Residents were reeling after waking up March 22 to find graffiti scrawled on the side of the LAV III located at Nose Creek Valley Museum. “I just don’t believe somebody would do that,” said Bill Drummond, past president of the Airdrie branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. “It’s beyond my comprehension, to be honest.” According to Drummond, a member of a local cadet troop was on the way to school when he noticed the white graffiti “tag” on the LAV III. The news quickly made its way through the grapevine to Drummond, who was alerted to the vandalism around 9:30 a.m. The LAV III was not the sole target – along Main Street between Summerfield Boulevard and the entrance to Nose Creek Park, at least seven street signs, electrical boxes and garbage cans sported a similar tag, including a sign for the Festival of Lights not far from the museum. Still, Drummond said, seeing the graffiti on the memorial was particularly painful as a veteran. “[The LAV III is] there for a reason, and I find it abhorrent that some idiot would do what he did,” he said. “[It’s a] total lack of respect for people who gave up their lives for freedom.” Drummond added he didn’t notice other graffiti in the area. “If there was other vandalism done, I’m sorry for the people it happened to, but it really strikes home with me with the Light Armoured Vehicle,” he said. According to Drummond, the LAV III was originally intended to serve as a memorial to Alberta servicemen and servicewomen as well as veterans living with PTSD, and includes a plaque commemorating 156 Albertans who lost their lives serving in Afghanistan. However, it has also become a symbol of Airdrie’s community spirit. Drummond said the machine would have cost between $80,000 and $85,000, and the Legion did not spend a penny. “Businesses in Airdrie stepped forward with all sorts of financial help, even to the extent of a truck company here in Airdrie went all the way down to London, Ont., to pick the machine up and brought it back free of charge,” he said. According to Kevin Brinson, Parks team leader with the City of Airdrie, the owner of each piece of property targeted by the vandals is responsible for removing the graffiti. However, the community of Airdrie was quick to step up, according to Drummond. He added “quite a few guys came to help” with the clean-up efforts, which went better than expected – no trace of the graffiti remains on the LAV. “And, since then, we've had phone calls of sympathy and anger, a lot of anger from the public in Airdrie,” Drummond said. Airdrie RCMP confirmed an investigation into the incident has been opened, and anyone with information is asked to call the detachment at 403-945-7200. Drummond said while he appreciates the efforts of the RCMP, he feels it is unlikely the culprit(s) will ever be caught because the incident took place in the late evening and he is doubtful anyone witnessed the vandals. “Unfortunately, it was done during the night and there's nobody around that could see the guy was dressed this way, or if he's this age group or whatever. Because, unfortunately, these cowards like to hide in darkness,” he said. The damage has prompted the Legion to consider installing security cameras. Members have been in touch with the City, according to Drummond, and are now holding a campaign to raise the funds needed to purchase the equipment. “We’re not looking for hundreds of dollars from people, just $2 or $3 from each person and we'd have enough money to buy a couple of cameras,” he said. Donations can be made in person at the Royal Canadian Legion, Drummond said. At this time, tax receipts will not be issued. - With files from Allison Chorney
