Swastika Drawn On Vietnam Veterans Memorial In Boston: Police

BOSTON — Just days before Memorial Day, a number of plants were torn out of the ground and damaged, flags were ripped down and thrown into the woods and hate-graffiti — including a swastika — was written on a stone memorial at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Morrissey Boulevard Thursday, according to state police. Police said it appeared the vandalism was committed earlier in the day and called it a "despicable act."

No arrests were announced. Police said anyone with information on the culprits should contact them immediately.

The memorial is situated on open space owned and maintained by University of Massachusetts. UMass-Boston police officers and state troopers searched the grounds for evidence, conducted canvases of the area and determined whether any security cameras in the area captured additional evidence.

It wasn't the first time the monument was vandalized.

Last fall, an American flag was cut, a POW-MIA flag was stolen and a state flag was torn down from the memorial and dumped in the woods with garbage atop. The following month, residents rallied to help with the cost of repairing the site following the incident.

The monument was designed by Paul J. Shannon, a local artist who was a Vietnam vet himself and a native of South Boston.

It was built near the entrance to UMass Boston's Harbor Campus in the late 1980s. The memorial features the names of 79 Dorchester servicemen killed in action during the war.

Police are asking anyone with information to call UMass Boston Police at 617-287-6084 or state police at 617-740-7710.

Police shared a photo of the vandalism:

Previously:

• Vietnam Veterans Memorial In Boston Vandalized: State Police (Oct. 2018)
• Boston Rallies To Repair Defaced Vietnam Monument (Nov. 2018)
• Police Investigating Vandalism To WWII Memorial On Castle Island (March)
• Several Monuments At Mount Hope Cemetery Vandalized (March)

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).