Bruce59
06-02-12, 10:42 AM
94-year-old Arvo Kannisto, once a Lieutenant Colonel in World War II, has had a life full of danger and excitement. But now, because someone else fears the danger he might face, he’s been banned from maintaining a memorial he built and has been maintaining for 31 years.
http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/arvo-kannisto.png (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/world-war-ii-vet-forced-to-abandon-maintaining-hillside-memorial-cross-after-31-years/arvo-kannisto/)Arvo Kannisto
Back in 1981, Kannisto went to a mountain near where he lives, in Santa Rosa, California, and pushed a massive assortment of stones into the shape of a cross so big that it’s visible from the bottom of the mountain. Kannisto claimed he built this giant makeshift monument to commemorate his fellow veterans, and also as a “love symbol” because, to quote him, “There’s too much hate in the world.”
http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/hillside-cross.png (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/world-war-ii-vet-forced-to-abandon-maintaining-hillside-memorial-cross-after-31-years/hillside-cross/)
Over the 31 years since then, Kannisto has been continually going back to the hill to keep the cross in good condition, so it won’t fade back into nature. And he would have kept doing so, even at the ripe old age of 94, if not for the fact that the owner of the property that the cross is on has recently decided that he doesn’t want Kannisto going up to keep doing it.
The reason is probably the best argument ever for a reform of our country’s lawsuit-happy culture. You see, the owner of the property had previously allowed Kannisto to maintain his creation, and still has no particular argument with Kannisto’s mission or his choice of symbol. However, because Kannisto is 94 and could easily hurt himself on the trek up to maintain his creation, the owner of the property is worried he’d be legally liable if Kannisto did get hurt, and wants to protect himself from a lawsuit, hence his commitment to ban the veteran from his land.
___________________________________________
So I thought about this story for a while and I have
come to a conclusion that Lieutenant Colonel
Kannisto was on a mission, to have his generation
of hero's remembered from WW2. He could have taken the easy way and put it in his front yard I guess, but know, he would get about 3,000 rocks
and paint them, then carry the rocks up the mountain a 1/2 hour walk to place them. Then after he had them all in place he would climb up to
maintaining his memorial regularly so nature would not take it back, which it will in time. I guess this
story is more about one mans love for his comrades who didn't make it home then anything else.
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http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/arvo-kannisto.png (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/world-war-ii-vet-forced-to-abandon-maintaining-hillside-memorial-cross-after-31-years/arvo-kannisto/)Arvo Kannisto
Back in 1981, Kannisto went to a mountain near where he lives, in Santa Rosa, California, and pushed a massive assortment of stones into the shape of a cross so big that it’s visible from the bottom of the mountain. Kannisto claimed he built this giant makeshift monument to commemorate his fellow veterans, and also as a “love symbol” because, to quote him, “There’s too much hate in the world.”
http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/hillside-cross.png (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/world-war-ii-vet-forced-to-abandon-maintaining-hillside-memorial-cross-after-31-years/hillside-cross/)
Over the 31 years since then, Kannisto has been continually going back to the hill to keep the cross in good condition, so it won’t fade back into nature. And he would have kept doing so, even at the ripe old age of 94, if not for the fact that the owner of the property that the cross is on has recently decided that he doesn’t want Kannisto going up to keep doing it.
The reason is probably the best argument ever for a reform of our country’s lawsuit-happy culture. You see, the owner of the property had previously allowed Kannisto to maintain his creation, and still has no particular argument with Kannisto’s mission or his choice of symbol. However, because Kannisto is 94 and could easily hurt himself on the trek up to maintain his creation, the owner of the property is worried he’d be legally liable if Kannisto did get hurt, and wants to protect himself from a lawsuit, hence his commitment to ban the veteran from his land.
___________________________________________
So I thought about this story for a while and I have
come to a conclusion that Lieutenant Colonel
Kannisto was on a mission, to have his generation
of hero's remembered from WW2. He could have taken the easy way and put it in his front yard I guess, but know, he would get about 3,000 rocks
and paint them, then carry the rocks up the mountain a 1/2 hour walk to place them. Then after he had them all in place he would climb up to
maintaining his memorial regularly so nature would not take it back, which it will in time. I guess this
story is more about one mans love for his comrades who didn't make it home then anything else.
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