When Bolton town officials were alerted of the swastikas covering part of an American flag painted on a large rock at Bolton Notch State Park, they promised to have the hateful graffiti removed as soon as the weather cleared. That wasn’t fast enough for Micah Welintukonis. The Bolton resident, a veteran who was severely wounded while serving in Afghanistan, purchased spray paint and, together with a friend, hiked an hour through several feet of snow in order to restore the flag.

“You don’t judge a community by a hateful incident that occurs there, you judge a community by how it responds to that hateful incident,” said ADL Connecticut Interim Regional Director Marji Lipshez-Shapiro. “Through his actions, Micah let the vandals

know that his community will not tolerate prejudiced behavior. He serves as a shining example for how to stand tall in the face of bigotry. Kudos to Micah Welintukonis.”