Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

ALBANY, GA --
For most, Memorial Day will be spent remembering the brave men and women that fought for our freedoms. One week ago, the Vietnam War memorial in downtown was vandalized, covering the names of the Albany servicemen who gave their lives in Vietnam. With a powerwash being applied during the week, residents are still asking for more security around the memorial.

"That camera can be on, put the word out there’s cameras watching this thing 24 hours a day, and that they rotate. You know that’s not a big deal, and if they don’t rotate, fix it until they do rotate" said Leo Harrison, commander of the Vietnam Veterans Post 1 in Albany, GA.

And although the powerwash removed most of the damage, marks can still be seen on the porous granite section of the monument. BJ Fletcher, a local business owner, has put a reward of $1,000 dollars to anyone that turns in the vandals to the Albany Police Department and doubling that reward through midnight of Memorial Day.

With a 23-year-old Albany soldier killed in Afghanistan Saturday, Fletcher says she wishes this event had never happened, so the reward money could be given to the family.

"I could personally be taking this thousand dollars plus the extra money coming in, to help with the family that just lost someone or help with a family in need, but because of the lack of cameras we're having to find these people." Said Fletcher.

Cleaning of the memorial will continue Tuesday, and the Albany Police Department will be continuing their investigation to find the vandals.