The World War II memorial in Washington, DC, was attacked by vandals on Thursday. The sacred monument was left desecrated with graffiti and soap bubbles as the U.S. government moved to immediately begin an investigation seeking out the cowardly perpetrators.
Reuters reports the fountain bubbled over with suds and someone painted “Clean hands Dirty $” on one surface, splattering the area with red and green paint before yellow crime scene tape was hastily applied to keep visitors away.
Workers were despatched to remove the graffiti, the Washington Post reported, citing Park Police officers at the site.
The Interior Department released a statement late Thursday saying: “Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act.”
President Donald Trump was quick to make public his disgust at the actions of these “animals.”
The Friends of the National WWII Memorial, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the memorial, agreed. It called the vandalism “unacceptable,” saying the memorial was a “sacred place of remembrance,” per the Reuters report.
“There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism,” the Friends said in a statement.
The U.S. role in World War Two remains a matter of national pride and unity.
The memorial itself is designed to reflect that pride while remembering the men and women who made the supreme sacrifice in pursuit of peace in a time of global conflict.
The World War II Memorial, which draws around five million visitors a year, is just east of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the Mall.