Sargeant Tommy Prince

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November 27, 2005
Vandals target mural of war hero
Just mischief, or hate crime?
By BOB HOLLIDAY, STAFF REPORTER

Don Mackey is wondering if paint tossed on a mural dedicated to one of Canada's best known war heroes is senseless vandalism or a hate crime.

Someone splattered paint on the Sgt. Tommy Prince mural on the side of a building at Selkirk Avenue and the street bearing the hero's name.

"It's so frustrating, especially with this being the Year of the Veteran," said Mackey, who spearheaded the movement behind several tributes to Prince.

"I can't understand why. There was nothing for three years and now it's two years in a row."

The mural was vandalized on Nov. 20, 2004. This past July, a vandal tagged graffiti on a mural on a nearby building.

The vandalism may or may not be considered a hate crime, said Sgt. John Burchill, head of the Winnipeg police hate crime unit.

"At this point, it's just mischief, a stupid act of vandalism," said Burchill.

Dirt Doctor will estimate the damage today to determine if the mural may be saved or have to be repainted, said Mackey.

Prince, from the Brokenhead Indian Reserve, earned a dozen medals -- including the Military Medal for bravery and the U.S. Silver Star for exploits during the Second World War and in Korea.

Prince, who died in Winnipeg in 1977 at the age of 63, served in Italy as well as in northwest Europe and Korea.

He was a member of the 1st Special Service Force, also known as the Devil's Brigade.

DEVIL'S BRIGADE

He was recommended for the French Croix de Guerre but a courier bearing that dispatch was killed.

The Devil's Brigade was a joint Canadian-American commando unit trained near Helena, Mont., in the 1940s.

Modern American and Canadian special forces units trace their heritage to the Devil's Brigade, which was immortalized in a 1968 movie starring William Holden.