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Luis Perez visits the War Memorial at Santa Monica Pier on Sunday, August 1, 2010. Perez is not happy about his cousin, Geoffrey Perez, not pictured among the soldiers killed in the war. Nikita Manavi / J-Camp Live
Every Sunday, red and white crosses pop up at the entrance to the Santa Monica beach. There are thousands of them, lined up neatly in rows, some with laminated pieces of paper bearing the name and hometown of the soldier.
The crosses comprise the war memorial, set up by the Los Angeles branch of Veterans for Peace over six years ago. The volunteers of the group are proud to say they have never missed a Sunday, during which they solemnly add more crosses to update the number of war dead. It is an incongruous site, placed between a number of food shops, a mini amusement park and the beach, where thousands of people come to relax and have fun. The contrast between the somber memorial and its surroundings is an interesting one, and one that Veterans for Peace takes full advantage of.
Volunteer Greg Foisie says “We are here to show them the human cost. Often, when people think of war, they think of the budget, but we are telling them about the human cost.”
The human cost is immense. Over 5,000 soldiers have died from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. What’s worse is the 1.3 million civilians who have died as a result of these wars.
Sporting a loose cotton T-shirt featuring the quote, “You got to go there to know there,” from Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Foisie has been “there” and back. The son and grandson of war veterans, Foisie joined the cause six years ago and has since regarded the Sunday tradition as a spiritual and sobering experience. While beach goers trot across the scorching sands, it’s impossible not to acknowledge this humble man, diligently tending to the multitude of crosses and tattered messages used to commemorate fallen soldiers.
For Foisie, the seemingly arduous task of planting and removing a stirring display of crosses, photos, and casualty lists in one day’s time is not a hassle. His primary focus lies in raising awareness of the physical repercussions of war. The 40-something-year old Californian vividly remembers his own first experience with the memorial and pledges to elicit the same emotional response in today’s visitors, while simultaneously fulfilling his spiritual purpose.
“I came down from Northern California. It was a small square of 500 crosses. I saw it and it just blew me out of the water. This is my church now, and approximately 10,000 people see that every Sunday,” he said.
Veterans for Peace is an organization started about 25 years ago, and which has grown nationally since. They describe themselves as pacifists who protest the war in Iraq and Afghanistan by showcasing the consequences of these wars. There are 37 such memorials spread throughout the country, honoring the soldiers who have fallen.
Michael Lindley, 65, is a veteran and one of the original founders. His involvement in the Vietnam War has turned him against any type of conflict. “Humans aren’t meant to kill,” he says seriously, “what the military does, it trains them to kill. It breaks them down psychologically and builds them up again to suit the military’s purpose.”
In addition, the two believe that not only is there a human cost, there is also a great economic cost. Over 50percent of the federal budget goes to the Department of Defense, which includes the spending plan for all things related to the military. All of this money could be used in other ways, according to the members of Veterans for Peace.
“If we spent as much on education and health care and infrastructure as we do on defense spending, then things would be very different.” Lindley said with a bit of frustration.
Behind these veterans-turned-pacifists stand passionate volunteers like Foisie, who devote themselves to assisting in a movement that converts frustration into action by educating the public and sharing the fruits of their research with empathetic and inquisitive passersby. However, there are parts of the public that remain unconvinced.
Foisie said there are those who still believe in the romanticism of fighting for one’s country and being patriotic. There are also many people who believe that America will lose respect and prestige in the world if we withdraw from Afghanistan, he said.
Though it may seem ironic that these former soldiers are now regarding militarism as a friend turned foe, this determined group has no plans to surrender in their fight for peace. But losing face does not matter to those who have suffered from the effects of war, they say. Veterans for Peace holds fast to their pledge to promote this perspective long after each Sunday sunset.
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