By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tom Gardner, chaplain at the Marine Corps League's meeting hall on Burns Avenue in Hartwell, shows the damaged back door from the latest break-in by vandals. The Cincinnati Enquirer/TONY JONES

HARTWELL - An American flag has waved proudly outside of the Marine Corps League's meeting hall on Burns Avenue for more than a decade.

But after repeated break-ins, members of the organization say a different flag may soon be flying overhead - a white one.

"It's very disheartening because the Marines have never surrendered anywhere in the world in our entire history," said Tom Gardner, chaplain of the group of more than 200 Marine veterans. "But we might have to surrender to a group of hoodlums in Hartwell."

Gardner said vandals broke into the hall Monday for the third time since November, wrecking the back door, damaging memorabilia, stealing money and even desecrating the American flag. He said the cost of repairs, which range from $300-$400 each time, is becoming more than his small organization can afford.

"We're not a very wealthy organization," said Gardner. "At the end of the year, members usually have to chip in a few extra dollars just to pay the heating bill."

The league has insurance, Gardner said, but the damage always amounts to less than the deductible. He said the organization may have to sell the building and move if the vandalism and break-ins don't stop.

Gardner, a 73-year-old former Cincinnati homicide detective, said police have few leads but believe that a group of juveniles is responsible for the break-ins.

The group renders assistance to former Marines and their families, does volunteer work at the VA Hospital and provides scholarships and fitness programs for youth.

The organization purchased and refurbished the building over a decade ago. It was previously an abandoned delicatessen that served as a breeding ground for drug activity and loitering, Gardner said.

"It was an eyesore," Gardner said. "The neighbors were very happy when we bought it."

Gardner said now he and his fellow Marines are relying on those same neighbors to keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

"To come in there and desecrate the flag, that hurts us more than anything because there has been a lot of blood shed for that flag," Gardner said.

E-mail kaldridge@enquirer.com