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Vietnam War memorial in Fenway Rose Garden vandalized: ‘It’s very disheartening’
Boston Herald ^ | 7/23/2021 | Alexi Cohan

Posted on 07/23/2021 4:21:14 PM PDT by Right Wing Vegan

The Vietnam War memorial located by Fenway’s James P. Kelleher Rose Garden was vandalized with red paint on Thursday in an act that pains the community and military families, city officials said.

“It was a horrific act of vandalism and hate, and to desecrate a memorial for men and women that made the supreme sacrifice to our nation is unconscionable,” said Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, who served 20 years in the Navy.

Red paint streaked across all three pillars of the memorial where names of fallen heroes are written. A 311 report submitted on Thursday documented the damage, and Boston Police responded early Friday morning, according to a spokesman.

“When those types of crimes happen, I think it’s meant also to attack all of us, and it’s meant to cause intentional pain to military families,” Flynn told the Herald.

The memorial was quickly cleaned and restored by city workers on Friday, but the memorial remained closed pending restoration, according to signage outside the monument.

The nearby Korean memorial and World War II memorial appeared to be untouched.

“These memorials are extremely important to many people, especially military families,” Flynn said.

Boston’s Commissioner of Veterans Services Robert Santiago said the act “doesn’t reflect who we are as a city,” and added that he’s confident Boston Police will find the person or people responsible for the vandalism.

“These memorials are sacred. They need to be respected,” Santiago told the Herald. He added, “It’s very disheartening and frustrating.”

There have been several other acts of vandalism to war memorials in Boston in recent years.

The Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial in the South End was vandalized on the eve of Memorial Day 2020, with two stones damaged, including one knocked over, and a Puerto Rican flag lowered.

The year prior, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Morrissey Boulevard was desecrated twice with flags pulled from the ground, bricks thrown at the memorial and a swastika and a hate-filled message scrawled on the stone monuments.

Just before that incident, the South Boston World War II memorial was defaced by oil, and a special chemical solvent was used in restoration efforts.

Both Flynn and Santiago said that to prevent future crimes, the public must be educated about the significance of the memorials.

“We have to talk about the service and the sacrifices these men and women and their families have made for our country and educate and talk about the role of the men and women that served and made the supreme sacrifice,” Flynn said.

Boston police detectives are investigating and seeking information from the public. People with information should call police at 617-343-4250.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
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Elsewhere it has been reported that washing off the red paint stripped the letters' original white paint.
1 posted on 07/23/2021 4:21:14 PM PDT by Right Wing Vegan
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Red paint? Antifa?


2 posted on 07/23/2021 4:23:12 PM PDT by EvilCapitalist (I voted for prosperity, and I got poverty.)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Be a shame if vandals started “disappearing” while engaged in vandalism.


3 posted on 07/23/2021 4:23:17 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy." ― Mao Zedong)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I wouldn’t shed a tear for them.


4 posted on 07/23/2021 4:23:58 PM PDT by EvilCapitalist (I voted for prosperity, and I got poverty.)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

These days, even pacifists are activists.


5 posted on 07/23/2021 4:24:50 PM PDT by cockroach_magoo
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To: Right Wing Vegan

I have no words .....


6 posted on 07/23/2021 4:28:12 PM PDT by no-to-illegals ( Liberals, leftists, Rinos, moslems, illegals, lamestream media. All want America to fail and die )
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To: cockroach_magoo

As they say, silence is violence. Miscreant little mo fos. Bad enough with a lot of disrespect 50ish years ago for folks in the military. 😡


7 posted on 07/23/2021 4:30:09 PM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

The public schools are going a great job with their hate America curriculum.


8 posted on 07/23/2021 4:31:45 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

“It was a horrific act of vandalism and hate, and to desecrate a memorial for men and women that made the supreme sacrifice to our nation is unconscionable,”

It’s far from “unconsionable” in your filthy democrat bastion.


9 posted on 07/23/2021 4:33:45 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Right Wing Vegan; All

“...I think it’s meant also to attack all of us, and it’s meant to cause intentional pain to military families...”

As a Vet, I say let’s not lose sight of the fact that it COULD just be a bunch of dumb@ss taggers who see a blank slate and went at it.

Secondly:

“’We have to talk about the service and the sacrifices these men and women and their families have made for our country and educate and talk about the role of the men and women that served and made the supreme sacrifice,’ Flynn said.”

Thank Socialist Democrats an RINOs for LETTING them take God out of The Public Square and also not teaching HISTORY in public school, unless it’s some watered-down version where America is always the Bad Guy. :(


10 posted on 07/23/2021 4:35:30 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Thank You


11 posted on 07/23/2021 4:45:41 PM PDT by no-to-illegals ( Liberals, leftists, Rinos, moslems, illegals, lamestream media. All want America to fail and die )
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To: Right Wing Vegan

The public schools should be proud of their hate America agenda.

12 posted on 07/23/2021 4:46:03 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

A huge percentage of the Gay State’s residents quietly...or not so quietly...applaud the vandalism.


13 posted on 07/23/2021 4:48:52 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Trump: "They're After You. I'm Just In The Way")
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Where was Kerry at the time?


14 posted on 07/23/2021 4:53:43 PM PDT by Dogbert41 ("Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Old-time liberals: “I will avoid anything I don’t like.”
Today’s liberals: “I will destroy anything I don’t like.”

I’m not seeing how this can end well.


15 posted on 07/23/2021 4:55:07 PM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: dragnet2

Yeah, that ain’t free speech. Looks more like a suicide note.


16 posted on 07/23/2021 4:55:49 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

...the act “doesn’t reflect who we are as a city,”


Or, maybe it DOES reflect who they are as a city.


17 posted on 07/23/2021 5:00:36 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

God forbid they do that to the main Memorial Wall in DC.


18 posted on 07/23/2021 5:02:28 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Identify As Vaccinated)
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To: SkyDancer
God forbid they do that to the main Memorial Wall in DC.

Very nervous about that with the current Oval Office occupant.

19 posted on 07/23/2021 5:08:57 PM PDT by Right Wing Vegan
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Both my older brothers are Viet Vets. They’re in their 70s, but I still wouldn’t want to be around when they get pissed off.


20 posted on 07/23/2021 5:19:23 PM PDT by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals)
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