Shawnee Veterans Memorial Vandalized

A veterans memorial is vandalized and it has some Shawnee residents up in arms.

Shawnee city workers spent the last 48 hours cleaning up the graffiti. There are still remnants of the destruction. It is a crime that brought one veteran, Warren Barnett, to tears.

"Some idiots have went down and desecrated the memorial," he said.

The news of the vandalism spread quickly.

It was so unbelievable Vietnam veteran Barnett had to see it for himself. The sight overwhelmed him.

"I was talking to you right now, and I have tears in my eyes. This is ridiculous."

Vickie Williams served as an army nurse for 23 years and says this is one of the most painful wounds she's treated.

"[I'm] very mad. Very angry. I don't understand the reason behind it. When men and women go to war and fight for your protection, then you desecrate something that is so dear to those people," she said.

"[I'm] horrified, really, to know that people do that."

And so were city officials, so they pressure washed the graffiti away Thursday, just in time for the holiday.

"It's harder to take because it's so close to Veterans Day," Barnett said.

"I hope they prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. That's the least they deserve," Williams said.

The memorial at Woodlands Veterans' Park is still tainted. Barnett says while vets may not be thanked, they shouldn't have to endure this type of pain—at home of all places.

Shawnee police say the destruction may have been caught on video. They are working to identify a person of interest in the case.