Outrage as American flags honoring Purple Heart recipient torn down by VANDAL day before July 4

Published: 23:10, 4 July 2026 | Updated: 23:25, 4 July 2026 American flags were torn down from a Massachusetts bridge honoring a two-time Purple Heart recipient just one day before the Fourth of July, sparking a mass wave of outrage.  Police in Yarmouth said an officer noticed the vandalism Friday on Lance Corporal William Joseph Donovan Jr Memorial Bridge over Route 6 and found the Stars and Stripes 'forcefully ripped from the fencing.'  'Their grommets had been torn out, and flags were ripped apart at the seams, left hanging,' the police department posted on Facebook. The heartless act marked at least the second time vandals tore down and damaged the flags on the bridge, after previously striking last August. The bridge was then rededicated to the fallen soldier on September 20, 2025 'honoring Lance Corporal Donovan's service and sacrifice to our nation, and reaffirming the community's commitment to preserving his memory,' the Yarmouth Police Department wrote. Donovan, who graduated from the local high school in 2006, was awarded the Purple Heart twice for injuries he sustained in Operation Enduring Freedom. He died at the age of 27 in 2015 in a motorcycle crash while riding with the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Riders in the Boston area. Many online expressed their outrage over the unpatriotic act. A heartless vandal tore down American flags on a Massachusetts bridge just one day before the Fourth of July The bridge was dedicated in memory of Lance Corporal William Joseph Donovan Jr, who was awarded the Purple Heart twice for injuries he sustained in Operation Enduring Freedom, before he died in 2015 at the age of 27 'I get some so-called Americans do not think we should be celebrating because they do not like the president,' one woman commented. 'It is not a day about the president. 'It is about the fallen men, women [who] fought for our freedoms since 1776 and because of the patriots in 1776, this country was born,' she said. Another Facebook user lamented that: 'Now, I really do understand when President Reagan meant when he said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation."' But a third social media user affirmed, 'No matter how many times people try to tear down our flag, it only makes us stronger in defending freedom.'  The community has since stepped up to restore the patriotic display. 'Veterans, bikers, first responders, families, friends, neighbors and so many proud Americans came together to replace every damaged and destroyed American flag,' Massachusetts State Representative Steve Xiarhos shared. Xiarhos - who lost his own son, Marine Corporal Nick Xiarhos, to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan - added that Donovan's father 'said something tonight that I'll never forget. 'Looking toward the person, or people, responsible, he simply said, "Be better,"' the state representative said.  Community members gathered at the bridge on Friday night to restore the flags The flags were back up over the bridge in time for the Independence Day holiday 'Coming from the father of a Marine who gave his blood on foreign soil defending our freedom, those two words spoke louder than anything else could have. 'Tonight proved something important,' Xiarhos continued. 'You can tear down flags, but you cannot tear down the spirit of this community. If anything, you made people stronger. 'You brought people together from all over Cape Cod, united by love of country and respect for those who have served,' he told the vandal responsible. Yarmouth police are continuing to investigate the vandalism and urge anyone with information about the incident to contact the police department.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.