When President Bush signed Public Law 109-272 in
August of 2006, our Memorial was turned over to the
Department of Defense. The DOD, in turn, assigned
responsibility for the site to Navy Region Southwest,
headquartered right here in San Diego. We are currently
working closely with the Navy developing a Memorandum
of Understanding. It will provide the details allowing
the completion of the Memorial and the ongoing operation
and maintenance of this wonderful facility in the
years ahead.
It has been eighteen years since litigation was initiated
regarding the Mt. Soledad Cross. The original lawsuit
against the City of San Diego was put to rest last
year when President Bush signed legislation transferring
ownership of the half-acre circle containing the cross,
the flagpole and the Memorial Walls to the Federal
Government. Although the original lawsuit has concluded,
the ACLU and the National Jewish War Veterans Association
continued the litigation by suing the Department of
Defense. The new lawsuit is in its early stages and
will more than likely takes years to resolve. In the
meantime, our Association will continue to operate
the site as it has done in the past, with the concurrence
and support of the US Navy, our new landlord. Although
the litigation has not yet ended, everyone agrees
that the Memorial Walls are here to stay.
On behalf of our Board of Trustees, we want to take
this opportunity to thank the many individuals and
organizations who have provided the support to our
Association through membership, donations and volunteering
a great deal of their time. These efforts have helped
us establish an extraordinary Memorial honoring Veterans
that is now considered one of the most unique in America.
William J. Kellogg
President & Trustee
Mt.Soledad Memorial Association, Inc.
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