PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Nine teenagers must watch the movie "Saving Private Ryan" and read "The Greatest Generation" after pleading guilty to vandalizing a veterans park.

District Judge Charles Carver also ordered the nine to write 1,000-word essays due Dec. 7, the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Carver said he hoped the teens would learn about "the sacrifices of American soldiers in defense of your freedom."

They could have received a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail.

The punishment was handed down Monday as part of a plea bargain worked out in cooperation with veterans.

"We didn't want to destroy these kids' lives by sending them to the penitentiary. We wanted to show them we are a compassionate generation, too," said Herb Stafford, a Veterans of Foreign Wars post commander.

More than $45,000 in damage was done to Golden Triangle Veterans Memorial Park in February, including the removal of plaques carrying the names of veterans who served during World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

"The Greatest Generation" is Tom Brokaw's book about the generation of Americans that dealt with World War II. "Saving Private Ryan," the blockbuster movie about the war, opens with the brutally realistic storming of Omaha Beach on D-Day.

The judge ordered the nine, who range in age from 17 to 19, to also serve two years probation, apologize to veterans who helped build the memorial 10 years ago, pay a $500 fine and perform 400 hours of community service.