The city of Montreal has cleaned the graffiti on the cenotaph in NDG Park, but for some area veterans the vandal's wounds cut deep.

"I felt very deeply emotional about it," said veteran Stuart Vallières.

The 89-year-old gunner with a Canadian WWII bomber squad is a former prisoner of war and grew up in the area.

As a boy scout, Vallières took part in the cenotaph parades and can't fathom what could have motivated the vandal to deface it.

"I just couldn't imagine anybody wanting to do a thing like that to such a memorial," he said.

The cenotaph was tagged by a vandal on Sunday after an event meant to promote legal graffiti art.

One nearby business owner feels the cenotaph should be fenced, and not just to keep vandals away.

"(It would) also keep people away from having their breakfasts there and their hamburgers and leaving all kinds of garbage around the area," said Rene de Sere de Lanauze.

This was the second time in a span of just over a year the cenotaph has been targeted.

"The ones that are caught should be made an example of and the punishment should be so severe as to deter anyone else from repeating it," Vallières says.

Cote-des-Neiges/NDG borough councilor Susan Clarke says the vandal has not yet been caught, but the 15-year-old who was caught vandalizing the cenotaph last year was billed "thousands of dollars" for the cleanup.

Vallières knows very well the cenotaph is not the only affront to area veterans.

As the head of the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, Vallières has watched helplessly as the building at the corner of de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Addington St. has served as a canvas for taggers.

And the Legion can't ask the city to come and clean up the mess.

"We've done our best to clean it up as members, but most of the members, the veteran members of this branch are all in their 80's and 90's now," Vallières said.

Clarke says the Legion will not be fined under the proposed NDG bylaw that would penalize business owners for failing to remove graffiti quickly.

"I have no intention of allowing that to happen," she says.

For now, fines are not a concern for Vallières.

He is simply wishing neighbourhood vandals would show veterans the respect they deserve.