Let’s honor our fallen warriors as best we can
Editor’s note: While the Santa Clarita City Council has already approved a Fallen Warriors Monument at the Veterans Historical Plaza, the following urges a “yes” vote Tuesday on proposed changes to the still-to-be-erected monument.
My name is Lauren Mooney and I am a 29-year-old resident of Santa Clarita. I want to say thank you, from my family, for Santa Clarita’s approval of the Fallen Warriors Monument last Aug. 23.
I took a walk in the Veterans Historical Plaza the other day and was looking for the names of our fallen soldiers. I found the names of the plaza sponsors displayed on stone surrounding some trees and the names of some service personnel on the bricks I was walking over.
The city’s approval to honor Santa Clarita’s fallen soldiers on a tall, erect granite monument gives me great peace of mind.
I had the pleasure of meeting with Bill Reynolds, who shared with me his proposal to bring the pergola out to cover the monument. My initial reaction to the monument placement was to be upset, as I did not feel that our fallen warriors should be outside the perimeter of the plaza.
But as I listened to the pergola proposal, there was no doubt in my mind that this was the best solution to providing our slain servicemen with the honor they deserved.
As I began to document the current plaza, my 3-year-old son became interested in the “soldiers,” asking over and over again to view the photo of the brick walkway with engraved names.
My son has not had any personal connection to the military, yet he is drawn to these names. I want to take him to the Veterans Historical Plaza to visit this monument, and I want the monument to stand dignified and tall, not on the ground that we walk on and not in the trees standing alone and disconnected from the beautiful pergola.
Please extend the pergola to further honor the very men who gave you all the opportunity to make these decisions. Thank you for the time you have taken to read my letter.
