Article: Vietnam Vets Memorial Defaced With Scratches

A swastika-like symbol was scratched onto the highly polished black granite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial sometime last month, according to the National Park Service. It is the first damage to the memorial since it opened in 1982.

The panel, near the middle of the memorial, was also scratched numerous times with vertical lines, as was another panel nearer the east end of the 493-foot wall. The symbol and the lines are all about eight inches long.

A Park Service official who viewed the damage yesterday reacted angrily to the vandalism on Washington's most-visited memorial.

"This is a living memorial," said Bill Ruback, superintendent of the downtown national parks. "The wall ...

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