Vandals smash war monument in Gainesville, Florida
Repairs to the 'Walk Through Time' monument will cost more than two thousand dollars
Veterans in Florida say they're disgusted that someone apparently stormed a war memorial in Gainesville and smashed some of it to pieces over the weekend.
This pillar, commemorating the veterans who died since 9/11, was smashed over the weekend at the park off Tower Rd. pic.twitter.com/dneSUkO9cM
— Morgan Watkins (@morganwatkins26) April 11, 2016
“It’s sickening. Nobody should want to do something like that,” Korean War veteran Eddie Thomas told Fox 35. “Why destroy something for somebody that gave their lives?”
The monument, part of a memorial known as "Walk Through Time," honors U.S. service members who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after September 11th.
The damage likely took place early Sunday morning, investigators tell The Gainesville Sun. Jim Lynch, a member of the Alachua County Veterans Memorial Committee, told the newspaper it's tough to see how this could have been an accident.
Korean War veteran Terry Fitzpatrick said he felt "instant anger."
Officials say it'll cost them more than $2,000 to fix the monument in Veterans Memorial Park -- although they'd already planned a broader renovation.
Fitzpatrick said he had a message for the attacker or attackers: "You’re cowards. You definitely do not understand the history of this country."
Investigators say they're looking into it, but they don't believe security footage caught it.
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