Nearly 1,700 crosses are staked into the side of a hill at a the Kateri Tekakwitha shrine in Fonda. For some veterans, that's 1,700 too many.

"What's the world coming to, and when are we going to stop it?" said Lou Ismay a World War II veteran.

The group Veterans for Peace created the cross garden, and there's one cross for every American killed in the line of duty since the beginning of the War in Iraq.

John Amidon, a member of Veterans for Peace said, "When I remember that these 1,700 plus crosses are young men and women, when I fully become aware of it, it makes me feel like crying."

A small ceremony was held in front of the cross garden, where group members read the names of New York soldiers and expressed their feelings about the war.

"It's a waste of life. A waste of our resources. It's the most anti-life thing I can think of doing," said veteran Terri Roben.

At the end of the ceremony the audience was encouraged to walk through the cross field. Many people stood in silence, remembering that each cross represents a person that is no longer with us.

Ismay said, "We act in terms of patriotism, but in reading history, patriotism is always a gun or a sword. Is that all there is to patriotism, a three by six inch plot some place?"

The Veterans for Peace said the cross garden serves a dual role. It remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and sends the message that enough is enough.

Vietnam veteran Elliott Adams said, "It should be a time for society to ask the question why. Was the price that was paid by others justified for what we wanted to accomplish? I think that's the main thing."

The cross garden will be open to the public for the remainder of the week. The Kateri Tekawitha shrine is located on Route 5 in Fonda, just off Thruway exit 28.