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The “A-Team”: Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, Medal of Honor Recipients, 100+ Congressmen Rally to Support the Bladensburg Memorial

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August 13, 2018
First Liberty | The A-Team

Radical opponents may have their wrecking ball on stand by, but we’re bringing out the big guns.

National leaders, renowned veterans organizations, and respected military generals throughout the country are coming alongside First Liberty as we fight secularists who want to disfigure the Bladensburg WWI Veterans Memorial – the gravestone of 49 heroes who gave their lives during the Great War.

Winning this case and saving this historic memorial is a matter of national importance; otherwise, the wrecking ball could soon turn on Arlington National Cemetery and the thousands of memorials across the country honoring the service and sacrifice of our fallen heroes.

Below, we’ve highlighted 3 of the most powerful amicus briefs supporting First Liberty and The American Legion as we make our last stand at the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the destruction of the Bladensburg Memorial and to preserve the memory of the Boys of Bladensburg.


Read the Full List of Amicus Support for the Bladensburg WWI Veterans Memorial


Ted Cruz, Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, & the U.S. Congress Back Bladensburg

Last week, 109 U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives filed a brief at the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that demolishing the Bladensburg Memorial “would threaten federal displays and traditions that incorporate religious words and images, including several in the U.S. Capitol, and thereby disrespect the shared history and values those displays commemorate.”

History and values are especially meaningful in this case, considering that for nearly 100 years the families of these 49 sons of Prince George’s County have regarded the Bladensburg Memorial as their sons’ gravestone. Allowing its destruction would be akin to erasing a piece of history memorializing the sacrifice of those who gave their all to defend our freedom.

America’s Most Decorated Living Veteran Joins the Fight

First Liberty | General Patrick H BradyCongressional members, however, weren’t the only ones to come out guns blazing. Major General Patrick Henry – regarded as America’s most decorated living veteran and a Medal of Honor recipient – submitted a brief of his own, describing it as “fervently absurd” to think that the Constitution requires the removal of veterans memorials with religious imagery.

For close to a century, the Bladensburg Memorial has stood as a war monument – and has only ever been a war monument. Deeming it unconstitutional merely because its private builders chose a cross shape to honor their fallen loved ones is to ignore that the Constitution has historically protected similarly shaped memorials on public land.

Far from being a constitutional offense, the Bladensburg Memorial is a living reminder for Americans of the way that Gold-Star mothers, wives, and families chose to commemorate the service and sacrifice of their sons.

Medal of Honor Recipients Defend Their Fellow Brethren

When it comes to sacrificing everything for fellow comrades, nobody knows better than America’s most distinguished service members – our nation’s Medal of Honor recipients.

Committed to honoring the history and memory of fallen American servicemen, Medal of Honor recipients submitted their own amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit “puts other memorials at risk, and sends a message of callous disregard for the sacrifice of veterans.”

And indeed, tearing down the Bladensburg Memorial would be a direct affront to the memory of men like Henry Hulbert, a Prince George’s County, MD resident and a Medal of Honor recipient whose name is inscribed on the memorial’s plaque for his unparalleled sacrifice during WWI.

The Day Draws Nearer

Support from all sides has poured in to keep the Bladensburg Memorial standing. Not only are elected officials and important veterans organizations – such as the Order of the Purple Heart – joining us in the battle for Bladensburg, but also religious groups and some of the most prominent lawyers from across the country.

But as we inch closer to the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming term, we need lovers of freedom – like you – to come alongside First Liberty and The American Legion to win this critical legal fight. The Bladensburg Memorial cannot be the first to fall, and with your support we can ensure that this symbol of sacrifice – as well as thousands of other war memorials – will remain standing in honor of America’s fallen.


GIVE TODAY!

You can make and save history.
Help us win the Bladensburg Memorial case at U.S. Supreme Court.

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