Two of the highest military honors given by the U.S. Congress include the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. To Middle Eastern Muslims in the 11th through 13th centuries, the cross was a terrifying symbol of European domination as Crusaders attempted to recapture the Holy Land from them. The Latin cross, with its upright longer than its transom, is most commonly found in Western culture. The Greek cross has equal length arms. The cross used by Eastern rite Christians has two transoms and a slanted crosspiece below.
Ornamental crosses remain popular among both the devout and non-believers alike.
Gems and rhinestones, wood and precious metals forged into crosses are often used to make fashion statements or simply to express personal piety. A tour through any community in America is nearly certain to uncover some unique crosses with rich histories. Take, for example, the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. In 1975, the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California constructed its 10-foot Pilgrimage Cross from indigenous California redwood. Since then, the Pilgrimage Cross has been carried to 64 Episcopal churches throughout the diocese's 53,100 square miles, said Canon Grant Carey of Sacramento's Trinity Cathedral, where the cross is now permanently housed.