MacMaster: Veterans Deserve Better

The following was submitted by City Councilor Shawn MacMaster:

Although the rain did not dampen Memorial Day activities this past weekend in Melrose -- thanks to a poignant program put forth by the Veterans Advisory Board as well as a strong turnout from the public -- a dark, ominous cloud lingered overhead. Its presence may not have been known to the public who gathered at the various war memorials to honor our fallen; but to the members of the Veterans Advisory Board, it signified an assault on the memory of every soldier, Marine, sailor, airman, and Coast Guardsman killed in action.

The cloud in question was the byproduct of a coward. A coward who creeps under the cover of darkness. A coward who knows nothing of service and sacrifice. A coward whose actions stand in stark contrast to the heroism of those who we honor with our war memorials. For on two recent nights, while many of our Veterans lay awake haunted by the indelible memories of war, a craven of the worst kind trampled across the Knoll, thereby trampling on the memory of those whose names adorn that hallowed hillside. The Vietnam reflection area, a sacred and solemn spot commemorated just six months ago on Veterans Day, was desecrated. While some may want to attribute what happened to a group of misguided teenagers or chalk it up to a random act of vandalism, there is little doubt that the reflection area was targeted. Having occurred on two separate occasions, both times at night, the culprit knew what they were doing. Unlike most acts of vandalism, nothing was left behind; instead, several beautification features were completely removed. The only trace that they ever existed were the holes in the ground from where they were taken.

The motive remains unknown. But should that even matter? Although it may be natural to want to understand why this happened, what happened is the cause of the actual damage, not just to the reflection area itself but to the collective psyche of our Veterans community, including our Gold Star families. To many local Veterans and their loved ones, this was just the most recent example of disrespect. Last summer, the Lt. Norman Prince VFW Post on Main Street was brazenly tagged by a vandal.

Desecration of war memorials and acts of vandalism at safe spaces where Veterans gather (like the City’s two VFWs) should call for community-wide outrage. Whereas silence works to embolden vandals and cowards, condemnation is their kryptonite. They shrivel when exposed to the watchful eye of the pubic, even in anonymity. While they may thrive in the cloak of darkness, they wither in the sunlight of shame. So where is the chorus of shame when we need it, Melrose? The Veterans community is listening.

Shawn M. MacMaster
City Councilor, Ward 5
City Council Liaison to the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board