Parents protest military statue
Parents oppose image, location of memorial
By Joey Bunch and Carlos Illescas
Denver Post Staff Writers
A group of Littleton parents is opposing the design and location of a memorial to a fallen local Navy SEAL, Danny Dietz, who died in combat in Afghanistan two years ago.
They say the statue, depicting Dietz clutching an automatic rifle, glorifies violence. In Berry Park, it would be within blocks of three schools and two playgrounds.
"I don't think young children should be exposed to that in that way - unsupervised by their parents or any adults," said Emily Cassidy, one of the mothers.
The parents have circulated fliers opposing the design and location of the statue at the southeast corner of South Lowell Boulevard and West Berry Avenue, in a triangle formed by Goddard Middle School, Community School for the Gifted and Centennial Elementary School.
They sent a letter to school board members, nearby residents, members of parent-teacher organizations and others to protest "the statue's particular location."
Linda Cuesta, the parent of a child who was at Columbine High School during the deadly April 1999 shootings, said that memory "colors everything in my life," but she is sympathetic to the Dietz family.
"As much as it breaks my heart to do this, we have to weigh the effect of the statue in this particular place against the family's feelings," she said.
"Who wins here? It's a tough situation."
Dietz's father said the family is devastated by the uproar.
"It broke our hearts," said Dan Dietz, who still lives in the area. "My son was fighting for her freedom to do exactly what she is doing. She put my son in the same category as Columbine. How does she have the audacity to do that?"
On June 28, 2005, Dietz and three other Navy SEALs were ambushed by al-Qaeda guerrillas. Dietz, 25, severely wounded, fought off attackers for more than 45 minutes, allowing one of his team members to escape.
"The people who have never served in the armed forces are always the ones who speak the loudest against what the armed forces have done," said Allan Stone of the Pat Hannon VFW Post No. 4666 in Littleton, which helped raise nearly $42,000 for the sculpture.
Cassidy said the opposition is in no way meant to offend the family or denigrate Dietz's service.
"We have absolutely no issue with the family, and we have only good feelings for the soldier and what he did for this country," Cassidy said.
Kelli Narde, spokeswoman for the city of Littleton, said complaints about the statue are arriving "at the eleventh hour," too late to change the statue, which has already been cast.
"We're proceeding with the plan," she said.
"This opposition has come as a complete surprise; it's been such a public process."
Narde said Cuesta is the only person to formally approach the council about relocating the statue. It will be unveiled in Berry Park on July 4, the second anniversary of the recovery of Dietz's body on a mountainside in Afghanistan.
Cassidy and Cuesta said the memorial was no secret, but the parents opposing it had no idea the rifle would be a focal point.
And while war memorials nationwide include rifles, swords, cannons and battleships, "trends are changing," said Cuesta, who has advocated on behalf of stronger gun laws.
Sculptor Robert Henderson of Cañon City said Dietz is holding the rifle in a "parade-rest" position on one knee, somewhere between "at attention and at ease."
He hopes schoolchildren could use it in their studies, in discussing war.
"Every piece that I make, somebody is not going to like it," Henderson said. "Most of the people do, but you can't satisfy everybody."
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