Vandals take chainsaw to tree at Monterey County Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Volunteers at the Monterey County Vietnam Veterans Memorial were shocked to find that someone took a chainsaw to one of their longstanding trees, Saturday.

Veterans come to the grounds every holiday season to decorate. Families of the 78 people from Monterey County that lost their lives in Vietnam, visit during this time of year to remember their lost loved ones.

Just hours after volunteers came to decorate, they said they noticed someone had chopped down one of the garden’s trees. Vietnam veteran and volunteer at the memorial, Jim Silva, believed the vandal’s intent was to bring home a Christmas tree without the price tag.

“To see someone, like I said, destroy it, the beauty of this place. It just has me baffled. It’s supposed to be the Christmas season, but it kind of took my Christmas away, today,” said Silva.

Salinas Police responded to the incident, Saturday afternoon. Silva said he hasn’t seen anything like this before, but is now worried about future damage being done to the site.