Crosses of Lafayette: Gold Star Families Speak Out

Photo by John Eaton

Gold Star Families Speak Out were at the Crosses of Lafayette today and here is the report from the Contra Costa Times:

Creators of a hillside monument of crosses outside the Lafayette BART station began to put names on them Sunday while supporters, including mothers of fallen soldiers in Iraq, turned the gathering into an impromptu memorial service for the war dead.

"This memorial is a sacred place," said Nadia McCaffrey of Tracy, the mother of Army Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey, killed in Balad, Iraq on June 22, 2004. `"Each one of those crosses has a name."

"These crosses give their lives and their deaths meaning," said Karen Meredith of Mountain View, mother of Army Lt. Ken Ballard, killed in Najaf, Iraq on May 30, 2004.

"There was a life and a future behind every one of these crosses," said Dolores Kesterson, of Santa Cruz, mother of Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Kesterson, killed in Mosul, Iraq on Nov. 15, 2003.

Added Meredith, "These crosses say, 'We will not be silent.'"

Read the rest of the story.

Karen Meredith's car was parked in the BART parking lot. Her license plate honors her son:

Photo by John Eaton

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