The Jewish War Veterans is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals who defaced the Vietnam War Memorial.
The memorial was defaced with scratches, including a swastika. The 493-foot granite wall contains the names of American servicemen who died in Vietnam.
The vandalism was discovered several weeks ago, but only became public knowledge Tuesday, according to Earle Kittleman, chief of public information for the National Park Service. He said it was the first time the monument had been defaced.
The wall, the most visited site in Washington since it opened in 1982, was erected through the efforts of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which also has offered a $1,000 reward.
Jack Litz, the JWV’s national commander, said he was “outraged by the desecration of a monument which honors the memory of those who died in war.”
Litz said he was particularly concerned that a swastika was discovered among the deep scratches.
“This symbol of the evil Nazi regime, which so many Jewish war veterans fought against, has been reappearing in recent months on synagogues, on Jewish monuments and cemeteries,” he said.
Because of these incidents, the JWV leader had decided to reactivate the organization’s national reward fund, which existed several years ago to help find anti-Semitic vandals, according to Michelle Kelley, the JWV’s communications director.
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