Man Allegedly Smashes Iwo Jima Monument With

Iwo Jima is a storied second in the historical past of the American navy, most particularly for the United States Marine Corps. It’s touched many an American household, including my own; my late uncle, a Marine, took a Japanese bayonet through the shoulder on Iwo Jima, and virtually died of sepsis as a outcome.

Now, in a story that will ship fiery outrage through the Marines and certainly through all of America’s service members and veterans, a man from Stafford County, Virginia, has allegedly taken a sledgehammer to the Iwo Jima monument close to Marine Corps Base Quantico. His identify: Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano.

A Stafford County man is being held without bond after allegedly taking a sledgehammer to the Iwo Jima monument in Quantico.

Around 10:13 p.m. Wednesday, Prince William County police officers responded to the statue close to Richmond Highway and Fuller Road in Quantico, just exterior Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Officers discovered a man – later recognized as 27-year-old Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano – “actively damaging the statue with a sledgehammer,” according to a police news release. Officers rapidly detained Maldonado Soriano.

It’s tough to see what might have pushed Maldonado Soriano to such an motion, unless he has been paying consideration to goings-on in France and was anxious to start smashing American monuments right here. But he was offended, or at least motivated enough to knock off the heads of one of the boys depicted, according to authorities..

Destruction included elimination of one of the soldier’s heads. Damages are estimated in the a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars}, police said.

Soriano has been charged with felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to harm property and felony injury to a monument. He is being held without bond.

Maldonado Soriano’s immigration standing is, as of this writing, not recognized.

I might (as, I really feel sure, would any Marine) take exception with one merchandise right here: These have been Marines, not troopers. “Soldiers” describes Army personnel, and the six males who raised the flag on Suribachi, the best mountain on Iwo Jima, have been Marines. And here is the factor: If the authorities are good, they will not put Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano in with any Marines, because they’re liable to be harboring onerous emotions. There’s a brotherhood (and these days, a sisterhood) among those who have served. This does not just apply in our own branches of service, either; we chaff each other all the time, Army making enjoyable of the Air Force, the Air Force making jokes about the Navy, the Navy razzing the Marines, and so on. 

But when the malodorous assimilated product of the digestive course of hits the oscillating air-movement gadget, we’re all on the same staff; we’re all Americans, we’re all sworn to defend the Constitution, and we’re all prepared to give our lives, if needed, to shield our nation — although, as General Patton identified, the final thought is to make the other man die for his nation. 

And an act like this, because of that brotherhood, enrages all of us. We do not know if the goblin who did this initially got here right here from some place else, whether or not he’s right here legally or illegally, or whether or not he was born right here. And, actually, in this context, it does not matter. The hate and disrespect he confirmed in the direction of a monument depicting the final word second on what was one of the best American feats of arms tells us all we need to know about Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, and if the local authorities wished to put him in a cell with a couple of Marines and look the other method for a little while, most of us veterans would not have a lot drawback with that.

Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly assist President Trump’s law and order agenda.

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