Vandalism may strengthen ties to vets, observers say
Published Wednesday November 11th, 2009
FREDERICTON - Remembrance Day ceremonies across the province today are taking on an added significance as a result of two incidents that veterans say dishonour the memory of fallen soldiers.
Veterans and active members of the Armed Forces were shocked Monday to find the provincial cenotaph's large granite cross in Fredericton, which formerly stood more than three metres high, had been toppled to the ground and broken into pieces.
Police in Hampton, meanwhile, arrested three men after a can containing poppy donations was stolen from the front counter at a convenience store near the Saint John airport. The incident was caught on videotape Monday, and the men are expected to appear in Saint John provincial court early next year.
The two incidents have sparked outrage and an outpouring of support from across the province and the country for military veterans.
"People from all over, not just new Brunswick, have been calling the office all day to see what they can do to help and offering donations to help fund the repairs or replacement (of the cenotaph)," Clayton Saunders, president of the New Brunswick Command for the Royal Canadian Legion, said Tuesday.
A Facebook group formed Monday had already amassed 2,800 members by Tuesday evening, all of them offering to donate money to help with the repairs.
"I wanted some way to express my support to the vets and to the legion," Rob Hoadley, the Fredericton resident who started the group, said.
Keith Ashfield, Fredericton's MP, has also made the city and local legion aware of the Veterans Affairs program that helps repair and restore military monuments.
Under the program, the federal government would pay 50 per cent of the costs up to $25,000.
But Harold Boone, the city's trails and projects co-ordinator, said the city will need to weigh its options and take a few days to decide how best to approach the costly repair.
The damaged cross has been cleared away for tomorrow's ceremony, however.
"The focus right now is on the Remembrance Day ceremonies and I suspect we'll see a bigger than normal crowd at the service (today) at the cenotaph," Boone said.
Fredericton police are asking residents with any information to alert the police or call Crime Stoppers.
Const. Ralph Currie, spokesman for the force, ruled out the possibility the monument fell on its own, explaining that it appears vandals also attempted to move another monument at the same location.
"It appears that before the (cross) was knocked over, they may have attempted to knock over a granite marking that the province had put there in 2007, officially making it the provincial cenotaph," he said.
Currie said the police force is planning to go through surveillance footage recorded in the area that may have captured images of the vandals. He is asking residents to call the Fredericton police (460-2300) or Crime Stoppers (1-800-222-8477) if they have any information.
The incident has raised concern that Canadians, particularly young ones, don't understand the sacrifices made by forces members.
Cpl. Bryan Marr, who served in Afghanistan in 2007, said Monday the vandalism shows a lack of respect for the military.
"The fact that people do this is just a slap in the face to everything that we put forth in our effort in service to the Canadian people," he said.
But Hoadley, 28, says the incident shouldn't be viewed as a reflection of how youth regard the country's war veterans.
"There might be some people who forget, there might be some people who are ignorant, but I don't think that's a significant portion of the population," said Hoadley, who had grandparents who served overseas, and close friends who went to Afghanistan.
Hoadley is hopeful the act of vandalism can serve to strengthen New Brunswick's ties to its veterans and its armed forces members.
"There is certainly a very negative aspect to it, but I think the fact that the community is coming together and that people of all ages are coming together to help out - that's a massive positive," he said.
- with files from Tammy Scott-Wallace and Canadaeast News Services
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
Comments (1)
All comments are subject to the site Terms of Use. For a full commenting tutorial click here.
Our editorial team relies on filtering technology and our visitor community to identify inappropriate comments. In the event that a site user has submitted offensive content that has evaded our filter, please select the option to Flag As Inappropriate presented within the comment. Thank you for helping to keep this site clean.