The Nevada State Veterans Memorial, Las Vegas is a monument recognizing the service and sacrifice of Americans, especially Nevada veterans and their families. The two-acre memorial and park features 18 larger-than-life statues depicting soldiers, from the Revolutionary War to the Global War on Terror and civilians. The memorial serves as a reminder to forever honor the proud principles upon which this nation was founded, and the spirit and heroism of those who have, and will, answer the call of duty.
The Mojave Cross was erected in 1934 on Sunset Rock in the Mojave National preserve as a memory to those who were killed in action during World War I.
The memorial was closed in 2002 after court rulings declared it illegal because of separation of church and state constitutional concerns. On April 28, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Salazar v. Buono in a 5–4 decision that sent the case back to a lower court. The high court ruled there was no violation of the separation of church and state when Congress transferred the land surrounding the cross to a veterans group. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "The goal of avoiding governmental endorsement [of religion] does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm".
In April 2012, a land exchange to privatize the area -- transferring it to the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. On November 11, 2012, the cross was rededicated by local citizen Henry Sandoz in a Veterans Day ceremony.
A sliver of land along a busy highway near Watsonville holds an old memorial, dedicated on January 1, 1919. It is a grove of live oak trees, fronted by a large sandstone monolith. Embedded in the face of the monolith is a brass marker, which reads, in part:
Under the leadership of the American Legion, the people of the Pajaro Valley have dedicated this grove of remembrance in loving memory of their sons who gave their lives in the service of their country, 1917-1919.
This memorial stone includes plaques dedicated to veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The plaque dedicated to World War I veterans reads:
Men Die O Liberty That Thou Endurs
Joseph Rebeiro - Lester Rowe - 1918 - Reuben Silva - William Sullivan