> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Memorial gives beachgoers pause - URL: https://www.smdp.com/memorial-gives-beachgoers-pause/ - Published: 2004-09-06T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T05:01:03.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Environment, Pier, #archive-import *Crosses draw some criticism, some tears* *By GENEVA WHITMARSH Daily Press Staff Writer* SM PIER — A group of war veterans rose with the sun Sunday and slowly placed 981 small white crosses along the sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean, just steps from the tourist-heavy Santa Monica Pier. Placing a cross on the beach for each American solider killed in the Iraq War is a ritual the local chapter of Veterans for Peace has repeated each Sunday for the last seven months. The only difference: The number of crosses erected this week is nearly double what it was when the memorial began. “Most people are coming out here for a picnic or a day at the beach, and they see this visual representation of the war,” volunteer April Fitzsimmons said. “People tend to kind of look at war like a video game or a movie, but this display is so real it’s undeniable.” The project, dubbed Arlington West, is highly visible to the thousands of people who frequent the pier and beach. Many stop and look at the detailed list of soldiers killed, often times seeing their own hometown. They’re given the opportunity to write a soldier’s name on a slip of paper and place it on a cross along with flowers, pictures or personal mementos. On Sunday, a framed picture of a soldier rested at the base of one cross, and an army-green hat lay over the top of another. “There was a veteran from the Iraq War here who had lost 15 of his friends,” Fitzsimmons said. “He was so bereft, he collapsed in the sand. Then, there was a woman who’d lost the love of her life in World War II and had never truly recovered. She came here, lost it and asked if she could put his name on a cross. We let her.” The project, given the OK by Santa Monica city officials, began Feb. 15\. Organizers say they plan to continue the memorial “until the killing stops,” and — due to the lack of space — might eventually have to paint a cross red for every 10 soldiers killed rather than erect new ones. The crosses do not reflect those American soldiers who are wounded in combat and then later die, Fitzsimmons said. The number of wounded soldiers is at 6,690, according to a sign near the memorial. There are also pictures of wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation for missing limbs and other injuries. Another sign at the memorial reads: “If we were to acknowledge the number of Iraqi deaths, the crosses would fill the entire beach.” “There is human cost,” said volunteer Charles Nixon, a Vietnam veteran. “It’s hard to show the emotional cost that goes along with that.” There are a few political pamphlets available for a small donation, but the area is void of campaign signs. There are no anti-Bush slogans or Kerry for President signs. “The point of this is simply to honor the fallen and give people a place to mourn,” Fitzsimmons said. Organizers estimate that there is at least one person a week who vocally disagrees with the display. But, Nixon said, many people who pass by are emotionally affected and many ask how they can help. “There was a young couple out here in their 20s,” he said. “They were looking at the names, and then they walked out and put a name on one of the crosses. There were tears coming out of her eyes — she was very moved. “I went up to them and asked if they were leaving the name of a friend or family member, and they said no, that they never met this soldier. That’s pretty amazing to see that kind of response from someone who wasn’t related in any way.” Beth Simmons of Burbank said she was taken aback when she first saw the crosses. “I was planning to ride the roller coaster and eat corndogs,” she said. “To be hit with the fact that this war has killed these people … It’s overwhelming. It’s sad. It basically stopped me in my tracks.” When the sun begins to set, the volunteers slowly remove the crosses and place them in storage until the next Sunday. They carefully and deliberately pack up the mementos left by mourners. Next week, Fitzsimmons said, the death toll will have likely risen, and the number of crosses on the beach will increase. “It’s sad every time we go to put the crosses up,” she said. “It’s still hard for me. But this is important too. It has to be done.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/090604-01_01.jpg) to the Daily Press The local chapter of Veterans for Peace on Sunday set up 981 crosses — one for each soldier killed in Iraq — on the beach near the Santa Monica Pier. (Photo: Crill Hansen/Special) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 6, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/090604.pdf?ref=smdp.com)