An Army reservist whose Wyoming home was tagged with anti-military slurs and obscenities inspired a patriotic community to rally behind her — and helped the proud soldier turn a vulgar graffiti rampage into an opportunity to help women veterans.
U.S. Army Reserves Pfc. Cassie McEuen of Evanston, Wyoming, discovered the graffiti early Sunday, shortly after returning from a celebration of Armed Forces Day, the
Uinta County Herald reports.
On her home, someone had spray-painted "[Expletive] the military," "Home of a soilder" and "FU Die for What?"
"I’ve been attacked, and the vandal can’t spell," McEuen wrote on her private
Facebook page, the newspaper reports.
"Apparently I’m a soilder instead of soldier."
The attack triggered an immediate outpouring of support for the single mother and soldier, with one volunteer group showing up hours later to clean off the graffiti on McEuen's home.
Walmart and Ace Hardware donated cleaning supplies and neighbors and Pizza Hut came through with food for the cleanup volunteers, the newspaper reports.
The town's mayor, Kent Williams, was incensed about the attack.
"This makes no sense,"
he told KUTV.
"It’s something we can’t get our minds around right now. I’m without words. It’s absolutely out of character for our little community. I’d like to believe we’re as patriotic as any community can be. This kind of thing just isn’t us."
When people offered money to help McEuen pay for school and bills, she declined, posting her plans to give any money to "Grace After Fire," a health organization that focuses on female veterans,
Independent Journal Review reports.
"There is a donation fund for a reward to capture the vandal and once donations have met the limit of the reward the extra money collected will go to a charity I picked called Grace After Fire. The charity helps women veterans help themselves," McEuen wrote.