On September 14^th — a mere 11 days ago — the Michael P. Murphy Veterans Plaza, located between Old Main and McAllister, was unveiled and dedicated. Yesterday, the Plaza bore the marks of alleged vandalism (image below)–what seem to be tire marks from BMX “wall-rides”.

Photos of the skid marks were first posted on the Penn State Facebook page shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The Penn State police department could not be immediately reached for comment.

Shortly after news spread, the Penn State Veterans Organization and Omega Delta Sigma Veterans Fraternity teamed up to clean the bike marks from the memorial before the police arrived. Here are their efforts in action:

The Veterans Plaza — the 2011 class gift — honors Lieutenant Michael Murphy, Penn State Class of ’98 and the university’s only Medal of Honor recipient. Murphy was a political science and psychology major during his time here at Penn State, and though he was accepted to several law schools after his graduation, he instead chose the path of a Navy SEAL. Deployed to Afghanistan as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Lieutenant Murphy was killed in action in June of 2005. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in 2007.