This seemingly small memorial in an Iowa park is creating controversy.
The Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has taken issue with the memorial which features a silhouette of a soldier kneeling before a tombstone. The organization in question says it violates the separation of church and state because it’s on public property.
Meanwhile, hundreds of local residents in the town have fought fervently to keep the memorial in place. A petition in support of the memorial gathered over 500 signatures before it was submitted to the city council before a vote regarding the memorial.
The city council, despite the petition, voted to remove the memorial. This is when further controversy was created, because the following voting day resulted in two of the city council members losing their seats on council. Essentially, they were voted out of office.