A Marine Corps veteran is calling on Mission city leaders to restore a memorial for veterans at Leo Peña “La Placita” Park that he says has fallen into disrepair.

Veteran Domingo De La Garza said he first noticed posts on social media about the memorial's condition at the park, located at the corner of Conway Avenue and 9th Street, before deciding to see it for himself.

"I've been through this memorial, but I've never paid attention to how run down it is," De La Garza said.

The memorial, built in the early 2000s, shows peeling paint, cracked concrete monuments displaying military branch seals, and nameplates beginning to fall off.

"It really... it got me real upset," De La Garza said.

De La Garza said veterans deserve better care for their memorials.

"I think veterans deserve better, not only in the city of Mission but just in the RGV in general," De La Garza said. “To me this is shameful; it's a slap in the face, and I believe the city of Mission and its leaders can do better.”

In a statement to Channel 5 News, the city said it provides the land and financial support for the veterans’ war memorial. The city parks and recreation department maintains the landscaping around the memorial, while the ACE Club, a volunteer organization, has historically cared for the memorial itself.

The city said it is aware of the concerns and is working with the ACE Club and everyone involved to determine the best path forward to ensure the memorial receives the care and respect it deserves.

Channel 5 News reached out to an ACE Club contact but had not received a response by the time this story aired on Thursday evening.

Crews with the city of Mission were seen on Thursday afternoon appearing to get ready to repair the honor wall, with some broken nameplates and pictures removed from the site.

De La Garza said he wants to see a long-term plan to keep the memorial from falling into disrepair again.

"A lot of people might not think of it as a big deal, but things like this matter to us because it's the least, the least we could do, especially for those that didn't come home," De La Garza said.

Watch the video above for the full story.