Racist and anti-Semitic graffiti was scrawled on the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial near 79th Street and Grand Avenue in Elmhurst.
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The damage was discovered just after noon on Wednesday.
City council member Robert Holden posted photos of the graffiti -- calling it a "cowardly act."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement Wednesday night regarding the vandalism.
"Inscribed on the wall of the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial are 371 names -- 371 proud children of Queens who gave their lives in service of freedom and democracy half a century ago," Cuomo said. "These names are an eternal monument to the ideals that unite us as New Yorkers and as Americans, values that are worth fighting and dying for. That's why the Memorial's desecration with graffiti and hateful symbols, coming just two days after Memorial Day, isn't just offensive to the memories of these soldiers and to their loved ones -- it's antithetical to the moral fiber of our state and our country, and it's an insult to all those who stepped up in service of it."
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The NYPD is investigating, and a $1,000 reward is being offered in the case.
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