Officials in New Jersey are looking to repair a popular World War I monument that has been vandalized.
Belmar's "Spirit of the American Doughboy" statue was severely damaged, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press. The statue depicts an infantryman walking with a rifle and a grenade and was dedicated in 1930.
Officials say the scabbard was torn away from the statue's rifle and the statue was loosened from its base.
Mayor Matt Doherty says the Belmar Historical Society will lead a fundraising campaign to help with repairs.
"The doughboy statue is a treasure in our town that has been a constant reminder of America's tremendous sacrifice in World War I," Doherty said. "The careless vandalism that occurred must be repaired and we must restore it to its rightful glory."
Officials restored the doughboy in 2007, after vandals damaged the statue.
The doughboy was a mass-produced war monument honoring those who died in World War I. There are 136 other identical doughboy statues across the U.S.
