NEW: Vandalized State House Heroes Memorial Restored

NEW: Vandalized State House Heroes Memorial Restored

Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts, Custodian of the Garden of Heroes on the southwest lawn of the State House, expressed her thanks and satisfaction that the memorial stone in the Garden has been cleaned of graffiti after being targeted by vandals on Memorial Day. The Garden is a memorial that was dedicated in 2005 to “Rhode Island service members who made the ultimate sacrifice during operations in support of the global war on terrorism since September 11, 2001.”

"I want to personally thank Ryan Hogan of Warren Monument in Coventry for his generosity in addressing the vandalism of the memorial stone at the Garden of Heroes and returning it to its original beauty. I also want to thank the public for their outpouring of support and offers of assistance to rectify the situation at the Garden," said Lt. Governor Roberts. "I hope we can all move past this unfortunate event and return our focus to remembering and honoring our Veterans, not just on Memorial Day but on each and every day that we enjoy the freedoms they have defended for us all."

Hogan provided cleaning and restoration of the memorial stone as well as the five smaller armed services memorial stones in the Garden this afternoon at no charge.