Vandals desecrate roadside tribute to Navy veteran and CBP officer

Vandals recently stole items from a roadside memorial to a deceased Navy veteran and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, including an American flag, a metal cross and a nameplate.

Since October 2008, the memorial to Gulf War veteran and CBP officer Kerry D. Gallager has stood near the intersection of Blaine Road and Loomis Trail Road. It was erected by his widow, Meredith Iaci, in order to honor Gallager, who died at that spot on October 23, 2008 in a motorcycle accident on his way to work at one of Blaine’s border crossings. It is believed that a medical issue caused him to veer into a ditch, where he was crushed by the weight of his bike. He was in full uniform.

“He worked for CBP after he retired from the Navy, and he was a very patriotic man,” Iaci said. “He was very red, white and blue.”

While some things have been pilfered from the memorial over the years, and it once had to be rebuilt after being run over during a police chase, Iaci said that vandals recently stole all of the memorial’s key components. These items included an American flag on a silver pole with a silver eagle on top; an ornate wrought-iron cross; a floral wreath; a plaque with Gallager’s birth and death years and a nickname (“Our red, white and blue boy”); and three solar-powered lights arranged in a star-spangled banner pattern.

Iaci said a big wreath made by Gallager’s mother was once taken from the memorial, and that she often has to clear empty liquor, wine and beer bottles that people discard on the side of the road next to the memorial. But she was shocked that this time, some people went as far as to steal the entire memorial.

“The plaque was glued onto the cross, and everything was zip-tied and fastened with clamps, so it must have taken them some time and effort,” Iaci said. “I’m so discouraged that I’m wondering whether to rebuild it or not. I put a lot of time and effort into it. This is very hard for me.”

Iaci is now on a mission to raise awareness about the incident and hopefully get the precious items returned. She has posted a sign at the site asking for any witnesses to come forward. She also called state troopers, who interviewed the property owner (unfortunately, he didn’t see anything). Iaci has also spoken to people in the vicinity. She knows that the incident happened sometime between March 29, when she last saw the memorial intact, and April 2, when she drove by the memorial and noticed that it had been ransacked.

“I’m trying to find out who did it,” she said. “I’m just asking that the things are returned.”

Iaci said the incident has left her feeling disheartened. “In this time of such devastating uncertainty and being urged to pull together as a community, it absolutely galls me that people would be so disrespectful as to desecrate a dead man’s tribute,” she said.

Iaci continued, “These are tough times. We’re all in it together. People should be mindful of the wrongs that they do and such. I’ve maintained the memorial for 11 and a half years. What an act of cowardice to do this.”