*A black U.S. Army sergeant in Texas was all set to drive home for Christmas, only to get to his car and find the words “Die N**ger” spray painted across the entire driver’s side of the vehicle.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Charlot, 22, had just exited the Fort Hood military regiments on Dec. 23 to drive home to Houston for the holidays when he discovered the message across the left side of his white 2009 Nissan Sentra, reports the New York Daily News.
Charlot also discovered that all four tires had been slashed, a window had been smashed and gasoline had been poured over the car’s entire interior.
An investigation has been launched, according to a spokesperson with the Fort Hood criminal division, but no suspects had been named or located.
Charlot told a local newspaper Wednesday that the incident has left him disillusioned with the very country he has sworn to protect.
“It makes me feel disgruntled, unwanted — that the America I love isn’t the same anymore,” he said.
A GoFundMe page was opened for Charlot by his friend, John Martinez. “I can’t imagine the emotions my best friend is experiencing but my hope is to raise enough money for him to purchase a new vehicle since his insurance will not cover such an incident,” Martinez wrote at the site, which at press time has raised $4,540 toward its $10,000 goal.