You won’t believe why one Michigan town says a battlefield cross monument isn’t an “appropriate” focal point for a park’s Veterans Memorial:
A veterans group wants to complete the Veterans Memorial in Milford’s Central Park with a fallen soldier monument, but the Village Council isn’t sure the piece — which features a pair of boots and a helmet atop an M-16 rife — is an appropriate focal point for the park.
Bear Hall, founder and chairman of the local Friends of American Veterans (FAV), approached the council earlier this month hoping for approval of the plan.
The group wants to place a fallen solder memorial – also known as a battle field cross – at the end of the brick paver walkway leading out from the current Veterans Memorial near the main park entrance.
The plan calls for an 8-foot-tall monument, including a 43-inch granite base matching the current memorial, topped by a 52-inch sculpture of the fallen soldier memorial: a bronze sculpture of combat boots, rifle – an M-16 – with dog tags and a helmet on top.
It’s the gun that has raised concerns among some members of the parks commission and the village council.
The proposal went to the Village Parks and Recreation Commission last month for consideration. The commissioners, said Village Manager Christian Wuerth, did not make a recommendation to council on the matter.
“There was some concern from a couple of members regarding the specific memorial that’s proposed,” said Wuerth. “Specifically, the gun. They understood the history of (the memorial) and the meaning of it, they just didn’t feel it was appropriate for that specific location.”
H/T: Detroit Free Press
A gun isn’t appropriate for a Veterans Memorial?! As the veteran leading the effort for the monument says, “We didn’t win the war by throwing sticks and stones.” He says he’s not adverse to moving the monument to the side to be less prominently featured, “but we don’t want some foofoo fountain, either.”
The issue will be up again for discussion at the council’s next meeting on April 20th. Something tells me they’re going to hear an earful (justifiably so) and will quickly approve the monument and its location.
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