Capt. Jeff Kuss Memorial Vandalized

SMYRNA, TN -- Just a few days since it's official unveiling, Smyrna's memorial to Marine Corps Capt. Jeff Kuss, the Blue Angels pilot who died in a crash during a rehearsal flight ahead of the city's air show in 2016, was vandalized overnight.

Smyrna Mayor Mary Esther Reed posted a photo on Facebook of the name "Hidalgo" spray painted in black on a planter adjacent to the memorial, which includes an F/A-18 similar to the one Kuss flew with the Navy's renowned demonstration team.

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City crews cleaned up the graffiti fairly quickly, but Reed told The Tennessean the crime hurts nonetheless.

Smyrna Police are investigating and there are surveillance cameras near the memorial.

Naval investigators determined Kuss was flying too fast and too low when his jet tumbled out of the sky in June 2016 as he attempted a high-performance climb. Kuss had been a member of the Blue Angels for two years at the time of the crash. He'd previously done tours in Afghanistan.