American flags destroyed on Cape Cod bridge honoring fallen Massachusetts marine

A heartbroken Massachusetts mother is demanding accountability after seeing American flags be destroyed once more on a Cape Cod bridge named in honor of her Purple Heart son The Yarmouth Police Department says it has ramped up patrols of all overpasses in town after eight flags were vandalized and placed upside down on the Lance Cpl William Joseph Donovan Jr Memorial Bridge over the weekend Jane Donovan the mother of the bridge s namesake says she would like to see traffic cameras installed on the overpass to help law enforcement capture any future culprits noting Saturday s matter is the latest in a troubling pattern Something has to be done in my eyes the Quincy woman reported the Herald on Tuesday through tears The bridge honors William Joseph Donovan Jr a U S Marine who received two Purple Heart medals in for injuries suffered during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan He died in at age in a fatal motorcycle crash in Canton The state Legislature designated the bridge spanning Highway in his honor in Jane Donovan highlighted how she and her family have seen the overpass sustain vandalism throughout the years In the past a bridge sign and flags have been destroyed and removed while no one has been held accountable she declared We don t know who it is Donovan revealed Is it somebody who has mental issues We don t know a single soul who would ever do anything to our flag It is very nerve-wracking and it has deeply saddened me not just because it s my son s bridge but how dare anybody do that The mother stated she learned about the destroyed flags on Saturday night receiving a call from state Rep Steven Xiarhos a Cape Cod Republican who lost his son at the age of in a roadside bombing in Helmand province Afghanistan in Xiarhos son Nicholas G Xiarhos who served as a Marine corporal and William Donovan became close friends with the two graduating together from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in Donovan enlisted following Xiarhos death Another Yarmouth bridge honors Xiarhos son He reported the Herald on Tuesday that he is deeply bothered by the vandalism on Donovan s bridge calling it cowardly calculated and wrong Xiarhos revealed that all eight of the destroyed American flags had their corners cut out of them while specific were torn and others appeared to have particular kind of substance splattered on them The flags were turned over to the Yarmouth Police Department as evidence he mentioned Yarmouth PD communicated the Herald that it has increased police patrols on all of the overpasses in the mid-Cape town in response to the circumstance The Nicholas G Xiarhos Memorial Fund is covering the cost of replacing the flags which will have grommets installed on all four corners after they re produced at a local Barnstable shop The goal is to have the flags in time for the th annual Big Nick s Ride a motorcycle caravan drawing Marines and supporters from all over the country on Sunday Xiarhos stated When it comes to the American flag that s not just a piece of cloth he declared That s the symbol of freedom known all over the world When you do something disrespectful to the American flag that hurts people who have served and defended under it Jim Seymour the executive director of the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center echoed Xiarhos saying he felt discouraged and disheartened when he learned about the newest circumstance Sometimes it gets lost what the flag truly stands for Seymour recounted the Herald So a great number of people didn t get to come home and fought under that flag he added and provided them the right to do that action that they did honestly I feel to disgrace the flag and desecrate the flag Jane Donovan recounted being brought up to respect the flag and parenting her son to do the same In the immediate aftermath of she recalled how she and her son bought a white sheet that they painted the stars and stripes on on their garage floor If you re in this country you need to respect our flag Donovan commented I don t care if you re American-born or if you are an immigrant you need to learn to respect our flag It stands for much more than a political thing in my eyes William Joseph Donovan Jr a U S Marine who received two Purple Heart medals in for injuries suffered during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan Courtesy Steven Xiarhos