War monument causing a stir

SALEM – An Afghanistan-Iraq war memorial that’s drawn criticism in some quarters for its design and its timing was unveiled Saturday amid praise from Gov. Ted Kulongoski and family members of fallen Oregonians.

The monument, featuring a large fountain and a bronze statue of a kneeling soldier with an outstretched hand, was unveiled before a crowd of hundreds of military veterans and relatives.

The monument at the Capitol Mall also includes a granite wall inscribed with the names of 74 soldiers or Marines with Oregon ties who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan.

There was little hint of the controversy surrounding the memorial at Saturday’s ceremony, which capped a two-year effort by Clay and M.J. Kesterson, parents of slain Army Warrant Officer Erik Kesterson, to raise private donations for the memorial.

Kulongoski, who’s been a supporter of the project from the start, called it “a place of prayer, contemplation and reflection … a place where we can remember the brave hearts that we lost.”

When the water in the fountain was turned on, Kulongoski turned to Clay Kesterson and said, “I love it! You did a good job.”

Some have questioned whether a memorial is appropriate while the fighting is still under way.

“It seems a little premature,” said John Theodore, 74, a retired correctional worker and Korean War veteran. “Unfortunately, the war is still going on.”

However, Theodore said, he came to the ceremony to show respect for Oregon’s fallen soldiers.

Several members of Gold Star families, the relatives of soldiers slain in Iraq and Afghanistan, praised the new monument and its timing.

“It’s a healing place,” said Betsy Jeffries, 23, whose husband, Joseph Jeffries, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. “It’s been more than two years since my husband died. For me, that’s a long enough wait.”

However, some Gold Star families have expressed opposition to the memorial and what they believe is its political message.

In a recent interview with the Oregonian, the mother of Oregon National Guard Spc. Eric McKinley, who was killed in Baghdad in June 2004, said she’s “sick and tired of all the honoring and everybody saying, ‘Oh, he’s a hero.’ “

“I look at it that he is a victim of the Bush administration’s arrogance and stupidity,” Karen Hilsendager said.

Some lawmakers who voted for it now believe the memorial’s approval process was flawed.

And several of the state’s most notable architects earlier said the memorial was not properly reviewed and is inappropriate. They said the 40-foot-wide fountain, with a map of the world, will upstage other Mall monuments to Oregonians who have given their lives in previous wars.

None of those criticisms were aired Saturday as the governor and other backers of the project gathered.

Gary Cupp, 50, a Stayton truck driver whose son is with the Army in Iraq, said he donated his labor on three weekends to help complete the project.

“I’m glad to see them doing this now and not waiting so long like they did after World War II,” Cupp said. “These guys need to be honored today, not 10 or 20 years from now.”

Jim Willis, head of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, said he thinks the controversy reflects the public’s feelings about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“People are conflicted about the war,” Willis said. “And there are some people who are still coming to grips with the loss of a loved one, and they are not ready for a memorial like this.”