Every Sunday from sunrise to sunset, a temporary memorial is created on the beaches of Southern California. Located just north of the world famous pier at Santa Monica, California and at the Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara, the Arlington West Memorial, a project of Veterans For Peace, offers visitors a graceful, visually and emotionally powerful, place for reflection.

Arlington West Mission Statement

In accordance with the Veterans For Peace Statement of Purpose, the Arlington West Mission Statement is to honor 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.

Visiting Arlington West

Visitors to Arlington West will see many placards placed on some of the crosses. In grief over their loss, many family members have dedicated their own words and mementos to their loved ones. A "wall of names" is positioned nearby where the public can review the frequently updated list of fallen American military personnel since the U.S. invaded and occupied Iraq. Visitors are welcome to select a name from here and express their own thoughts and sentiments and place these on a cross along with a flower provided for this purpose.

As one stands looking out over the sea of crosses, one will notice a thread of red crosses standing among the white ones. As the numbers of American lives lost increases daily, one red cross is representative of 10 military personnel each. For those who've lost their lives within the week past are flag draped coffins with blue crosses positioned in front of each of these.

Grim Milestones

As of June 26, 2009, using the U.S. government's own “officially acknowledged” account of miltary fatalities, the death toll for U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq alone has reached 4,316 while those wounded in combat exceeds 60,000. Not included in these numbers are coalition forces, journalists, or private security "contractors". Combining US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan would bring the total for American lives lost to just over 5,000.

Military deaths by suicide has been on a dramatic rise in recent years. According to the Army Times, the Army is on pace to shatter the record suicide rate set among soldiers in 2008.

During the first four months of 2009, 91 soldiers committed suicide, including suspected suicides still under investigation. During all of last year, 140 Army soldiers committed suicide, resulting in the highest rate on record. This record does not include the other branches of the military.

In 2007, CBS News conducted a survey of all fifty states - with only forty-five of those states reporting - showing that over the past 10 years alone, an average of 120 veterans per week from among all branches of service, have taken their own lives through suicide. See how they got their numbers here.

We are not worth more.
They are not worth less.

As the numbers of military personnel lost and wounded are acknowledged, a sign nearby begs attention to the number of Iraqis killed. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, published a survey in The Lancet Medical Journal in October of 2006. This survey, known as the "Iraqi Mortality Survey," showed statistically that since the U.S. invasion of March 2003, the number of Iraqi deaths exceeded 655,000. By September 2007, a prestigious British polling firm revised this number to over 1 million Iraqi deaths since the US invasion and occupation of March 2003.

Neither of these two studies include mortality rates from the immediate aftermath of the US led Gulf War of 1991, nor the impact 12 years of sanctions had upon the people of Iraq.

In addition, an estimated 2.5 million Iraqi's have fled the violence in Iraq, seeking refuge in neighboring countries, while an estimated 2 million have been internally displaced from their homes.

The (More Than) Three Trillion Dollar War

As of February 2008, the cost of the U.S. war in Iraq, subsidized in large part by U.S. tax dollars, is estimated to be between $350 to $720 million per day ($500,000 per minute) with costs exceeding $12 billion per month.

We have to ask: Is this all proof that the “surge” is working? If this is what the US military “surge” has wrought, one must wonder just many lives have been lost in the name of "anti-Communism" during the so-called "Cold War."

As we acknowledge that life represents concentric circles of intertwined relationships, each cross powerfully represents more than simply the loss of an individual life.

Volunteers Are Welcome

We love volunteers! This has become a monumental task! Setup starts at 6:00 am on Sunday mornings - rain or shine - and taken down just before sunset.

A candlelight vigil is placed at the base of each cross at dusk on special occasions. Please see our volunteer and or the Calendar page for more details.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead

See our Volunteer page for more information

Arlington West Memorial
is Non-Partisan and Non-Sectarian