AMVETS Offers $5,000 Reward for Help Catching Vandals

National Commander Calls Out Domestic Terrorists

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AMVETS National
 Commander John P. "J.P." Brown III announced today that AMVETS is offering
 a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful
 prosecution of those responsible for the Sept. 7 vandalism of the Vietnam
 Veterans' Memorial.
 
     "The domestic terrorists responsible for defacing 'The Wall' must be
 brought to justice," Commander Brown said today. "The Vietnam Veterans
 Memorial is one of the most meaningful sites in the nation. Those
 responsible for this despicable action are cowards. To these vandals I say,
 'While you hide in your dark corner giggling to yourself, what point have
 you made? You have done nothing but destroy private property and hurt
 innocent people. This is nothing more than childish vandalism with no
 explanation. Real activists would have claimed responsibility. They
 apparently fail to understand what this wall means to millions of
 Americans, that this is a place to honor those who have given their lives
 to preserve our freedoms.'"
 
     According to the National Park Service, 14 of the memorial's 140 panels
 were stained by an unidentified substance. The Wall holds the names of
 58,256 casualties and service members still missing in action during the
 Vietnam War.
 
     "I can not fathom how anyone could justify such a heinous act against
 our veterans and their families," said Commander Brown, himself a Vietnam
 War veteran. "From media reports, I gather this may have been seen by the
 perpetrators as a protest against the government and current military
 operations. If that is the case, these criminals are as uneducated as they
 are unpatriotic. This wall belongs to the people - not the government."
 
     The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, which celebrates its 25th birthday this
 November, was paid for entirely through private contributions from
 veterans, foundations, unions, corporations, civic organizations and more
 than 275,000 individual Americans. No federal funds were used for its
 construction.
 
     "I applaud Congressman John Carter [Texas] for introducing a House
 resolution today condemning attacks on the memory of veterans and their
 service to the United States," Commander Brown said just before attending
 the official announcement by Rep. Carter. "It is critical that we as a
 nation stand together, clearly stating we will not tolerate this."
 
     A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America's
 Armed Forces, AMVETS is the largest veterans service organization that
 represents members of every branch of the military, including the National
 Guard and Reserve. More information can be found at http://www.amvets.org.
 
     Joseph Chenelly,
     (301)683-4035
 
 
 

SOURCE AMVETS