A volunteer with a veterans organization is trying to understand why a Windsor memorial was vandalized.
Someone removed some of the hero plaques that had been attached to some of the Canadian flags currently flying along the riverfront at the foot of Sunset Ave. The memorial, which consists of 128 maple leaf flags, is a local initiative of Veterans Voices of Canada and was just dedicated on Saturday.
Terri Davis-Fitzpatrick, the local coordinator of the VVC's National Flags of Remembrance project, says she first learned that something was wrong on Sunday when her son went down to Assumption Park and noticed five plaques were gone. On Thanksgiving Monday, a friend of hers was heading to the memorial and was asked to check things out.
"I had asked her if she wouldn't mind counting the plaques while she was down there, which she did," says Davis-Fitzpatrick. "There was another four missing, so that made it a total of nine plaques that were missing."
A total of 61 plaques were affixed to the flag poles. Each one was shaped like a maple leaf and paid tribute to a Canadian veteran. Each plaque also had a sponsor. Some of the veterans honoured are still living while others were killed or missing in action.
Davis-Fitzpatrick says once she learned of the initial vandalism, she contacted Allan Cameron, the executive director of Veterans Voices of Canada. After some discussion, Davis-Fitzpatrick went down to the memorial Tuesday and personally removed the remaining plaques from the flags, to ensure they are not vandalized.
With the plaques down for safekeeping, Davis-Fitzpatrick says she's saddened that the memorial would be treated that way.
"I find it very disheartening and I'm disappointed," says Davis-Fitzpatrick. "This is like going into a cemetery and desecrating a headstone. It's sacred ground. This was to honour our veterans and thank them."
Each of the 128 Canadian flags still flying represents 1,000 Canadian soldiers who have been killed or missing in action since the start of the Boer War of 1899. Those will continue to be flown along the Windsor riverfront until November 12.