Someone vandalized Washington, D.C.'s World War II Memorial -- a somber gathering place for the shrinking number of World War II vets around the nation -- by spraying it with spray paint over the weekend.
The paint can be seen at the base of the North Dakota pillar. The Hill and the West Fargo, North Dakota Pioneer said the graffiti may say "#NoDAPL."
That's a hashtag that has been used by people opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline project. Native American groups, environmentalists and others have been protesting the $3.8 billion pipeline, which is meant to carry North Dakota oil through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois.
Ironically, the state-named pillars that ring the World War II memorial are meant to "celebrate the unprecedented unity of the nation" during World War II, according to the monument's website.
The World War II monument is one of the most popular destinations for the Honor Flight network, which flies veterans to monuments so they can visit and reflect on their service to the nation.
The Park Service said the vandalism happened sometime before 10 a.m. Monday. Anyone with information should contact investigators at 202-610-7500.
The Park Service said it had already used a "light paint stripper" to begin removing the graffiti, and that it had removed "a significant portion of the damage."
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"Applications will continue until the marking is no longer detectable," the Park Service said in a press release.
