Friday morning at approximately 4:30 a.m. two young men were caught taking flags from the Field of Flags–an installment of flags representing military personnel killed in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The incident happened not even a full week after the more than 6,000 flags were put in place along state Route 2 in New Martinsville.

New Martinsville Police Chief Tim Cecil said an officer had spoken with the subjects before the incident, suspicious of their activities. Despite the recent warning by the authorities, they allegedly proceeded to disturb the installment. Thankfully the flags are under 24-hour supervision and two men manning the living memorial caught the perpetrators and made them replace the flags.

“I put the fear in them and they apologized profusely,” said one of the volunteers who didn’t wish to be identified.

Cecil said charges are pending against the suspects who he believed were juveniles.