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Crosses For Fallen Soldiers are Now Back Up After City Meeting

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Crosses placed in a field to remember fallen soldiers for Memorial Day in Hiram, Georgia, were quickly taken down after a single complaint, and then were put back up on Wednesday.

After complaints on social media and a city council meeting Tuesday night, the crosses were put back into place.

Resident Tommy Dingler, whose son was killed in Iraq held up a photo of the 19 year old boy as he spoke to those in the meeting, according to a Fox News report. 

Seventy-nine white, handmade crosses were placed along State Highway 92 as part of the city's Memorial Day plans. They represented the number of soldiers from Paulding County, Georgia, that lost their lives in battle.

But the crosses were quickly removed after one person complained about them to city hall, questioning whether all the soldiers who died were Christians, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Mayor Teresa Philyaw said the crosses were never meant to be religious.

"It was never about religion, it was just to honor them," she said. "We wanted to make sure that they weren't forgotten."

"We also wanted their families to know that our hearts still bleed for them," Philyaw added. "At the time it never, ever crossed my mind about the religious factor in it."

Some residents in Georgia were angered by the move, wondering who would complain about the issue. However, the city managers still decided to take down the crosses.

Daniel Briggs, director of Military Affairs with Alliance Defending Freedom, said that just because one person has the right to be offended doesn't require the city to take down the crosses.

“The Supreme Court has said that the First Amendment forbids hostility towards religion,” Briggs said.

Briggs emphasized the major sacrifices our military men and women every day, saying “We are asking people to potentially make the ultimate sacrifice. It is so important that these service members have religious freedom."

Attendees at the city meeting accussed the council of bowing down to one complainer and neglecting the families who lost loved ones. 

"We just really would love to think this person will understand that it was never a religious thing -- it was just to honor these people who died for him and for all of us,” Mayor Philyaw said. 

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