Memorial Boulevard statue mauled

Vandals attacked a statue of a gun-toting soldier on Memorial Boulevard last night, turning the historic bronze monument into little more than a pile of scrap metal.
"It's completely destroyed," said Park Director Ed Swicklas.
Swicklas said he believes that vandals climbed atop the rock base and pushed the statue back and forth until it snapped off at the legs.
Then they ripped apart its rifle, leggings and more, bending bars and tearing it apart.
"I just can't believe someone would do that," Swicklas said. "It's pretty disheartening."
The statue is apparently one of 52 bronze casts by Alice Ruggles Kitson in the 1920s to commemorate the Spanish-American war. Known as "The Hiker," the Memorial Boulevard statue has a twin at the entrance to Rockwell Park that wasn't damaged.
The city spent thousands to restore the statue in the mid-1990s and will likely need to spend at least as much to fix the damage this time around, Swicklas estimated.
Swicklas said it's probably the worst act of vandalism he's seen as park director.
"It's rotten. It's gotta stop," he said.
The city has been taking measures to combat vandalism in the parks, including the installation of cameras at downtown's Brackett Park. There are plans for more cameras in other parks, including the boulevard, which is lined with war memorials and monuments.
More on this later.

Update: Mayor Art Ward said that vandals broke off the rifle and snapped the legs before bending the statue backwards almost horizontally. It is held to the boulder by steel rods, he said. "It looks like a concerted effort to create damage," Ward said.
Calling the vandalism "unconsionable and totally disrespectful," Ward said that the culprits must be caught and punished.
Vandalism, he said, "is escalating out of control."
The mayor said that for vandals to attack the monuments on Memorial Boulevard is "unfathomable" and distressing to the entire community.

Another update: “What’s wrong with people?” asked city Councilor Frank Nicastro.“This has gotta stop. This is going way too far.”
Nicastro said he’s “had it” with vandalism in the city.
“We have to get tough. There is no excuse for lenience on this,” said Nicastro, who is also the 79th District’s state representative.
“This country needs to get tough. It’s too damn liberal. Something like this is a disgrace,” Nicastro said.
He said it’s particularly hard to take an attack on the boulevard, which “is dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives” for the country.
“And then people do things like this?” Nicasto asked. “Where the hell are their sense of values?”
“We really have to see to it that these people are caught and prosecuted to the fullest. The judges have got to come down hard on this. There’s no reason to be lenient,” Nicastro said.
Nicastro said he wonders if perhaps the culprits were not merely vandals, but metal thieves who got scared away somehow.
According to the American Legion post’s website, which has a picture of the statue in better day (shown above), “The Hiker” was put on the boulevard in 1983 and dedicated the following year to all of the soldiers killed in World War II.
It originally stood at Nettie Rockwell’s Brightwood Estate on West Street, the website says.

Full story:
Striking in the middle of the night, vandals attacked a statue of a gun-toting soldier on Memorial Boulevard, turning the historic bronze monument into little more than a pile of scrap metal."It's completely destroyed," said Park Director Ed Swicklas.Swicklas said he believes that vandals climbed atop the rock base sometime Friday night or Saturday morning and pushed statue back and forth until it snapped off at the legs.Then they ripped apart its rifle, leggings and more, bending bars and tearing it apart.Mayor Art Ward said that vandals broke off the rifle and snapped the legs before bending the statue backwards almost horizontally. It is held to the boulder by steel rods, he said.
"It looks like a concerted effort to create damage," Ward said."I just can't believe someone would do that," Swicklas said. "It's pretty disheartening."
“What’s wrong with people?” asked city Councilor Frank Nicastro.“This has gotta stop. This is going way too far.”
The statue is one of 52 bronze casts by Alice Ruggles Kitson nearly a century ago to commemorate the Spanish-American war. The statues show an eight-foot tall “hiker” – a common term for Spanish-American War veterans – dressed in khaki, holding a rifle and looking as if he were resting after a long trek.
Known as "The Hiker," the Memorial Boulevard statue has a twin at the entrance to Rockwell Park that wasn't damaged. Other copies can be found at Arlington National Cemetery, the University of Minnesota and in a number of New England towns.The city spent thousands to restore the statue in the mid-1990s and will likely need to spend at least as much to fix the damage this time around, Swicklas estimated.Swicklas said it's probably the worst act of vandalism he's seen as park director."It's rotten. It's gotta stop," he said.
Calling the vandalism "unconscionable and totally disrespectful," Ward said that the culprits must be caught and punished.Vandalism, he said, "is escalating out of control."The mayor said that for vandals to attack the monuments on Memorial Boulevard is "unfathomable" and distressing to the entire community.Nicastro said he’s “had it” with vandalism in the city.“We have to get tough. There is no excuse for lenience on this,” said Nicastro, who is also the 79th District’s state representative.“This country needs to get tough. It’s too damn liberal. Something like this is a disgrace,” Nicastro said.He said it’s particularly hard to take an attack on the boulevard, which “is dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives” for the country.“And then people do things like this?” Nicasto asked. “Where the hell are their sense of values?”“We really have to see to it that these people are caught and prosecuted to the fullest. The judges have got to come down hard on this. There’s no reason to be lenient,” Nicastro said.Nicastro said he wonders if perhaps the culprits were not merely vandals, but metal thieves who got scared away somehow.According to the American Legion post’s website, which has a picture of the statue in better day (shown above), “The Hiker” was put on the boulevard in 1983 and dedicated the following year to all of the soldiers killed in World War II.It originally stood at Nettie Rockwell’s Brightwood Estate on West Street, the website says.
The city has been taking measures to combat vandalism in the parks, including the installation of cameras at downtown's Brackett Park. There are plans for more cameras in other parks, including the boulevard, which is lined with war memorials and monuments.
Kitson is widely regarded as “one of the most prolific female bronze sculptors in America,” according to the National Park Service.
Born in 1876 in Brookline, Mass., she studied in Paris and designed public sculptures throughout the country, many of them honoring soldiers. The Gorham Foundry in Rhode Island cast her work, including “The Hiker” statues.

*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com