Cerritos Veterans Memorial
| Cerritos Veterans Memorial | |
|---|---|
 The Cerritos Veterans Memorial looking south-west. Behind the memorial on the right is city hall. The parking lot behind the memorial belongs to Cerritos High School | |
| Artist | James T. Russell |
| Medium | Stainless steel |
| Subject | Flame atop a reflecting pool |
| Dimensions | 20 ft (6.1 m) tall |
| Condition | Intact |
| Location | Cerritos, California |
| 33°51′58.19″N 118°3′51.74″W / 33.8661639°N 118.0643722°W | |
| Owner | City of Cerritos |
The Cerritos Veterans Memorial, located in Cerritos, California is a 20-foot-high (6.1 m) sculpture dedicated in honor of local veterans. The sculpture is part of a "Cerritos Veterans Project," which seeks to preserve the stories of veterans who are current or former residents of the City of Cerritos. The sculpture, which was designed and built by artist James T. Russell, sits on the grounds of the Cerritos Civic Center.
The memorial
The memorial was dedicated at the first annual
Merchant Marine, and another honoring all 32 groups who were recognized by Congress for their efforts during World War I and World War II
.
The memorial serves as a focal point for the various official city ceremonies which have a
Fourth of July to the grounds around the Cerritos Veterans Memorial,[n 2] and in 2010 the city held its Patriot Day concert in that venue.[1]
Controversies
Memorial design
During the November 22, 2005, Cerritos City Council meeting, a controversy erupted as to whether there should be a sixth pedestal around the pool with the emblem of the
Merchant Marine. After a very long public discussion, a compromise was reached where it was decided to put a pedestal with the emblem of the Merchant Marine, but place that pedestal off to the side and not include it with the emblems of the 5 primary branches. In order to be sensitive to other groups, it was also decided to have a pedestal honoring all the groups recognized by Congress for the contributions during World War I and World War II.[2]
Notes
- ^ There was a small private Memorial Day ceremony at the memorial in 2007, which served as the seed for the official ceremonies which started in 2008
- ^ Prior to 2007, the ceremony took place at Cerritos Park East
References
- ^ Caballero, Larry. "Cerritos Patriot Day Concert honors heroes of 9/11". Los Cerritos Community News. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- ^ "Minutes of the November 22, 2005 Cerritos City Council meeting".