Photo Fave: Arlington West Memorial at the Santa Monica Pier
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| A kid’s view of Arlington West from the Santa Monica Pier. |
In honor of Veteran’s Day today, I’m posting this photo of the Arlington West Memorial in Santa Monica, California. As you head down the pier, lined with ice cream and cotton candy vendors, seafood restaurants, and gift booths toward the beckoning roller coasters and carnival rides, this is sure to stop you in your tracks, as it certainly did for our family.
This temporary memorial began in 2004, and each Sunday and Fourth of July since, it is reinstalled beside the Santa Monica Pier in southern California. As the numbers of fallen soldiers has grown so tremendously since then, some red crosses are used to represent ten passed service men and women each. Coffins draped in flags commemorate the soldiers who have died over the past week.
The project was created by the Veterans For Peace in order to:
- Remember the fallen and wounded
- To provide a place to grieve
- To acknowledge the human cost of war
- To encourage dialogue among people with varied points of view
- To educate the public about the needs of those returning from war.
While the memorial stands in sharp contrast to the busy Sunday beach crowd and landmark center of family fun beside it, it seemed a very appropriate opportunity for us to pause and reflect on how many American men and women–and their families–have sacrificed so much just since the year that we became parents.
Today, in addition to honoring my Great Grandfather who served in World War I and my Grandfather who served in World War II, I want to also acknowledge and honor all of the military families who are among my readership, for whom traveling with their young children is not necessarily a luxury nor a vacation but is a necessary part of “family life.”
This post is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com.
Safe journeys to you all,
Shelly Rivoli
Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks
All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2011
