The state of Montana has its American Legion White Cross Highway Fatality Marker Program that has been around since 1953. The program was initiated as a way to remind motorists to drive carefully following the 1952 Labor Day weekend when six lives were lost in the Missoula area. The program has continued to the present, with the various American Legion Posts around the state responsible for posting white crosses to mark the location of traffic fatalities. Not all fatalities get marked. Due to a federal ruling, these white crosses are not allowed on interstate highways, although they are allowed on other federal and state highways and along forest service roadways. Since the inception of the program, it's estimated that over 2000 white crosses have been planted. This translates to about a five acre cemetery.The photo above is not from Montana. It's not a reproduction of all the white crosses from Montana. The number of crosses on the hillside in the picture numbers nearly twice the number of white crosses in Montana. These crosses in the photo (Chronicle photo by Paul Chinn) are located along a busy stretch of State Route 24 across from the BART station in Lafayette, California. I observed the number 3984 on a large white board amongst the white crosses from the BART train today on the way home from work. Each cross represents one American soldier killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003. This number was 3173 on March 5, 2007.
Critics say that this display disrespects the memory of the soldiers killed in combat in Iraq because it was erected as a protest to the war. The other side says that this is a protest against the president and his staff who planned and executed the war, not a protest against the men and women serving in the military.
Meanwhile the number of crosses in Lafayette, California continues to increase and will likely surpass 4000 soon.
