'Elegant' Memorial to Honor Santa Monica Veterans

A new monument honoring Santa Monica residents who died in war could be installed at the local cemetery in time for the city's 75th Memorial Day observance.

City Councilman Bob Holbrook first proposed the idea while speaking at last year's event. "I think it would be a nice thing to do," Holbrook told Patch in August. 

There are two proposed locations: at either the entrance or courtyard at the mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery, according to a recent report to the City Council. The cost estimate is between $7,500 and $15,000, and would require raising money from private donors. 

In their report, Cultural Affairs Manager Jessica Cusick and Assistant Director of Public Works Susan Cline say the memorial should be "respectful and elegant."

They propose "traditional commemoration wall listing the names of those who have died with the potential to add more names as individuals are identified."

Holbrook said he was walking through the cemetery, jotting down the names of veterans identified on gravestones when he got the idea.

"I realized there are probably many other Santa Monicans who weren’t buried in Woodlawn," Holbrook said.

It turns out there are at least 97 residents who died fighting in wars since the city's incorporation on Dec. 9, 1886, most of them in World War II, according to the city.

An intern working at City Hall over the summer scoured databases to track down the names. She "went at this like a bull dog," Holbrook said.

Cusick and Cline said the would reach out to veterans groups while designing the memorial and bring the concepts to the City Council for approval.

Stay connected with Santa Monica Patch throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for email updates.