BOSTON (WHDH) - An investigation is underway after vandals tagged a Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Boston with graffiti, destroyed American flags, and ripped up plants on Thursday just days before the Memorial Day holiday, officials said.
Troopers and UMass-Boston police responding to the memorial on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester found several hateful messages, along with a swastika, that were written in black graffiti on the memorial’s stone pillars.
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State police say several plants were ripped from the ground and flags were either destroyed or thrown into the water.
The historic memorial features the names of 80 servicemen who were killed during the Vietnam War.
The act of vandalism comes after a World War II memorial in South Boston and a memorial dedicated to fallen police officers in Mattapan were targeted in March.
No additional information was immediately available.
An investigation is ongoing.
“I don’t know why anybody would do anything like this here, especially on this weekend,” said Vietnam veteran Joe Zinck. “They have to be a sick individual with major issues.”
BREAKING: State Police investigating vandalism at Vietnam Memorial at UMass Boston. Flags thrown in water, plants ripped up, and graffiti written on memorial. @7News pic.twitter.com/L2wcShULkA
— Alex DiPrato (@AlexDiPrato) May 23, 2019
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