The Battle Cross War Memorial, a historic symbol honoring members of the United States military killed in combat, is now a permanent fixture at American Legion Post 31 in South Miami.
The roughly five-foot bronze statue depicting a cross made from a soldier’s helmet, rifle and boots stands in the center of a small garden to the left of Post 31’s entryway. Plaques featuring the names of the different branches of the armed forces — Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard — surround the its base, as do five red, white and blue solar-powered path lights.
“We wanted a monument to our fallen veterans,” said South Miami Commander Mike McVay, who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. “We looked around and saw that battlefield cross. It was apropos and about the right size to put in our little garden out here by the front door. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s very functional to what it’s for.”
Mcvay and Women’s Auxiliary president Linda Barichak led a Memorial Day ceremony presenting the statue before approximately 75 people including current members of the armed forces, veterans, American Legion members and six South Miami police officers.
The ceremony began inside, where attendees sang the National Anthem, joined in prayer and read passages about Memorial Day’s significance. As the military bugle call, Taps, played, everyone went outside for the memorial’s dedication.
“It’s just nice to see the community come out,” said Alexa Delgado, whose grandmother, Rozy Neal, was an American Legion member. Her mother, Francy Delgado, regularly visits Post 31, which opened on Feb. 8, 1927.
“A lot of people see [Memorial Day] as kind of an extra day off,” she said. “For us, it has a little bit deeper of a meaning.”
The largest wartime veterans service organization in the country, the American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 following World War I. The nonprofit has since grown to include 2.4 million members in 14,000 posts worldwide.
Despite the group’s best efforts, McVay said membership has declined in the 14 years he has served as Post 31commander. Part of the reason, he said, is because many veterans have passed away.
“We’ve got maybe two [World War II veterans] left, and that’s all,” he said. “And we’re running thin on Korean veterans also.”
Another factor is generational; veterans from recent U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t joining the American Legion at rates similar to their predecessors.
“They’re young and don’t want to come over here to the American Legion; they want to go home and be with their families and live their lives,” he said. “So it’s tough getting new veterans in this place. We’re fighting like heck. We’re keeping our head above water, and we’re one of the few that’s financially sound. Three of our posts in Miami-Dade County don’t have a post like we do. They meet in churches and halls. It’s tough. It’s a fight.”
For more information, visit centennial.legion.org/florida/post31.
