Save the cross

Re “Supreme Court agrees to hear Mojave cross case,” Feb. 24

The Mojave National Preserve is now the focal point of a U.S. Supreme Court debate over an 8-foot-tall cross honoring fallen soldiers.

In a previous case, according to The Times, Supreme Court conservatives argued that “religious displays on public land generally do not violate the 1st Amendment, since no one is forced to listen to a religious message or participate in a religious event.” Yet the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared the cross “an impermissible governmental endorsement of religion.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. Since 1934, the cross -- erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- has served as a monument to the men and women who have served our country in time of war. Across the country, millions of crosses mark the graves of veterans who gave their lives for their fellow countrymen.

I hope the Supreme Court will maintain the preservation of the monument. Our veterans deserve nothing less.

Brian Stuckey

Denver