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Vandals mar sign honoring Silver Star WOT casualty
The family of a Green Beret who was one of the nation's first casualties in the war on terror in Afghanistan is outraged that vandals have defaced a sign honoring the soldier's memory with anti-war graffiti."I felt like I was going to vomit," said Michael Petithory, the brother of Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Petithory. "It was just pure rage," he told the North Adams Transcript. Daniel Petithory was killed Dec. 5, 2001, along with two other soldiers when a U.S. bomb landed about 100 yards from their position north of Kandahar. Michael Petithory discovered the vandalism on Thursday as he biked along the Ashuwillticook Trail. The words "oil," "Bush" and "Christian Crusade" as well as other phrases were written in black marker on the brown metal sign. Family and friends cleaned the sign, which is one of three along a stretch of the trail that honors the Cheshire native. The paved path is used by area residents for walking, biking and in-line skating. The other two signs were not vandalized. "I was enraged," said Petithory's father, Lou. "He had been in the military for 14 years, so he was one of the older guys on his team," Lou Petithory told the Boston Herald. "They made military history. They were 200 Green Berets inserted into Afghanistan, and within two weeks the Taliban was gone. "I'm so proud of my son for being part of that," he said. Daniel Petithory was a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart. He joined the Army shortly after graduating from Hoosac Valley High School in 1987. He is buried near family members in Cheshire Cemetery. Police in Cheshire and Lanesborough are investigating, but there had been no arrests as of Friday evening. Cheshire police Sgt. Alison Warner said the department plans to increase bicycle patrols along the trail and make extra checks at night. Cheshire, a town of approximately 3,500 residents, is about 140 miles west of Boston. Posted by: lotp 2006-03-25 |
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