I know that many people don't hold monuments to our fallen soldiers and war dead in as high of regard as others do. Some people think those fallen heroes are just fodder for bad foreign policy; they are dupes and as culpable as those who send them to fight. Those people probably believe that memorializing them and erecting monuments to those who gave their lives is profane. I understand that.
There are those among us who believe not only is it necessary to memorialize our war dead and heroes, it is entirely necessary. It is necessary to remind us as a Nation that our liberties and freedoms did not come without sacrifice.
We are a Nation that gained our independence through the will and sacrifice of thousands in the Revolutionary War. We kept our relatively young Nation from splintering during the Civil War. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died establishing our great Nation, keeping it whole and then fighting to keep peril from our shores and helping other freedom loving people establish and keep their own.
We, the United States of America, memorialize and erect monuments because it is the right thing to do - and the very least we can do.
When I read something like this, it makes my blood boil. And it makes me very sad. Robert Bluey at RedState reports.
I got word this morning from Gathering of Eagles that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial had been vandalized, so I headed over to check it out for myself. Sure enough, I found several stones covered with an oily substance.In the above photo (and others available on Flickr), you'll noticed that the memorial has been sprayed toward the bottom of the wall with some kind of black substance. Free Republic has also posted photos.
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The most tragic part of the vandalism is that the damage appears to be permanent. The Park Service employee who talked to me said that the initial diagnosis was that the oily substance had stained the stone. He said another analysis would take place tomorrow.
At a time when America is particularly sentimental about the men and women who have given their lives for our country, this is a sad and unfortunate act. The coward who did it should be ashamed.
With the testimony this week by General Petraeus before Congress and the sixth anniversary of 9-11 tomorrow, one would have to believe this act of vandalism and desecration had to be motivated by a political view point.
The Park Service says they are reviewing video tape. I hope they can identify the perpetrators of this desecration. If they are part of an organized group, I would wish that the media make them infamous. I won't hold my breath.
If the monument cannot be repaired, I think it would be fully justified for the Park Service to install a placard near the site pointing out the effects of the vandalism and noting the name(s) of the vandals and any group associated with the act.
No matter what your viewpoint on an issue, no matter how volatle, no matter how passionately you believe in your cause, it is never appropriate or acceptable to vandalize, deface or destroy someone's property. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the property of the people of the United States.
In May, a monument to forty five war dead was destroyed in Beeville, Texas.
There was a somber sight in the city of Beeville Tuesday night, as a war memorial honoring veterans killed in four wars was completely destroyed.I would rather the anti-war, anti-military protesters spit on me and hurl invective at me. Just please, don't destroy the monuments. The names on those walls can no longer defend themselves.
That memorial once stood as five granite panels, with the names of 45 veterans who lost their lives, paying the ultimate sacrifice. But Tuesday, the memorial lies in pieces at the city's maintenance yard.
Local veterans said they're not sure when the memorial was vandalized. They say it looks like someone took their car and just rammed into it. The memorial was erected in 1989 and residents there said they're devastated by it's vandalism, because it's more than just rock - it's a symbol of freedom.
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