Memorial set in stone

Parents of slain SEAL surprised by all the flak

David Montero, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 7, 2007 at midnight

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Dan Dietz sees irony in the death of his Navy SEAL son and those opposed to erecting a statute in his honor July 4 in a Littleton park.

"This was Danny's third tour over there. The first time he was over there, he lost a friend and when he came back, he was mad. And he said, 'Boy, Dad, I'd better not run across any of those anti-Americans. You know they're not doing us any good,' " Dan Dietz said Friday.

"And I said, 'Wait a minute, Danny. During Vietnam I fought for those rights and now you're fighting for those rights.'

"I said, 'That's a part of the United States. We have to be thankful we can do that because the other countries, if you did something like that - protested or anything like that - you'd be in jail or be shot.' "

The statue of 25-year-old Danny Dietz shows him crouching while holding an assault rifle.

Opponents of the statue have said, in light of the 1999 Columbine High School tragedy, kids shouldn't be walking past something that depicts violence.

Dan and Cindy Dietz said they were "surprised" by the opposition to the statue of their son - especially since it had been in the planning stages for months.

One of those opponents, Linda Cuesta, had a child at Columbine during that massacre and made her objections known to the Littleton City Council last month.

"This has nothing to do with Columbine," Cindy Dietz said.

Also objecting was Emily Cassidy Fuchs, who didn't want the statue at Berry Park because of its proximity to three schools.

City officials noted, however, the park is in the same neighborhood where Danny grew up and attended elementary and middle school. His parents still live there.

Kelli Narde, spokeswoman for the city of Littleton, said the dedication of the statue will go forward July 4 and that an admiral will give a keynote address.

Cindy Dietz said she's made several trips to the foundry in Loveland where the mold of the statue has been worked on to make sure it correctly depicts her son.

She said she struggled with the idea of him having facial hair in the statue ("He was always angelic looking") but agreed that the photo showed him with facial hair - and that's how he should be in bronze.

Sculptor Robert Henderson created the statue from one of the last photos taken of Danny before he was killed June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan while fighting al-Qaida and Taliban forces with his team of four.

He received the Navy Cross for heroism posthumously.

His father said his son would likely view the statue the same way he viewed his other honors and awards.

"Danny wouldn't go for this at all," Dan Dietz said.

"He liked to be low-keyed in his career. He didn't like to display what he'd done and all the awards that he has gotten and stuff like that."

But his parents view the statue as a way to honor their son and all of those who died while serving in the military.

"I feel like Danny belongs to the nation now and he's a part of that history," Dan Dietz said.

City officials said they've been taken aback by the controversy surrounding the statue, and Narde said that claims the city didn't go through the usual approval process for public art isn't correct.

Narde said the city's Fine Arts Committee - on which Fuchs sits - opted not to oversee the process because they didn't consider it art.

So it was passed to the city's staff to handle, which it did.

After the Dietz family spoke Friday afternoon in the city of Littleton's Community Room, state Sen. Steve Ward, R-Littleton, stewed outside in the hallway.

"This is pathetic," Ward said. "What's next? Take 'the bombs bursting in air' out of The Star- Spangled Banner?"

Dan and Cindy Dietz got a measure of support as they left the community room.

After the couple finished talking, a group of police officers stood and applauded as they exited the room.

monterod@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5236

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