Veterans' plaques stolen from Tahoma National Cemetery

KOMO NEWS ^ | 11-30-10 | KOMO Staff

[NavyCanDo]

KENT, Wash. -- Veterans are fighting mad after someone stole nearly a dozen memorial plaques from the Tahoma National Cemetery.

Workers discovered Monday morning that 11 bronze memorial plaques were ripped from their granite foundations.

Cemetery director Jim Trimbo believes the theft happened sometime over the weekend. The large plaques were held in place with brass screws and epoxy.

"I'm mad as hell," said Trimbo. "There's no reason for this. There's absolutely no reason. If the guy needed $20, I would've given him $20, because that's basically what they'll get. It was $5,000 to buy these plaques."

For Korean War Veteran Bill Russell, the crime is a hideous one.

"They're stabbing me in the back. What they're saying is, 'We don't care for you,"' he said.

[NavyCanDo]

This Cemetery which is not far from my home gets vandalized nearly every year. Veterans stones have been smashed, flags lining the drive have been stolen and now metal thieves desecrating the graves of buried Veterans. I can’t tell you how mad this makes me without breaking FR language rules.

[Retired Chemist]

"There's no reason for this

The same reason they are ripping the copper coils out of A/C units locally.

[skeeter]

More evidence of the decline.

There was a time not too long ago when this kind of crime would've been unthinkable even to thieves.

[oh8eleven]

This Cemetery which is not far from my home gets vandalized nearly every year.
No police force?
Why haven't the local vets put out ambush teams?

[skeeter]

The next set of plaques should be set up to have about as much current pumped thru them as an AC coil.

I'd like to see these punks end up like the pictures I've seen of less successful copper coil thieves.

[hoagy62]

Saw this on the local news this morning. “Inhuman scum” doesn’t even begin to cover the utter vileness of these reprehensible creatures.

[Hacklehead]

Metal thieves or unpatriotic leftists making a statement?

[ASOC]

Tweekers looking for dough for thier next fix of cheap Mexican meth.

Several of these ( ) are killed each year as they try to steal wires that are still powered up.

[NavyCanDo]

“More evidence of the decline. There was a time not too long ago when this kind of crime would’ve been unthinkable even to thieves.”

Good point. This country has seen harder times, but never with the combination of a moral decline like we have now. When will we read the first stories of metal crosses being taken from the top of church steeples? That’s next.

[NavyCanDo]

I am willing to bet the thieves were not born in this country so have no patriotism. Areas of King County WA, including Kent have large populations of immigrants both legal and illegal.

[skeeter]

Although its always a mistake to underestimate the bad behavior of some of our home grown creeps, more often than not something like this is the result of the admittance of large numbers of people who feel no loyalty or obligation whatsoever towards their host country or it’s heritage.

[skeeter]

Although its always a mistake to underestimate the bad behavior our home grown creeps are capable of, more often than not something like this is the direct result of large numbers of recent arrivals who feel no loyalty or obligation whatsoever towards their host country or it’s heritage.

[Retired Chemist]

They also stole a bunch of bronze urns out of a local cemetary.