Too cowardly to show his/her/their face and voice contemptable political opinions publicly, one or more scumbags defaced a sign dedicating a part of a recreational trail to the memory of a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

The family of a Green Beret who was one of the nation's first casualties in the war on terror in Afghanistan was outraged after discovering vandals had defaced a sign honoring the soldier 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" and 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 other two signs were not vandalized.

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, a town of approximately 3,500 residents, is about 140 miles west of Boston.

Vandals are, of course, a pathetic breed to begin with. That they would desecrate a sign memorializing a member of the military who died in the service of the country makes this crime that much lower. And that they seem to have forgotten that the action in Afghanistan was directly related to the 9/11 attack indicates a level of ignorance and immorality that is almost pathological.

Daniel Petithory had made the army his career, according to his 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.

Mr. Petithory. all Americans who love this country are proud of your son for having been a part of that, and roundly condemn this disgusting act of America-hating cowards.

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Posted by: Greg at 06:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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