It was reported last week that one or more individuals vandalized the Vietnam Memorial in Dorchester near Morrissey Blvd. What possesses people to have so little respect for something so sacred is incomprehensible. The key word here is ‘sacred’. The many memorials around Boston and in fact all across our nation are dedicated to fallen veterans from all of America’s wars.
They bear the names of heroes, who gave their lives for something they believed was far bigger and more important than themselves. One definition of a hero is putting one’s self in harm’s way to protect others. Our veterans certainly understand this definition because they have stepped up ready to do just that at one time or another in their lives.
Real Americans and real community minded people understand just how important, how ‘sacred’, these veteran’s memorials are, and they treat them accordingly. You would think that these symbols remembering the great men and women, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow Americans would be considered off limits by even the vilest, the most shallow and smallest-minded people. But unfortunately, there are a tiny percentage of people who are just too ignorant to understand this. They just don’t get it.
Our war memorials should never be targets of vandals, nor are they props to be decorated with party favors or used as playgrounds. And great care should always be taken to make sure that they are maintained in peak condition. School children are taught at a young age how important America’s war memorials are. Unfortunately, some adults remain clueless. When and if the culprits, who vandalized that monument, are caught, no leniency should be shown to them. There is no acceptable excuse for anyone who disrespects, in any way, and to any degree, these cherished symbols honoring our nation’s fallen.
