JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A local man who lost his 20-year-old son in Iraq is outraged and disgusted by what some people have been doing to the memorial wall downtown.

Skateboarders are suspected to have caused damage by turning Veterans Memorial Wall into a makeshift skate park.

This week, Jacksonville police arrested 29-year-old Kevin Graver. They said he was using the wall to perform tricks.

The memorial wall is considered sacred ground to the families of fallen soldiers, but video posted on YouTube shows it is considered less sacred by some people who have used it as a playground.

The skaters in the YouTube video might not have been arrested, but Graver was. He was arrested and accused of causing nearly $5,000 worth of damage to the memorial with his skateboard. Graves is charged with a third-degree felony because of the amount of damage.

"It's not just disrespectful to me, it's disrespectful to the city, the city of Jacksonville," said Dave Seamens, who is the father of a fallen soldier.

He said skaters who use the site as a skate park sicken him. Seamens' son, Tim, was killed in Iraq in 2005. Tim Seamens' name is one of thousands listed on the memorial wall.

"I get mad. I get extremely mad. I get angered, and to think that someone would come out here and deliberately, deliberately and intentionally do something to disrespect this," Seamens said.

The city has tried to clean up the mess, but the evidence of the skate boarders is still at the memorial. The edge of one of the benches has scratch marks, and near the eternal flame there are crack marks in the brick caused by the skate boarders. The city has tried to fill in the cracks with concrete.

Harrison Conyers, of Jacksonville Military and Veteran Affairs, said the city spends thousands of dollars each year repairing the damage done by skaters.

"We've got more than 1,600 men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, who's names are inscribed on this wall. Some of them are 16 and 17 years old, the same age as the people doing the damage. It is offensive, and it offends the veterans community and the families," Conyers said.

"Go to the free park and do it, but do no come here and defame city property and especially to those of honor," Seamens said.

Skaters caught at the memorial can expect to face a misdemeanor and a fine.