FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. -- A Clay County veterans' memorial conceived soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was the victim of either theft or vandalism last week.

A 300-pound granite bench engraved with emblems representing the Army, Coast Guard and merchant marine was discovered missing from Veterans Memorial Plaza at a business park on state Road 220 last Tuesday -- Veteran's Day.

Clay County deputies said they have no suspects, but the creator of this memorial, Gerald Agresti, wouldn't be surprised if it were skate boarders. On several occasions Agresti said he caught gangs of skaters disassembling the benches and using them as ramps.

"I stopped and talked and explained to them that this a war memorial. It's kind of sacred," Agresti said. "This is everybody that died in Clay County in a war."

But for Agresti -- who also is the developer of the office park -- catching the thief is not as important as retrieving the bench. He said that the memorial was a tribute to a friend who died in combat during the Vietnam War.

"There was a shipmate of mine by the name of Chuck Wilson," Agresti said. "We did a raid on Hanoi and in a direct hit, he disappeared in a ball of fire."

Agresti fears he may never see that piece of his memorial again.

"Unless somebody comes forward and saw something, or if it's kids, somebody's mom sees and says, 'Where'd you get that?' Unless that happens, it's probably gone," Agresti told Channel 4's Ayesha K. Faines.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Clay County Sheriff's Office at 904-284 6300.