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VENTURA, Calif. – The grave site for an 1860s Army hero awarded the Medal of Honor is now a popular Ventura dog park with poop soiling what veterans say should be sacred ground. How many ways can you say this is wrong and disrespectful. Not only that, but the statement from the Parks Commissioner, in my opinion I think it is outrageous. Would any of these people be so blase if it were their relative, grandfather, great uncle? "Talk to any veteran, he will tell you it is a terrible thing. It's disrespectful," said retired Marine Sgt. Craig "Gunny" Donor, who served two tours in Vietnam and is bent on getting the soldier's remains moved. "We are treating him pretty darn well, except for the poop," parks and recreation commissioner Sharon Troll told the Ventura County Star. The commission voted July 21 to postpone for two
months Donor's request to unearth Sumner. But Donor, who lives in Fontana and is a state captain for the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle club that honors fallen veterans, isn't convinced. He expects the fight to wind up in court. "He has no family, no one else to stand up for him, except for his brothers and sister in arms," Donor said. I happen to agree with Marine Sgt. Donor--this is extraordinarily disrespectful, Ms. Troll is a troll, and she obviously has not a whit of brains. If she did, she would've immediately requested the removal of all remains prior to turning the area into a dog park. A dog park, really? Is that what the remains of our fallen soldiers really deserve? To become a landing strip for dog poop? If people had any good sense, they wouldn't take their dogs there, either, at least until the remains of those buried there were relocated and respectfully given the burial said remains deserve. It's no wonder our young men and women refuse to serve anymore if they don't have to. If this is what awaits you, whatever dignity you gain in a life of service is lost upon your death. I'm glad Marine Sgt. Donor is fighting this. I hope if it ever comes down to his own remains, that someone stands up for him, too. After all, the famous comment is from Pastor Patrick Niemoller following the failure of German intellectuals to act when the Nazis rose to power: "THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists, THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists, THEN THEY CAME for the Jews, THEN THEY CAME for me Which thus leads me to leave all with this thought courtesy of Edmund Burke: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Indeed.
As a vet and a PGR rider, I hate to rain on anyone's parade here. But there will be no "moving of the remains." I believe that in 1860, people were buried in wooden coffins - which is to say that the only remains they'll find is perhaps some worm castings. The folks buried there are worm food, long since eaten. Far better to file for a permanent injunction to keep the pooches out, and let the honored dead rest in peace, or erect a small fence around the burial site to keep the Fidos out.
Nofluer: even so, for Pete's sakes, why couldn't they at least move the remaining markers? It's outrageous to me that anyone would think anyone's markers should still remain--let alone the remains of those folks. But, you know, given that most of those folks probably have no living relatives that could complain, I can see how that could happen. But to me, disrespect is just that--and it shouldn't happen with our soldiers--living or dead.
Are you F*#king serious?! This is a prefect example of how screwed up this country is getting. Not only is this a kick in the groin to ALL veterans it's blatant disregard and disrespect for what they fought for. What the hell were the city planners thinking when they planned to put this dog park there?
I would indeed be outraged if this were so. TY to Venturaresident in #5 for clarification. 
Ms Troll is a dip@!$%# that likes to throw gas on a fire. Please let this be from the onion. Outrageous. In fact, I'm astounded. How could something like this even occur? I always thought municipalities had laws about this sort of thing.
strade211Deleted
As is the case with many veterans this hero is forsaken, his sacrifices forgotten - which should never be. Why is it that I am not surprised when I find out it occurred in Ventura? The parks director should be fired. Hello... I know Sharon Troll personally, and I would like to comment on her behalf. First of all, the cemetery is NOT a dog park. Ventura has 2 dog parks, and this park is NOT one of them. The city has postings to keep dogs on leashes, to clean up after dogs, and provides bags for people to do so. Furthermore, Sharon was not the parks commissioner when the cemetery was made available to the community as a park. She had no hand in that decision. Sharon's quote was definitely taken out of context. She made the statement at a city council meeting, and she was making a case for increasing the awareness that this park is NOT a dog park. She was remarking on how beautiful the surrounding areas are, and how well the grounds are maintained by the city (it truly is a beautiful park). Unfortunately, the reporter who was there chose to isolate one sentence she uttered, and use it out of context, creating a seemingly inflammatory statement. Sharon is a valued member of our community. She spends her time volunteering in the local city government, working with at-risk youth, and organizing/running a free tattoo removal program. She is a treasure, and I hate to see her name dragged through the mud this way. |
