VANDALS PLAGUE CAPE ROCK PARK

Louis K. Juden Post 63 of the American Legion is determined not to let vandals discourage its efforts on Cape Rock Park.

For the fifth time in as many weeks, vandals have destroyed efforts to fly the American flag next to a sign displaying the name of the park's benefactors.

The post took over care of the park in January under the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department's "Adopt-A-Park" program. Members do much of the mowing, keep it clean, and have planted flowers and shrubs.

Prior to Memorial Day, vandals stole an American flag and a POW-MIA flag in the park near a signpost. On Memorial Day members replaced the flags and added an Iwo Jima memorial flag. All three were stolen.

"After what happened on Memorial Day, we decided at our last meeting that we would not let the thieves get the best of us," said Ron Wilson, a post member.

"Our solution to the problem of people pulling the flag poles out of the ground was to sink a permanent tube into the ground that we could set the flags in every day," he said. "But then during the night someone took a sledge hammer or a crowbar and bent up the pole. It was just wanton destruction with no purpose at all."

Members of the Legion had to work quickly to replace the damaged pole to ready the park for Flag Day.

"We sunk another tube, and then drilled holes in the tube and the flagpole so we could stick a pin in there to hold the pole in place," said Wilson. "Then on Flag Day -- in the middle of the day -- someone went up and cut the flags off the pole, pulled out the pins and threw the desecrated flag and pole down the hill."

A few days later they were again cut from the poles. This time the thief took the flags.

"I don't know what to think," said Wilson. "I don't know if someone is irritated that we have cleaned the park up, causing more traffic in the area so they can't drink there anymore or what."

Wilson and post member Herb Nance have stopped reporting the thefts and property damage to police.

"There's not much they can do," said Wilson. "The park is on the edge of the city limits and police rarely come out here. It's not their fault."

Wilson, who religiously put the flags up in the morning and took them down at night, would also visit the park or four times a day. "This vandalism is happening in broad daylight," said Wilson. "I've asked people at the park if they saw anything, but evidently this person or these people are doing it when no one is around.

"I guess what we're going to have to do is just put the flags up on special occasions -- like Flag Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July," said Wilson.

"It's really a shame because Cape Rock is the park that commemorates the founding of Cape Girardeau," Nance said. "We should really be proud of that park, and be able to fly our flags for all to see.

"This whole thing has been very disheartening, but we will continue to fly flags at Cape Rock Park," he said. "It's a matter of pride now."