Beach Gives Rise to a War Memorial

It was a picture-perfect, all-American weekend in Huntington Beach on Sunday afternoon -- a surfing competition, sunbathers, the tanned and the beautiful whizzing by on beach cruisers.

And there, just south of the pier and within earshot of the guy on the loudspeaker ordering bodyboarders to move away from the surfers, Orange County war veterans and peace activists were taking part in an all-American tradition of a different sort.

For the last several weeks, Orange County Veterans for Peace have arrived at dawn every Sunday to plant white crosses in the sand. The number has grown weekly -- on Sunday there were 351 -- and organizer James Ameen said the group ultimately hopes to afford one cross for each of the more than 770 U.S. troops killed thus far in Iraq.

It is their quiet protest of war and their powerful visual reminder that troops are still fighting, still dying, they said.

“A lot of people are in denial over Iraq,” said organizer Tom Lash, a Navy veteran. “Some people stop and say, ‘What war are you talking about? I thought it was over.’ It’s very sad.... People come down to relax at the beach, and they can’t help but assimilate this.”

The sign is simple: “Remembering the soldiers.” And, on a dry-erase board, the number: 770+. On Sunday, an American hostage escaped, but 11 more soldiers were killed in fighting across Iraq. The crosses are painted white, staked into the sand in neat rows that stand out against the background of beach towels and volleyball players.

Personal notes are stapled to some of them, including one to a soldier named “Wesley” who died three weeks ago. “Dear Wesley,” the note says, “You are such a hero for giving your life. Forgive us for this. There is a better way to settle disputes. Thank you. You are in a more peaceful place now.”

The crosses were enough to grab the attention of Susan Peter, 39, and her friend, Leslie Israelson, 40, who were soaking up the sun Sunday at the beach.

“You tend to live each day and forget about what’s really going on,” said Peter, a Stanton resident who stopped to look at the crosses. “This made me remember.”

Josh Boyle, 30, of Costa Mesa, who has volunteered at the beach for the last several weeks, said the crosses serve as a good memorial, but also create a space for dialogue -- where people both for and against the war can talk.

“Whether you agree with the war or don’t agree with the war, this is neutral ground,” said Boyle. He noted that the crosses are a counterbalance to what he characterized as a Bush administration agenda to limit images of fallen soldiers and death.

Anaheim residents Liz Stoffer and Christina Dean, both 16, who were near the memorial rinsing sand off their feet, said that the memorial is an unexpected reminder of reality.

“When I walked out here, I didn’t expect to see something like this,” Dean said. “But you sit here and realize that all those people are dying for our country.”

What’s more, Stoffer said, the memorial is growing: “Every weekend, we come here, and it gets bigger and bigger. It’s sad.”

Lash says organizers have been adding crosses to the memorial as they raise more money for the materials to build them.

The group has a city permit to put up the crosses, which they remove by sunset on Sundays.

The memorial -- dubbed Arlington West -- is modeled after projects at beaches in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and Oceanside. Lash said he hopes similar memorials crop up at every pier along the West Coast.

Until then, and until the troops come home, Lash will give up his Sundays, planting white crosses in remembrance of the soldiers. “My sacrifice is nothing compared to theirs,” Lash said. “These guys aren’t coming back.”