get your team together and volunteer to do all the work every day the crosses will go up every day. This is a hell of a lot of work. This is a witness against war, not against any particular war criminal. It's about time This is America, where activist judges decided that the bill of rights and due process applied not only to the ruler's supporters, but also to dissidents.

Tom Baxter

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Protesters of American Policy : 2/6/2009

What are all the retired communists going to do every Sunday? Maybe they could volunteer for human shield duty with Hammas.

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Admiration and support : 2/6/2009

The noble, patriotic and dedicated volunteers who have staffed this memorial deserve nothing but praise, and not the sick comments of the others I see posted here. It's very disturbing to think that there are people in our community who think that honoring the soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq is "communist" or reflects drug users! These were VETERANS who ran this whole operation! I didn't see any anti-war propaganda in the display, just the shocking truth.

WE CARE

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Thank You! : 9/19/2009

I am a OIF Vet and made the drive up from San Diego a few times. Thank you to all the people who helped put this together and helped keep the ones who didn't make it home alive in though. I knew two people that are named on a cross and it helped get some of the pain out to sit on the beach next to their cross and think about them. To the mean spirited post on here, grow up and have some respect for the men and women who fought for your right to say what you like. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. God Bless America and all those who have served this great nation and especially those who gave their lives.

Cav Scout

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