By John Henrehan, FOX 5 Reporter

BLADENSBURG, Md. – More than 120 people assembled, Saturday, near the “Peace Cross” in Bladensburg, Md., Saturday, in an effort to protect the memorial from a humanist group which wants the “cross” portion removed.

The structure is known locally as the Peace Cross, but, in fact, the 40-foot-tall piece of concrete was built in the 1920’s by the American Legion as a memorial to the 49 men of Prince George’s County who died in the service of their country during World War One.

The fact that it’s a cross — on government land — bothers the American Humanist Association. “This country is a diverse one,” explained the group’s executive director, Roy Speckhardt. “We have Buddhists, we have Hindus, we have non-theists, and we’ve always had some percentage of our population that were minority religion faiths. So, representing those who have fallen with a monument that is only representative of one faith is just not universal enough.”

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