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On a quiet desert morning in 1934 J.Riley Bembry and a handful of veteran friends gathered at a lonely spot in the middle of the Mojave Desert to erect a cross and plaque made of wood in honor of all those who had died in all wars . As time marched on vandals and weather took thier toll on the cross . But Bembry would always paint , repair , replace or do whatever else was nesessary to keep the cross standing this included buliding a new one out of iron pipe . And stand it did as America would go through 3 major wars and countless other confilcts the cross was always there . But time was also taking a toll on the old veterans . Bembry was the last of the World War I vets alive that had put up the cross and he knew his time was near . So he reached out to two friends he had met in the desert Henry and Wanda Sandoz and asked if they would care for the cross when he was gone , they agreed immediately . Bembry died in 1984 and Henry and Wanda began careing for the cross and it was shortly after this that I met them one day as I was roaming the desert . Littile did Henry , Wanda , myself or any other of the desert people know what lay ahead for the cross .... and I am sure J. Riely Bembry rolled over in his grave . In 1994 under the Desert Protection Act 1.6 milloin acres of land were designated as a national preseve and was placed under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service , this inclued were the cross stood . In 2001 a former park service employee with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union sued to have the cross removed because it was a violation of separation of church and state .... and so the battle began . As the lawsuit made its way through the American judicial system it was orderd covered . First with a canvas bag and then with a wooden box .... so it would not offend anyone .... Lower courts twice ordered the cross to be removed only to be reversed by higher courts . An Appeals Court decided the orginal cross could stay , but if anything ever happened to it a new one could not be put up . Four days after the ruleing the cross was stolen and two days later a new one went up and was immediately taken down by National Park Service Rangers . Congress finally stepped in and approved a land swap , five acres of land inside the preserve for one acre were the cross once stood . Again the American Civil Liberities Union sued saying " this was an end run around the Constitution " . It was time to go to the Untied States Supreme Court but this time the desert people had help ... big help ! . The Liberty Instiute out of Dallas Texas came riding to the rescue with a posse of lawyers ready to take on the ACLU and at no charge ! In a 5 to 4 decision ( conservatives consenting , liberals decenting ) a land swap was approved . Henry and Wanda gave thier 5 acres to the National Park Service and in return were given 1 acre at Sunrise Rock were the cross used to sit and promptly donated the site to the Vetrerans of Foreign Wars , San Bernadino California Post . On November 11, 2012 this past Veterans Day I gathered with my friends at Sunrise Rock to see the Mojave Cross returned to its perch were it has stood for over 80 years . If you are ever in the East Mojave be sure to take the time and travel off I-15 down Cima road and stop and see the Mojave Cross . For it is a tribute not only to all those who have died in war , but it is also a tribute to faith and perseverance and every once in a while .... the little guy wins one . Thanks a heap for coming along ! Hope you had a good time ! Hoss
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