Veterans Day horror as shock pics show memorial being vandalized with ‘obscene graffiti’

A VETERANS memorial has been vandalized with "obscene graffiti" just days before the US honors those have served the country.

Shocking pictures show the damage to the monument in Rock Falls, Illinois.

3

3

Police are investigating the vandalism after it was first reported last Thursday.

They said juveniles - who cannot be named due to their age - were caught on camera defacing the site causing around $10,000 in damages, reports.

The US is marking Veterans Day today to honor those who have served their country.

In Vero Beach, Florida, a newly installed World War I memorial was also damaged last week.

After the bayonet was bent Police Chief David Currey told "These monuments are not toys. They are not playground equipment," Falls said. "It's really disappointing this has happened."

Three former veterans turned police officers have now helped to restore Rock Falls' Veterans Memorial Park.

Most read in The Sun

NUKE FEARS

Putin came so close to launching nuke that meetings were held over UK fallout

NEXT IN LINE

Favourites to replace Lineker on MOTD revealed as BBC plan HUGE show shake-up

baby joy

Megan Fox reveals she's pregnant with her and Machine Gun Kelly's first child

FLIGHT TRAGEDY

Ryanair passenger dies on flight to Manchester as 'chaos' erupts on plane

One of the memorials damaged was tribute to Pearl Harbor.

Officers Kristian Montanez, Dustin Sugars and Jerrod Reynolds volunteered to help after hearing about the damage.

Police said in a statement: "It is unfortunate that these juveniles chose to vandalize this memorial to the men and women who served this country, but they will be held accountable for their actions."

Chief David Pilgrim told "I just don't get it.

"Just the fact that kids would come in and damage a park in general, but then for it to be a veterans park, just added an extra layer of annoyance and disgust to it."

Veteran James Starr said: "It really disturbed us bad,.

"The memorial that's down there was originally bought and paid for by veterans and the VFW and the American Legion.

"Veterans are a special group of people."

A two-minute moment of silence is held at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year across the US.

The reason for the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" is due to the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I,  this occurred in 1918 and signaled the end of World War I, also known as .

The day is often commemorated by parades, church services, and most places in the US will fly the American flag at half-mast.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

OAP TRAGEDY

Gran-of-three died after 'being blown over by helicopter landing at hospital'

SUSPECT SPEAKS

Liam Payne ‘drug dealer’ breaks silence on star's death & shares unseen pic

On Wednesday a person was seen climbing 270 feet to the top of Virginia's Air Force Memorial sculpture.

The Arlington County Police Department confirmed to The Sun that maintenance was taking place at the memorial.

3