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# Nanne Snow: Bayside plans to cut down ficus trees on Fourth and Second
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/arlington-west-is-appropriate/
- Published: 2007-05-31T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:53:38.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By GREG FOISIE is a resident of Lancaster, California.*

I WANTED TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS after reading the column “Arlington West exploits the dead” by Mr. Bill Bauer (May 28). I have been a volunteer at Arlington West Santa Monica for the past three years, and have also helped out at memorials in Huntington Beach and Santa Barbara.

While claiming not to disagree philosophically with the memorial’s and it’s sponsoring organization’s mission statements (the Los Angeles chapter of the national, non-profit organization Veterans for Peace — http://www.veteransforpeacela.org/purpose.html), Bill suggests that the memorial is “too much ‘in your face,’” “heavy-handed, inappropriate and exploitative.” He considers the memorial an effort that “politicizes the grieving process and does nothing to change national policy,” labeling volunteers like myself as “manipulative promoters”who proselytize. He also remarks the memorial offers conflicting messages — honoring our dead soldiers on the one hand, while offering the message of ending the war, and states we “do not respect people who differ from our opinion.” Because of the beliefs we hold as memorial volunteers, the memorial itself might offend or hurt other, he concludes.

The memorial’s primary purposes are to honor the fallen and to illustrate the human cost of war. Almost one thousand families and friends of those we have lost have personally provided mementos in support of their loved ones with the knowledge the same will be erected whenever possible until our current conflict in Iraq comes to an end and our remaining soldiers return home. Many of these same families visit the memorial several times over the course of any given year. Thus, I would argue that offering respect, preserving dignity and recognizing the merits of duty and sacrifice are very successful components of memorial operation, and Bill’s perceptions are not shared by many of the military families he claims to speak in support of.

Every reader should also be aware that the memorial and its volunteer staff go to great lengths to not offend the families of those departed. If, for whatever reason, such people express the desire to not have their loved one memorialized by Arlington West, their pictures and names are not illustrated on our walls. This has always been the case for the Santa Monica memorial. Respect is paramount in our efforts.

The memorial’s “message” that Bill finds offensive is the need to end war. But this message is one that Bill has come to of his own accord. It is not stated by any written memorial sign promoting the memorial’s purpose or effort. The consequences of war is a message one infers by the scope of our loss as a country, as illustrated by the sheer size of the memorial.

I suggest the main issue Bill is dealing with is his own reaction to the memorial’s “bearing witness” — a time-honored tradition amongst luminaries including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., many Quakers, and other elements of American society. Such efforts are considered by our Supreme Court to be an element of our First Amendment right to freedom of expression, which is the reason the memorial’s volunteers are allowed to set up the memorial on the beach.

There will always be people who take offense where none is intended. I suggest it is not in the best interest of our society to yield to such people, denying others (in this case) the opportunity to gain access to an offering that helps us come to terms with our losses and consider the lessons such situations bring. In this way, we have a chance to grow as a society and culture.

I would also counter that the memorial is indeed effective in affecting considerations in regards to war, and thus can have a direct effect on both public opinion and national policy. Due in part to on-going, weekly volunteer efforts in support of the memorial since February 2004, last Memorial Day weekend, thousands of people interacted with Arlington West Santa Monica. The memorial received front-page coverage in the Santa Monica Daily Press, the Los Angeles Times and was the center of news reports broadcast by Fox News on Channel 11 and other TV stations. Almost all would agree that our world with less warfare would be a better place. This is a call the memorial presents to us.

As human beings, it is most natural for us to reluctantly engage in the process of change. However, there are times when the need to change becomes apparent. I suggest that we are in such times. Those who do not wish to consider change in the face of overwhelming evidence of the need for it have that right. Nevertheless, I suggest that they allow the rest of us the chance to consider the truth and make up our own minds.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 31, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/053107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)