In an old US Army photograph from May of 1943, locals stack crosses on the edge of a field to mark the graves of US servicemen killed in action in New Guinea. In the background, you can see crosses apparently hastily assembled from sticks marking more graves.
It was not an attempt to Christianize the US military, nor was Read more
As previously noted and for those that missed it, the US Supreme Court vacated the ruling against the cross standing in Pensacola’s Bayview Park and sent it back to the lower courts “for further consideration in light of” the Bladensburg cross ruling (which allowed the cross to remain). In the original Bayview ruling, Read more
The 66th Rescue Squadron maintains a memorial in the Nevada desert to two HH-60G Pavehawk helicopters, Jolly 38 and Jolly 39, which collided in 1998 and killed all 12 men onboard.
Lt. Col. Joshua Shonkwiler, 66th Rescue Squadron commander, regards a memorial built for fallen members of the 66th RQS August 29, 2018 on the Nevada Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Bailee A. Darbasie)
Don’t tell Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, or he’ll demand they tear that cross out of the desert.
Then again, there are Read more
A government that roams the land, tearing down monuments with religious symbolism and scrubbing away any reference to the divine will strike many as aggressively hostile to religion. Militantly secular regimes have carried out such projects in the past…
– Justice Samuel Alito
Yesterday the US Supreme Court issued a 7-2 decision that the Bladensburg Peace Cross could continue to stand and be maintained by the state — even though it was “undoubtedly a Christian symbol.” (Of note, the case was reversed and remanded “for further proceedings,” not simply dismissed.)
Some reports focused on the multiple opinions published by the justices, though these reports largely seemed to come from critics who believed that emphasizing the “splintered” nature of the ruling would Read more
Remember those who gave their last full measure of devotion.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
– John 15:13
The Sacramento Bee reported that the local community of Cathedral City, California, dedicated the nation’s first “LGBTQ Veterans Memorial” at the end of April:
“It’s kind of a holy place. This is a place to pray for people who died in wars,” Tom Swann Hernandez of Cathedral City told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday. The gay Marine veteran has been at the forefront of the state designation effort for nearly two decades.
This was the ceremonial designation; the legal designation was noted here last fall.
The short version is if you Read more
In February the US Supreme Court will hear the case of the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a near-century old war memorial in Maryland that anti-religious groups claim is an illegal endorsement of religion.
The Cross was ruled “unconstitutional” by the Fourth Circuit, and that is how the case approaches the Supreme Court.
Many have spoken out in defense of the memorial, which might explain why one group that filed a brief in support of the cross went unnoticed.
A group of retired flag officers are asking the Court (PDF) to “correct the court of appeals’ stilted view of the First Amendment” and defend the cross. Those officers include:
US Army Chaplain Timothy Mallard…gives the benediction at Suresnes American Cemetery to honor the centennial of Armistice Day, Paris, France, Nov. 11, 2018.
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