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Arlington West--Huntington Beach, CA

By Horace Coleman

Huntington Beach, California (also known as Surf City) attracts about 1.6 million visitors a year. People from all over the world go there.

An Arlington West Memorial is erected at a popular strip of beach there on the first Sunday of every month by the Jim Brown chapter of Veterans For Peace. No, not the football player; a veteran from one of the nation's most conservative places,Orange County, California.

VFPers and volunteers unload crosses, easels, signs and literature. They rake a patch of sand smooth, align and erect rows of crosses, then set up flags from each military branch at the "graveyard's" corners.

Canopies are put up. Display stands are erected for pamphlets, leaflets, sweat and t-shirts, books and DVDs.

The memorial is close to a parking lot and a paved path. A strip of eateries and rental shops are a just a short distance away.

Some people take pictures. Others read the obituaries or look at the pictures some crosses have. Some browse the display stands. Or leave a donation or ask questions. Others are oblivious or pretend they don't see.

There are bicycle riders and bicycle surreys, seating four, with steering wheels going by. Parents with young children. Couples. People walking dogs (ranging from pocket pooches to Great Danes). Kite fliers. Women with perfect tans and bodies and minimal bikinis. Studly fellows with "six packs." Packs of friends, tweeners and teenagers. Surfers and swimmers. Skaters and skate boarders. Boogey and skim boarders. People playing beach volley ball. Joggers. Young marines from Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms.

On a recent first Sunday, there was a wide range of people viewing the memorial - as usual.

A homeless, toothless, old Jesus freak wandered by. He was hungry, for food, some human contact, attention and shade. He talked some, prayed for God to get those dirty Arabs, stole a cross and left.

An ex-Blackwater operative, formerly in Special Ops (Plan Columbia) and his flight attendant girl friend come up. She said that when military personnel were on board, she announces it over the public address system and the passengers clap. On one flight, though, there was silence after that announcement was made. Until she said "That was your cue to applaud!" He told us Americans in Iraq got kidney stones from the chemicals in imported water and mentioned his PTSD.

Mark Ruter, president of the Orange County VFP chapter, is a plumber, surfer, and Desert Storm veteran. He told some young marines to avoid body armor that had been hit by small arms. He also warned them about depleted uranium.

A man was angry at the memorial - under the impression that more people had died in the 9/11 Twin Towers, Pennsylvania plane crash, and Pentagon attack than in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "What about the people in Pennsylvania?" he ranted.

An Associated Press story by Sean Alfano published on Sept. 22, 2006 was headlined "War Casualties Pass 9/11 Death Toll." In 2006!!

That story's second paragraph said "The latest milestone for a country at war came Friday without commemoration. It came without the precision of knowing who was the 2,974th to die in conflict. The terrorist attacks killed 2,973 victims in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania." Attitude trumps information for some people.

A young Navy vet stops by. She's scuffling for work. She thanks us for the memorial and says she's moving to Israel. A woman says she doesn't trust Obama. I ask "Who else is there?" then say "You have to watch him too!"

In a lull between "customers" I tell a Nam vet, Ranger, VFPer about some of the weird projects I was involved with in Nam. Among them were low level light TV assisted hunter-killer aircraft teams, and all weather night bombing missions using TACON/DME positions as release and aiming points.

He tells me about having lunch stateside with the infamous Col. Bo Gritz and describes some of the hush hush equipment Gritz used on missions searching for US POWs in Southeast Asia. There are no secrets, just limited distribution of information.

In between there's a short chapter meeting, more conversations with, and explanations to, questioning passersby. Chit chat and conversations between and among chapter members and the people who have come to help or shoot the breeze. There are exchanges of announcements, comments about local, state and national events, politics and economies.

We honor the fallen warriors; not misconceived and misguided wars.

Horace Coleman was an Air Force air traffic controller / intercept director in Vietnam (1967-68).
He also served in Tactical Air Command, Pacific Air Command and North American Air Defense.
He speaks at grade schools, high schools and churches and lives in Long Beach, CA.