War veteran, 83, cried at scene of cemetery desecration, cops say

Scene of Port Alberni, B.C. veteran's cemetery destruction - RCMP photo

They were veterans of many wars.

When they died,  townsfolk in Port Alberni, on northern Vancouver Island, laid them to rest in a Field of Honour – a special place marked by hundreds of rows of white crosses. It was to honour them for their service to Canada.

On Monday, the RCMP were called to the Field of Honour at the Greenwood Cemetery. They arrived to find an 83-year-old veteran weeping.

“Upon arrival at the cemetary, extensive damage was noted to the grave markers in the Field of Honour,” said RCMP spokesman Staff-Sgt. Lee Omilusik.

“An 83-year-old veteran at the cemetery was observed crying as he viewed the damage,” said the policeman.

“The Field of Honour was established as a place for veterans of armed conflicts from the Alberni Valley to be honoured and buried,” he said. ” The Field of Honour consists of several hundred graves in sixteen rows marked by white crosses.”

” Each grave has a name plate of the deceased Veteran attached.  The crosses consist of a plastic melamine type material.  The graves are all in one section of the cemtery marked by a cenotaph,” he added.

“In all, 20 crosses were destroyed and appeared to have been kicked.  There was no other damage found to any other part of the cemetary.”

Townfolk interviewed by police were shocked by the callousness of the culprit or culprits.

“All those interviewed were very upset that someone would be so callous as to damage the grave site of a veteran,” said Omilusik. ” Their sacrifices are the reason we enjoy the freedoms we have today.”

RCMP are looking for help in catching those responsible but have no motive for why someone would kick crosses marking the graves of war veterans.

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