An injured veteran vandalized by teenagers: "This incident is discouraging"

A house built for a wounded veteran in Massachusetts was vandalized by two teenagers.

(Boston 25)

An army veteran who lost his left arm and leg in Iraq will have to wait a little longer for a house built especially for him, as two teenagers have vandalized the house under construction, officials said.

Police in Hanson, Mass., Said they had responded Monday to a report of vandalism on the construction site of the future home of Paul Skarinka, who had served as a corporal of the US Army.

Authorities said they discovered that 24 custom windows and three doors had been destroyed with lights already installed. They estimated that the damage would cost more than $ 50,000.

"This incident is disheartening," Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch said in a statement on Facebook. "When a veteran and his family, who sacrificed so much for our country, became victims of a senseless crime, it hurts us all."

Skarinka told Boston 25 that he had been seriously injured eight months after his first tour of Iraq in September 2004. His unit was the target of enemy fire while on a mission outside of Baghdad.

He underwent 22 surgeries, including amputation of the left leg below the knee and partial amputation of the left arm. He is now a firefighter and paramedic at Plympton.

The new house is funded by Jared Allen's Home for Wounded Warriors, the New England Carpenters Training Fund and Commodore Builders.

"Our house, we wanted a lot of windows because we wanted natural light and where was the house, it was so nice and it's really a beautiful plot on three acres," Skarinka said in Boston 25 Wednesday. "One or two windows is one thing, but you made an effort and you did everything you could to break every window that was in that house."

Neighbors reported seeing two teenagers Saturday night in the area. They were then identified via a video surveillance of neighbors.

The teenagers were taken to the police station by their parents on Monday night and the police said the parents were cooperating fully with the investigation.

"The parents of the two young men were very helpful and respectful," Miksch said in a subsequent statement. "Their children are accused of doing something stupid that we hope to use over time to teach them a valuable lesson on sacrifice."

Both teenagers were charged with vandalism and will later appear in the Plymouth Juvenile Court.

"I hope the punishment matches the crime," Skarinka said. This is a malicious intent if you want to break all the windows. You do not respect people's property. "

Jared Allen's Home for Wounded Warriors told Boston 25 they had postponed the arrival date by about five weeks. If all goes well, the family hopes to celebrate Thanksgiving in their new home.

A fundraising campaign has been created to help raise additional funds for Skarinka's home and family.