Monday, May 28, 2012

Things to Do in the Bay Area: The Lafayette Hillside Memorial


Happy Memorial Day everyone.  It is a time to remember all of brave souls who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.  Today, many people will visit war memorials to honor departed loved ones.  In the suburbs of San Francisco, sits a famous local memorial referred to as the Lafayette Hillside Memorial.  It is located in Lafayette, visible form the freeway, and right outside of the local BART station.

This memorial was started in 2006 as an anti-war statement.  The woman who owned the land wanted to create a subtle protest of the war in Iraq (and later Afghanistan), while honoring (and giving a visual representation of) the men and women who have lost their lives.  This memorial has been the subject of much debate in years past, due to the anti-war message originally behind it.

In more recent times it has become much less controversial.  It is now a place to come and reflect, honor, and pray for the soldiers we have lost, as well as those that are currently overseas.  No matter what your stance on the war is, this is a sobering visual reminder of the price that is paid, and the sacrifices that so many families have made. It is well worth the drive into the suburbs to honor those that have fallen.  


The numbers are updated frequently to reflect how many soldiers have been lost.


A view of just how vast this memorial is.  Powerful.


If you look closely, you can see that there are not only crosses, but Stars of David, and Islamic crescents.  


It really makes you think.


6 comments:

Emmylou said...

Hear hear....such a great sentiment. Indeed, no matter what our stance is on war, one should never forget the soldiers who have fought/are fighting to protect our respective country.

jana said...

hey!
i nominated you for the liebster award on my blog :)

rooth said...

That's amazing! Thanks for sharing this

Suz said...

Thank-you for this very moving post.

E said...

That's quite the memorial--very thought provoking and breathtaking.

Lorena said...

Its just so sad, you see the numbers and the amount of crosses and your heart just sinks. There is one family behind each one of these - one story. It's a beautiful memorial.
Here we have a similar one, its of all those that died when the Panama Canal was built- the crosses are endless.

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Hi, I'm Erin. I am living back on the east coast after 15 years out west. Currently readjusting to humidity and mosquitos. I love to take pictures and read fashion magazines.... and to talk about nothing in particular (ok, and my dogs).

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