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Memorial to slain soldier is vandalized
CRYSTAL CITY Robin Wallace cried the first time she saw the vandalism of a bronze sculpture dedicated to her son, Sgt. Brandon Wallace. The soldier's father, Rick Wallace, couldn't sleep after he heard about it. "The saddest part was driving by and seeing only the boots left," Robin Wallace said. The statue of a pair of boots, rifle and helmet at the entrance to Crystal City High School probably was vandalized early March 18, school officials said. The vandals also tore letters off of the gymnasium signage and ransacked a coach's office, Superintendent Ron Swafford said. "I'm a veteran myself, and I cannot see why anybody would do that," Swafford said. "Our kids have been really touched by it. Every time I go out in the hall, they ask me if we have any information about who did this." Sgt. Wallace was killed last April by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The sculpture was dedicated in September. The vandals broke the rifle and helmet off of the base of the memorial and stuffed them in nearby bushes. The broken pieces now sit in Swafford's office. A local welder has volunteered to fix the monument. A reward for information leading to an arrest started at $200. It's now at $1,650, Swafford said. "It's not just that (the memorial) honored Brandon, but by honoring Brandon, they were honoring all those that have fallen and have yet to fall," Robin Wallace said. Rick Wallace said he would like to give the vandals two options: jail time or a tour of duty in Iraq. Posted by: Steve White 2008-03-27 |
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