The Northern Illinois Veterans Memorial, located in Kirkland, has seen better days.

Over the past couple of years, the memorial has been the victim of graffiti and other types of vandalism.

Name plates have been ripped off, and its corners have been damaged by skateboarders.

The memorial is in place to honor the veterans of the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War and all other conflicts.

The act of vandalizing a memorial for veterans touched a nerve with veterans.

“Honestly, it’s truly shameful,” said Jose Alferez, NIU Veterans Club President. “There’s no limit to the kind of disrespect people show sometimes.”

Some students had a similar reaction to the news.

“I was outraged when I heard about this,” said Amanda Scrementi, senior psychology major. “It is disrespectful and whoever has been responsible should be ashamed.”

The damages where put on display for all to see during a Veterans Day observance last week.

“Vandalism is a senseless crime and is an unfortunate part of our society,” said DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen. “The important thing is that it gets taken care of as quickly as possible and everything needed to prevent it from happening again is done.”

The Veterans Memorial will celebrate its 20 year anniversary next May, and the Northern Illnois Veterans Committee wants the memorial to be in pristine condition.

The committee is currently in the process of raising funds to purchase security cameras and to restore the memorial honoring America’s veterans.

Alferez said the NIU Veterans Committee has not reached out to the NIU Veterans Club as of yet, but thinks they will soon.

As for fundraising, Alferez said the NIU Veterans Club has not planned anything on its own, but plans to join with any efforts the Northern Illinois Veterans Committee puts in motion.

“Hopefully by Memorial Day everything will be restored and back to the way it should be,” Scrementi says.

City Editor Demarcus Robinson contributed to this article.