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I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but I'm sure the DS can re-direct if necessary.
I was absolutely appalled that in a military town like Halifax that this crap should be happening!
Paracowboy....what is it you would say again?? :rage:
Vile message horrifies family
Skull image vandalizes ribbon honouring mom in Afghanistan
By KELLY SHIERS Staff Reporter
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On the day Canadian Forces nurse Lindsay Elford arrived in Afghanistan, her husband tied a yellow ribbon around the elm tree in front of their Vernon Street home as "a reminder to think of Mommy" for three-year-old Julia and one-year-old Stephen.
Last week, as Robert Elford was getting the children into the car to go to day care, he was shocked when Julia asked him about the picture on the tree.
"I looked over and I was surprised — horrified — to see a skull spray-painted underneath the yellow ribbon," recalled Lt.-Cmdr. Elford, who’s been in the navy for 18 years.
"It was about two feet high — quite big."
Lt.-Cmdr. Elford said this is the first time either he or his wife has been away for an extended period since their children were born. His wife made up a calendar with stickers to help them count down the six months and three weeks before she returns. She also videotaped herself reading stories so the children can watch her while getting ready for bed.
"She can’t understand what a difficult time I have now keeping the TV screen clean because the kids are always there kissing her," he said.
The yellow ribbon is just one more way to help the children stay connected to their mother.
"Every time we come in and out of the driveway now, we think about Mommy and, especially the three-year-old, she loves that," he said.
Lt.-Cmdr. Elford said he isn’t sure why anyone would paint the skull on the tree.
"At best, it is just petty vandalism," he said.
"At worst, I think it’s somebody trying to make a statement that they disagree perhaps with what’s going on in Afghanistan. If that is true, I think it’s a pretty immature, disrespectful attack on my family and the folks who are over there serving in dangerous positions."
Lt.-Cmdr. Elford used a pressure washer to blast the image off the tree before picking his children up at day care that afternoon. He said his daughter didn’t understand the significance of the skull and didn’t comment on it anymore, and he hasn’t broached the subject with her.
But it’s left an impression.
"You can’t really make out what it is anymore, but you can certainly see the general shape of it," he said.
Still, the native Newfoundlander said what has happened hasn’t soured him on living in Halifax. He said he’s only encountered "absolute, 100 per cent support" whenever he’s mentioned to anyone that his wife is serving in Afghanistan.
( kshiers@herald.ca)
I was absolutely appalled that in a military town like Halifax that this crap should be happening!
Paracowboy....what is it you would say again?? :rage:
Vile message horrifies family
Skull image vandalizes ribbon honouring mom in Afghanistan
By KELLY SHIERS Staff Reporter
ADVERTISEMENT
On the day Canadian Forces nurse Lindsay Elford arrived in Afghanistan, her husband tied a yellow ribbon around the elm tree in front of their Vernon Street home as "a reminder to think of Mommy" for three-year-old Julia and one-year-old Stephen.
Last week, as Robert Elford was getting the children into the car to go to day care, he was shocked when Julia asked him about the picture on the tree.
"I looked over and I was surprised — horrified — to see a skull spray-painted underneath the yellow ribbon," recalled Lt.-Cmdr. Elford, who’s been in the navy for 18 years.
"It was about two feet high — quite big."
Lt.-Cmdr. Elford said this is the first time either he or his wife has been away for an extended period since their children were born. His wife made up a calendar with stickers to help them count down the six months and three weeks before she returns. She also videotaped herself reading stories so the children can watch her while getting ready for bed.
"She can’t understand what a difficult time I have now keeping the TV screen clean because the kids are always there kissing her," he said.
The yellow ribbon is just one more way to help the children stay connected to their mother.
"Every time we come in and out of the driveway now, we think about Mommy and, especially the three-year-old, she loves that," he said.
Lt.-Cmdr. Elford said he isn’t sure why anyone would paint the skull on the tree.
"At best, it is just petty vandalism," he said.
"At worst, I think it’s somebody trying to make a statement that they disagree perhaps with what’s going on in Afghanistan. If that is true, I think it’s a pretty immature, disrespectful attack on my family and the folks who are over there serving in dangerous positions."
Lt.-Cmdr. Elford used a pressure washer to blast the image off the tree before picking his children up at day care that afternoon. He said his daughter didn’t understand the significance of the skull and didn’t comment on it anymore, and he hasn’t broached the subject with her.
But it’s left an impression.
"You can’t really make out what it is anymore, but you can certainly see the general shape of it," he said.
Still, the native Newfoundlander said what has happened hasn’t soured him on living in Halifax. He said he’s only encountered "absolute, 100 per cent support" whenever he’s mentioned to anyone that his wife is serving in Afghanistan.
( kshiers@herald.ca)
for this, we fight
