KENNESAW, GA- Over the weekend, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park staff worked to
remove graffiti and burn marks associated with the recent defacement of the park’s iconic Illinois
Monument and grave site of the unknown soldier.
“I am grateful for the expeditious actions of the park staff to clean the vandalized areas. While impacts to
the sites appear minimal, these illegal acts of vandalism hurt and degrade the experiences of visitors, and
repairs, if possible, can be time consuming and costly,” said Patrick Gamman, superintendent for
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
The vandalism was reported last Friday morning by park staff and volunteers. Damage included drawn
graffiti on the Illinois Monument, black carbon deposits on the grave site and charred remains of two
American flags, which did not belong to the park.
“We take vandalism incidents seriously in the park, and we encourage anyone with information to reach
out to us as the investigation continues,” Gamman said.
Anyone with information that could aid this investigation is asked to contact investigators through the
following means: NOTE: Use is restricted to investigative tips ONLY and should not be used to offer
general comments or opinions.
CALL or TEXT the Tip Line 888-653-0009
ONLINE form go.nps.gov/SubmitATip
EMAIL nps_isb@nps.gov
EMERGENCY dial 9-1-1
KENNESAW, GA– Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, in using a phased approach for