thedrifter
12-04-08, 06:58 AM
Publication: The Southampton Press
Graffiti honoring fallen Marine to stay put
By Oliver Peterson
Although it was illegally painted underneath the Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge during the night just two weeks before it was renamed, a sprawling graffiti tribute to a fallen 19-year-old Sag Harbor Marine will not be removed.
The bridge was officially redesignated the Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge, and a monument was unveiled nearby for the Pierson High School graduate and local hero on Saturday, November 15. It seems for many village residents, the large mural painted under the Sag Harbor side of the bridge is also an important part of what has become a waterfront shrine to the young man.
On Tuesday, December 2, Sag Harbor resident and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. sent out a statement noting that, with the support of other local officials, he has contacted the State Department of Transportation requesting that they allow the mural to remain. In his statement, Mr. Thiele explained that the graffiti was to be removed during the DOT’s regularly scheduled maintenance of the bridge, but he had received a “large volume of mail” from the community requesting that it be left intact.
The DOT has committed to allowing the mural to stay as long as it is properly maintained.
“I think it’s fine,” Sag Harbor Mayor Gregory Ferraris said on Tuesday, noting that the village does not have any authority over the state-owned bridge. Mr. Ferraris added that he saw no reason to remove the artwork unless it was compromised by other graffiti artists or the ravages of time.
In a phone call Tuesday, Mr. Thiele said he worked to protect the mural after receiving some 25 letters, mostly from students at Pierson, Lance Cpl. Haerter’s Alma mater, requesting that it be protected. Mr. Thiele said that although he had the village’s permission to contact the DOT, he had not contacted Lance Cpl. Haerter’s parents, JoAnn Lyles and Christian Haerter, about the decision. “I know they were happy with the mural,” the assemblyman said, explaining why he saw no need to ask Mr. Haerter and Ms. Lyles.
The mural features an American flag motif highlighted by images of Marvel Comics character Captain America, an eagle and messages of thanks to Lance Cpl. Haerter. One note calls the Marine “a true American hero who gave the ultimate sacrifice for God and his country.”
The artist is known locally as “AMP 26” and has painted numerous Sag Harbor structures. In the mural, which was discovered by police on October 26, AMP 26 boasts that it took six hours to complete and he wasn’t discovered doing the work. Weeks before, he scrawled his tag on a bench
next to Lance Cpl. Haerter’s grave in Oakland Cemetery.
On Wednesday, Ms. Lyles said she was grateful to the students who contacted Mr. Thiele about the “moving” mural. “I had no idea that Jordan’s classmates wrote the letters,” she said, adding, “I’m glad.” The young Marine’s mother expressed appreciation for the mural’s sentiment, but last month she also noted that AMP 26, a local man in his 20s, is well-known for defacing public property in Sag Harbor. Police have been unable to catch the graffiti artist in the act and cannot arrest him until they do, Ms. Lyles said, though the department appears well aware of who he is.
Lance Cpl. Haerter was killed in Ramahdi, Iraq, on April 22, early in his tour of duty, when a suicide bomber drove a truck through the checkpoint he was guarding. According to the military, his actions resulted in the early detonation of the bomb and saved the lives of more than 30 Marines, more than 50 Iraqi police and hundreds of Iraqi civilians.
Just days after the bridge dedication, the Marines announced that Lance Cpl. Haerter would be posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest combat honor.
Last Updated Dec 3, 08 10:52 AM
Ellie
Graffiti honoring fallen Marine to stay put
By Oliver Peterson
Although it was illegally painted underneath the Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge during the night just two weeks before it was renamed, a sprawling graffiti tribute to a fallen 19-year-old Sag Harbor Marine will not be removed.
The bridge was officially redesignated the Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge, and a monument was unveiled nearby for the Pierson High School graduate and local hero on Saturday, November 15. It seems for many village residents, the large mural painted under the Sag Harbor side of the bridge is also an important part of what has become a waterfront shrine to the young man.
On Tuesday, December 2, Sag Harbor resident and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. sent out a statement noting that, with the support of other local officials, he has contacted the State Department of Transportation requesting that they allow the mural to remain. In his statement, Mr. Thiele explained that the graffiti was to be removed during the DOT’s regularly scheduled maintenance of the bridge, but he had received a “large volume of mail” from the community requesting that it be left intact.
The DOT has committed to allowing the mural to stay as long as it is properly maintained.
“I think it’s fine,” Sag Harbor Mayor Gregory Ferraris said on Tuesday, noting that the village does not have any authority over the state-owned bridge. Mr. Ferraris added that he saw no reason to remove the artwork unless it was compromised by other graffiti artists or the ravages of time.
In a phone call Tuesday, Mr. Thiele said he worked to protect the mural after receiving some 25 letters, mostly from students at Pierson, Lance Cpl. Haerter’s Alma mater, requesting that it be protected. Mr. Thiele said that although he had the village’s permission to contact the DOT, he had not contacted Lance Cpl. Haerter’s parents, JoAnn Lyles and Christian Haerter, about the decision. “I know they were happy with the mural,” the assemblyman said, explaining why he saw no need to ask Mr. Haerter and Ms. Lyles.
The mural features an American flag motif highlighted by images of Marvel Comics character Captain America, an eagle and messages of thanks to Lance Cpl. Haerter. One note calls the Marine “a true American hero who gave the ultimate sacrifice for God and his country.”
The artist is known locally as “AMP 26” and has painted numerous Sag Harbor structures. In the mural, which was discovered by police on October 26, AMP 26 boasts that it took six hours to complete and he wasn’t discovered doing the work. Weeks before, he scrawled his tag on a bench
next to Lance Cpl. Haerter’s grave in Oakland Cemetery.
On Wednesday, Ms. Lyles said she was grateful to the students who contacted Mr. Thiele about the “moving” mural. “I had no idea that Jordan’s classmates wrote the letters,” she said, adding, “I’m glad.” The young Marine’s mother expressed appreciation for the mural’s sentiment, but last month she also noted that AMP 26, a local man in his 20s, is well-known for defacing public property in Sag Harbor. Police have been unable to catch the graffiti artist in the act and cannot arrest him until they do, Ms. Lyles said, though the department appears well aware of who he is.
Lance Cpl. Haerter was killed in Ramahdi, Iraq, on April 22, early in his tour of duty, when a suicide bomber drove a truck through the checkpoint he was guarding. According to the military, his actions resulted in the early detonation of the bomb and saved the lives of more than 30 Marines, more than 50 Iraqi police and hundreds of Iraqi civilians.
Just days after the bridge dedication, the Marines announced that Lance Cpl. Haerter would be posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest combat honor.
Last Updated Dec 3, 08 10:52 AM
Ellie