The graffiti was quickly cleaned up but the search is still on in Wetaskiwin for the culprit who vandalized the town’s cenotaph.
Mike Yargeau was driving past the cenotaph Wednesday morning when he spotted the graffiti.
Spray-painted in blue letters 12 inches tall, the message read “No Pride in War.”
The cenotaph, in Diamond Jubilee Park on 54th Street, was placed there to honour those who served Canada in times of war and peace.
Many were outraged by the graffiti.
Yargeau immediately went to pick up supplies to clean it up.
“I wanted to get it off as fast as I could, because I didn’t want anybody seeing it. It was offensive.”
Cecil Colwell served in the Second World War and has lived in Wetaskiwin for more than 50 years. That cenotaph is sacred to him. He’s proud of what Canadian soldiers did in that war, in all the nation’s wars, proud of the sacrifices they made.
“Whoever did that, had no idea what we did,” he said.
The town reacted quickly to the desecration of the cenotaph.
Yargeau said he planned to do the work himself, but city workers arrived within minutes and took over and did a very good job.
Colwell is pleased at how quickly the message was wiped away.
But he would still like to see the culprit punished.
“I’d like to get a chance at a little corporal punishment there,” he said.
He knows that’s not possible, but has another idea.
“I think maybe they should be forced to sit down, and listen to a guy like me tell them what war is all about.”
The RCMP say they are investigating the incident, and several others involving blue spray paint, including vandalism to one of their own vehicles.
