If Tony Hawk jumped off a bridge, would you?

“It’s like skating across my face and down my heart,” said U.S. Air Force veteran Quincy Collins.

OK, that quote is kind of funny. However, in a case of life imitating video games, or as we like to call it Idiots imitating idiots, some skateboarders have “vandalized” a Viet Nam Veterans Memorial. Not the one in D.C., but the local one in Charlotte North Carolina. I say vandalized in quotes because the extent of the damage appears to be limited to dusty tire tracks. So while it might not be traditional defacement, it’s still very lame, and not too bright. If they ever get caught, I’m willing to bet that these rebels will claim they were inspired by Tony Hawk’s Project 8 video game. Watch the incriminating video and more after the jump.

In December of 2006 [Source: A Soldiers Perspective] I came across a blog entry written by a grumpy old man who was outraged by a review of Tony Hawk’s Project 8 video game on cable TV that showed skateboarders riding on the Viet Nam War Memorial. The grumpy old man had a point. Regardless of how you feel about any war, it was incredibly stupid of Activision and Tony hawk to feature the Viet Nam War Memorial as skateable terrain in a video game. As much as feel that way, I still couldn’t help but chuckle at the ranter’s stereotypical old man speak:

Why not set a ramp up and drive your car up and down it while we are at it or have Evil jump his Harley over the top, scratches, all the better, Tony Hawks said it was cool.

I love it when old people stick a gratuitous “S” on the end of words. It could have been a typo, but I prefer to believe this guy also says things like “I’m going to run down to the WalMarts to get a new lawn chair.”

I’m surprised the event didn’t blow up bigger in the media. I guess we have more recent wars to worry about. I filed the story and meant to get back to it. I forgot about it until I saw this piece from News 14 Carolina in Charlotte North Carolina titled “Skaters vandalize Vietnam memorial.”

Crews spent Tuesday morning cleaning skateboard tracks off the wall at Charlotte’s Vietnam War Memorial. Local veterans say the vandalism hits home and is like a slap in the face.

“There was no damage to the wall itself, other than just the desecration of a tombstone basically,” said Mack Robbins of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department.

“This is the first sort of major devastation it has experienced,” Collins added.

The damage is also devastating to Collins himself. He was a prisoner of war for seven and a half years in Vietnam.

“Being a POW in Vietnam for that length of time, I was the dedicatory speaker for this memorial, so yes it does mean a lot to me,” said Collins.

“This memorial is a place of solemnity and history and loyalty and honor. It’s not the proper place for kids to skateboard,” said Mike Cozza of the Park and Recreation Department.

The heaviest marks were on one part of the wall, and after just three hours, crews were able to wash most of it off. A number of lights were also broken out near the wall.

Way to go Einstein. Smooth move Ex-Lax. etc. An Idiot Skateboarder category is definitely needed. Another reason I didn’t post the Project 8 story in the beginning was because the the grumpy old man seemed to be such a stereotypical old coot that I thought it might be a hoax. He may or may not be real, but I did find the review with video on the program he mentioned. Xplay on G4 has it here, or you can watch below.

There is a video link to the news report on News 14 Carolina. I couldn’t get it to load for me, but I’m sure it’s overly dramatic.

Skateboarders, don’t act like dumbasses. I’ve barged my share of illegal terrain over the years, so I’m not advocating that anyone obey “No Skateboarding” signs. Just use your head to think a little before you act.