The public is shocked that an act of vandalism occurred at the Captain Kuss Memorial in Smyrna.

Smyrna Police Sergeant Bobby Gibson said, "The video shows a young, juvenile male drawing a name on the concrete seat on the flower planter. There are no indications that this was an act of intentional vandalism to the memorial itself........just a child who wrote a name on concrete."

Chief Kevin Arnold notes, "I would like to clarify something. First there is video of the incident, but unfortunately it does involve a juvenile, therefore we cannot release the video. Second, the Smyrna Police Department has assigned a detective to this case and we are going to pursue any and all leads in the hopes of identifying the individual(s) responsible. Third, there are cameras installed at the site and officers from the Smyrna Police Department patrol through that area as often as possible."

"This memorial is very important to our community and we are going to treat it as a very valuable reminder of the sacrifice not only of Captain Jeff Kuss but all our military veterans that make up our Town."

Officials in Smyrna noted that they do not suspect any gang affiliation. The writing was not permanent and has been cleaned up--it is no longer visible."