I am not affiliated at all with Family Security Matters, but I am a veteran and stuff like this pisses me off. I am sure it pisses off the majority of the readership here at FJ, and I like putting this stuff out there with the chance that some of our ‘hunters’ who make it their business to find stuff and people, will try and find this memorial and the thugs who stole it. Good luck and happy hunting. –Matt
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$100,000 Reward to Locate Criminal(s) Who Stole Mojave Desert War Memorial
May 13, 2010
A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the individuals who seized the Mojave Desert War Memorial earlier this week.
The $100,000 is being offered by a donor to the group Family Security Matters (FamilySecurityMatters.org). The donor is an anonymous U.S. Military wounded veteran who was the recipient of the Silver Star Medal.
“Family Security Matters is honored, on behalf of an anonymous U.S. Military wounded veteran – a recipient of the Silver Star Medal – to announce this reward,” said Carol Taber, President of Family Security Matters. “We are confident that our donor’s generosity will help to bring the criminals to justice and that the message rings loud and clear: we will never allow such a vile crime that defiles the memory our nation’s war dead to stand. Not now, not ever.”
Earlier this week, the memorial was stolen from its longtime perch in California’s Mojave Desert. It was first erected 75 years ago as a memorial in honor of America’s World War I veterans and became known as a symbol to honor all veterans who have served their country. Less than two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower court order, returning the case to the District Court, and thus enabling the symbol to stay on federal land for now.
Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., the national commander of the 2.1 million member Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) said: “We are extremely grateful for the $100,000 anonymous contribution to the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial reward fund that Family Security Matters was able to arrange from a private donor.”
“We may never know the donor’s name, but the VFW wants to personally thank him or her for caring enough to get involved,” he said. “These thieves desecrated a national war memorial that was erected to honor America’s war dead. They must be caught, prosecuted and jailed in a federal prison, and we hope that will happen quickly now that the total reward money has been upped to $125,000.”
Family Security Matters has established a tip hotline and a private email address for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call 202-528-4665 or to email at tips@familysecuritymatters.org. To contribute, click the Mojave Desert War Memorial Fund at this URL: https://www.familysecuritymatters.org/donate/donate.asp
About Family Security Matters
Family Security Matters was created to give Americans like us the tools to become involved citizens and powerful defenders of our homes, our families, and our communities.
We believe in the power of everyday Americans to make this world safer and more secure. We know that knowledge is most powerful when it is shared and so we are dedicated to bringing this knowledge directly to our readers. We want to equip Americans, women and men, with the information resources to become discriminating citizens who will demand the best out of their elected representatives. We want to be one of the best resources for accurate and practical knowledge that will make American families and communities safer, stronger, and more secure.
About Veterans of Foreign War
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is a nonprofit veterans’ service organization composed of combat veterans and those who currently serve on active duty or in the Guard and Reserves. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation’s largest organization of war veterans and is one of its oldest veterans’ organizations. With 2.1 million members located in 7,900 VFW Posts worldwide, the VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to “honor the dead by helping the living” through veterans service, legislative initiatives, youth scholarships, Buddy Poppy and national military service programs. The VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 13 million hours annually in community service to the nation. For more information or to join, visit the organization’s Web site at www.vfw.org.
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