Saturday May 24th

Visits to the Arlington West Memorial at Santa Monica Beach will be available to the public from Saturday morning until Monday afternoon. Arlington West Santa Monica will be installed beginning on Saturday morning, May 24th at 0700 hours. Arlington West Santa Monica will be maintained and availble to the public until 4PM on Monday, May 26th. Assistance will be greatly appreciated on Monday afternoon to help with picking up the memorial.

The setting up and taking down of the memorial is a monumental task! Volunteers are welcome to come and participate in this endeavor. To volunteer, simply come and introduce yourself. We'll be located on the north side of the pier at Santa Monica. Public parking on the pier or in the main lot at beach level generally costs $6-$8 per day. There is a 2-hour parking lot available nearby for $1 per hour. The 2-hour limit is strictly enforced by parking enforcement officials.

The Arlington West Mission Statement and the Veterans For Peace Statement of Purpose may be of interest to you as well. Call us if you would like information about getting to Santa Monica to volunteer with us:

TEL #:  323.934.3451
TEL #:  310-398-0056
TEL #:  310-339-1770

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Assistance is needed in preparing the beach for proper use of the memorial. Clearing debris in and around the perimeter and confines of the memorial, sweeping the boardwalk, proper positioning and alignment of the indivdual markers, installing the picture boards, setting up information table canopies, are all areas where we can use your help. Please be mindful that Veterans For Peace is a non-profit organization and as an organization we maintain a non-partisan and non-sectarian position. Arlington West is a project of Veterans For Peace, an organization that has chapters nationwide. Arlington West Santa Monica is maintained by the volunteers and members of the Los Angeles Chapter of Veterans For Peace.

Sunday May 25th

KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles, will broadcast live from the memorial on Sunday between 12:30PM - 3PM. Listen live via the World Wide Web at www.kpfk.org.

Anticipated guests this day are retired United States Army Colonel and former State Department Diplomat Ann Wright, Vietnam Veteran Ron Kovic (Born on the Fourth of July), Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl, actor Ed Asner, Iraq War Veterans offering their perspectives on what they experienced in combat, rape and sexual assault in the military, and PSTD. Vietnam Veteran and Veterans For Peace Los Angeles Chapter President, Michael Lindley will give a brief overview of the VFP-LA Chapter and Arlington West.

Ann Wright is on a national speaking tour about her book “DISSENT: Voices of Conscience GOVERNMENT INSIDERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE WAR IN IRAQ”. Read more about her book here: www.voicesofconscience.com

Thanks to the American Friends Service Committee, combat boots will be placed at indivdual markers throughout the memorial.

Weather permitting, a candle-lit vigil will be placed at the foot of each indivdual marker at dusk on Sunday evening. The public is welcome to participate.

Monday May 26th

Beginning at 10am there will be a procession from the memorial site, through the Palisades Park to the City of Santa Monica monuments to the five branches of the military. A memorial vigil will be conducted at noon at the city memorial monument. This is located at the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Ocean Blvd in the Palisades Park overlooking the ocean.

Arlington West Santa Monica will begin the take down of the memorial at 4pm. Volunteers are greatly appreciated and much needed during this phase.

As always, the Los Angeles Chapter of Veterans For Peace strives to maintain the memorial in all manners respectful of those we've lost and the loved ones they leave behind.