Memorial Day Vandals

RP members! I know that there is a post about vandalism in California on a "Vietnam Vetetans Wall Replica". I received this a few minutes ago and thought I would post it because there are so many states the vandalism is being done. I don't remember if I've heard of so much vandalism being done on Memorial Day weekend.

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So let’s get these stories out of the way before the actual Memorial Day begins.

In Seattle, some grown ups tore up a flower bed that formed a Purple Heart; [Ernie Crediford 67, of Richland] got the idea for the plant bed while he was hiking Badger Mountain on Memorial Day several years ago. He noticed purple sage, which is in bloom around the holiday, and the striking color reminded him of the military medal. “I grew up in the Vietnam era. It’s affected me in a lot of ways,” Crediford said. “I have a lot of friends who were wounded in the war.” Crediford said the plan is to replant purple sage in the 15-by-15-foot heart, though that will have to wait until fall for the climate to be right.

In Anniston, Alabama; “This is hallowed ground to me, it always has been,” said [Ken Rollins], who spent 12 years helping to build the memorial. “It’s no different than Arlington Cemetery. The things you wouldn’t do to your grandmama’s grave, we shouldn’t do here.” Rollins was disgusted to find out the small American flags lining the park for Memorial Day were trashed once again. “I came up yesterday and they was all, no flags, no flags to be seen, just the big one flying. And all the other flags, the sticks were broken and placed in a pile. The flags nowhere to be found,” he said. This broken pile of sticks is all that’s left of the American flags that were put up earlier this week. But come Memorial Day, Rollins said there will be more than 200 surrounding them.

In Henderson, Kentucky; A Henderson man has been arrested after he allegedly damaged more than 150 crosses in the downtown Memorial Day cross display with his vehicle early Saturday, according to officials. According to Henderson Police Public Information Officer Jennifer Richmond, Anthony Burrus, 27, was arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Central Park at around 6 a.m. Roughly 160 crosses were knocked down and about 20 were destroyed. The vehicle Burrus was driving, a 1979 Ford Thunderbird, was found with pieces of a cross and ground stake embedded in the tires after he left it at the McDonald’s restaurant on South Green Street. Richmond said Burrus denied causing the damage in the park, but confirmed he was driving the vehicle earlier this morning and left it after it stopped working.

In Wales, New York; [Police] say sometime on Sunday or Monday someone stole a historic flag from this monument at Bogucki Town Park on Route 20A. They also damaged the wood carving.

In Brockway, Pennsylvania; “They called me and said, ‘Have you been down to see the park theater?'” [Bob] Stowman said. “I thought maybe they did something to enhance it. I came down, and I was totally disgusted when I saw it.” Stowman showed the offensive language carved into the wood, countless holes and cracks from BB gun pellets and the dented and broken doors, some of which were pried open. He said it will cost thousands of dollars to fix the damage and resurface the wood.

In West Carrollton, Ohio; More than 20 gravestones were knocked over at the Evergreen Cemetery in West Carrollton on Wednesday. Several of them were decorated veterans. However, one man is emerging as a hero out of the situation. Jerry Richards, the owner of Richards Monuments is repairing the grave sites for free. “We’re not going to charge for this. It’s close to Memorial Day. So, we try to help the families out. It’s a terrible thing to happen,” said Richards.