MichaelMoore.com

Vandals smash hillside crosses

By Paul Thissen / The Oakland Tribune

Vandals attacked the memorial crosses in Lafayette Sunday night or Monday morning, leaving pieces of jagged wood lying at the bases of those left standing.

Of the 3,623 crosses that lined the hillside as a memorial for each American soldier killed in Iraq, between 150 and 300 of the crosses have been knocked down or destroyed, said Chris Donton, a site organizer.

"We'll rebuild," Donton said. "They think this is going to stop us. Sure."

The vandalism came the night after a gathering at the memorial in honor of Gold Star Mothers' Day, honoring those who have lost children in the war. One Gold Star Mother, Karen Meredith, and about 15 others attended.

The site has been vandalized before, Donton said. A larger sign counting the number of soldiers who have died in Iraq has been knocked down, and small numbers of crosses have been knocked down or removed.

This time the damage was more serious, but Donton said he didn't expect to have trouble recruiting help to get the memorial back in shape.