Groups ask U.S. Supreme Court to save memorials

On Nov. 11, representatives from the largest veterans service organizations - including The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the Purple Heart - spoke at a news conference at the National Press Club to highlight Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, an historic case that impacts war memorials across the country.

"This Veterans Day is a unique convergence," said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute, the nonprofit legal organization representing veterans. Today we honor our veterans' sacrifice, but at the same time, we have to fight to keep their memorials from being removed."

A coalition of the six largest veterans groups, representing more than 4 million members, filed an amicus brief in the case petitioning the Supreme Court to save war memorials. Amici include The American Legion, VFW, MOPH, the Non-Commissioned Officers Association, Veterans of the Vietnam War/Veterans Coalition, and American Ex-Prisoners of War.

The dispute began when the religious organization Summum sued the city of Pleasant Grove, Utah, for refusing to erect a monument bearing Summum's Seven Aphorisms in a public park that also displayed a Ten Commandments monument. The Seven Aphorisms include sayings such as "Summum is mind," "Everything vibrates" and "Gender is in everything."

Summum argued the city violated First Amendment freedoms; the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, ruling that the presence of any donated monument creates a public forum that then requires the acceptance of any other monument.

"Monuments for our warriors all across America are in jeopardy," said Craig Roberts, media relations manager for The American Legion. "They are bridges to our past and reminders that without the sacrifices of those they honor, there is no future."

"If this ruling stands, any city or government that has accepted a donated monument will now be forced to accept any other monument, or be compelled to remove all monuments," added Jerry Manar, deputy director of VFW's National Veterans Service Program.

Jim Sims, MOPH national senior vice commander, spoke of the impact on veterans. "To tear down memorials honoring so many soldiers would be terrible," he said. "It impacts not just the men and women who wore the uniform; it also impacts their fathers, mothers, spouses and children."

"This case is only the newest attack on veterans memorials," said Hiram Sasser, director of litigation at Liberty Legal Institute. "In San Diego and the Mojave Desert, two separate crosses that have stood for over 50 years as veterans memorials have been assaulted by those trying to remove veterans memorials. If the Supreme Court does not reverse the ruling, no veterans memorial will be safe."

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