To the Board of Desert Oasis of Surprise Master Association,

I appreciate your valuing us as members of the Desert Oasis Master Association. We made our memorial decoration years ago to be displayed on Memorial Day and Veterans Day on our previous home. We never expected to have the incredible positive outcome that we had from neighbors, passerby’s, first responders, and Veterans.

When we moved into this neighborhood, we immediately put up the decoration along with our American Flags and our additional American themed décor on the home. Since we did not received a notification to remove the decoration, we were under the impression that the decoration was allowed. We have met so many of our wonderful community members that we would have never been introduced to because of my brother’s memorial decoration. Many Veterans and current military have come by to talk and connect with us. This memorial decoration has brought our community together in a positive way and isn’t that what we want for our families and neighbors?

Yes, I value my memorial, but it was my brother’s life that I truly valued. He was shot with a rocket, the kind they use to blow up the entire front half of cement buildings with. When they brought him into the Stryker vehicle, he was talking before his body went into shock. He had extensive injuries to his head and back, needing emergency surgery in Baghdad and then again in Germany. They were able to stabilize him just enough after removing the right frontal lobe of his brain and his right eye to fly him across the ocean. We were told to get ready to leave for Bethesda, MD to the Naval Hospital. However, after serious complications midflight they had to emergency land in Halifax, Novia Scotia, Canada.

When I got to the hospital I was broken, broken in the most hurtful, awful way a sister could be. At 23 years old, I had never felt such tragedy, seeing my only sibling, my little brother, blown up to shreds, temporarily fixed with gauze, tubes, iv’s, drains and tape. It was gruesome and the smell of the tape haunts me. The sounds of the machines can still put me in a state of panic. Watching him battle to live for 15 days only to die in the end was the most excruciating event I have ever endured. With my hand on his chest I felt his heart slowly come to a stop and it was agonizing. My hurt, my grief, my deep aching sadness is displayed in that memorial decoration as well as my love, pride and deep honor for his life.

To be asked to accept this variance on behalf of the Board of Directors of Desert Oasis Master Association is insulting. I understand the holidays, but the time limit is unacceptable. This is a decoration, just much as the magnetic Merry Christmas letters and holiday decorations are on our neighborhood garage doors. Regardless of what it says, you are considering my memorial decoration a sign, when it is no different than those with holiday magnets. They are given the guidelines set in the CC&R’s to abide by and I have no issue following suit with my memorial decoration. The offer of a few days here and a few days there is incredibly limited, let alone to be told I have to remove the “sign” the next day. The CC&R’s do not guide me to take my fourth of July decorations down on July the 5th.

I understand Desert Oasis Master Association is taking a stance against my memorial decoration because it is being considered a sign and in the covenants it is a general term to protect the neighborhood from things that are not appropriate or could be offensive. However, would it be possible to consider voting to revise the covenants to specifically include memorials for military and first responders? Understanding that there would be guidelines and rules to the size of the memorial, ect.

In reference to my current memorial decoration;

I am going to follow the current CC&R’s for the holiday decoration allowing for ten days to remove or take down the holiday decorations. To be allowed one day to take down the memorial decoration is not going to work. If we are putting the decoration up to go with the patriotic theme of our home and we can keep up all other decorations except the memorial is not agreeable. I just don’t see why this has become such an issue when the other decorations are allowed to hang on our home. Forgive me if I see prejudice in this situation, because by all means does it appear to be so.  

From May to July my memorial decoration will be up for May 15th when he died, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. I will also have it up in September for Labor Day, Patriot’s Day and his birthday. We will be displaying it again in November for Veteran’s Day. To take it down and put it up and take it down ect, is just too much. So it will be up during those holidays, having ten days to put it away. After Veteran’s Day, I will put away the decoration until May. We have far to many men and women military and first responders that are killed in the line of duty, this should not even be an issue but since it has been insisted upon to become one, I hope to one day change the rules to allow neighbors should they so choose to honor their service member with a nice memorial.  

I have every interest in keeping our community clean and beautiful, keeping it happy and thriving and most importantly connected. My interests are sincere and heartfelt whereas the board’s interest are cold and impersonal. I want to make a difference in my neighborhood and if showing my love and honor to my brother brings that to Desert Oasis then let it be. There is much crime, harassment, theft, vandalism, and destruction in Desert Oasis. Let this be one good thing we have as a community to show others what it means to honor our country, our military and our families.

Regards,

Kendall Rasmusson