Vandalism upsets Natick veterans. Carefully placed flags found burning at park

[Ian David]

Vandalism upsets Natick veterans
Carefully placed flags found burning at park

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff | May 26, 2007

NATICK -- His walk is more of a slow shuffle these days, and he uses a cane. Nevertheless, Bob White, a 74-year- old Korean War veteran, helped to stick a dozen flags around four war memorials in Natick this week, the final touches before Memorial Day weekend.

But authorities later discovered that his work had been undone, in what was either badly timed vandalism or what some veterans here call an objectionable act of political expression.

The flags, each about the size of a sheet of legal paper, were found burning inside a trash receptacle at about 4 p.m. Thursday at Moran Park, just north of the city's busy downtown area. A police officer, heading back to the station at the end of his shift, discovered the fire.

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"It's malicious or wanton destruction of property, but the added desecration of the American flag, especially on a weekend when the nation honors its dead, is alarming," Grassey said.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/05/26/vandalism_upsets_natick_veterans/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

If someone wants to burn a flag, they should pay for and burn their OWN damned flag.

[cleveramerican]

1. Shameful, just shameful

which is exactly the reaction the vandals were going for I'd assume.

The thing is, if somebody like me caught them in the act and bashed their faces in I'd be in jail now.So they can do it and get away with it as long as the police don't catch them, they have no reason to fear being caught by ordinary people which emboldens them.The proof of this is they got away with it on Main Street at 4 in the afternoon.