The Daily Populous Tuesday February 24th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by abcnews.com and submitted by igetproteinfartsHELP

The hate symbol was found drawn on a bathroom wall at Training Center Cape May.

A view of The United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Harbor, Sept. 3, 2022, in Cape May, N.J.

The United States Coast Guard said Monday it is investigating after a swastika was found at a training center in New Jersey.

The hate symbol was found drawn on a bathroom wall in a building at Training Center Cape May on Thursday and "immediately removed," a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday has since held a mandatory meeting with the nearly 900 recruits and staff "to address the incident directly, reinforce the Coast Guard's strong standards and policies, and reaffirm the Service's dedication to accountability through our core values," the spokesperson said in a statement.

A view of The United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Harbor, Sept. 3, 2022, in Cape May, N.J. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

The Coast Guard Investigative Service has opened an investigation.

"Anyone who adheres to or advances hate or extremist ideology -- get out. Leave," Lunday said in a statement. "You don't belong in the United States Coast Guard and we reject you."

"We will not allow anyone to put a stain of hate on our United States Coast Guard," the statement continued. "We will not be defined by the cowardly acts, but instead be defined by our unwavering response and our resolve to defeat them."

Lunday was sworn in as commandant last month, following controversy over the Coast Guard's policy concerning hate symbols.

A Coast Guard document in November 2025 appeared to suggest that swastikas and nooses would be classified as "potentially divisive" rather than as "hate symbols." The Coast Guard denied reports at the time that it would no longer classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.

In December, two Democratic senators placed a hold on Lunday's nomination to serve as the new leader of the Coast Guard over concerns about the policy change. The senators subsequently allowed his nomination to move forward after the policy was revised.

igetproteinfartsHELP on February 24th, 2026 at 14:24 UTC »

"Anyone who adheres to or advances hate or extremist ideology -- get out. Leave," Lunday said in a statement. "You don't belong in the United States Coast Guard and we reject you."

"We will not allow anyone to put a stain of hate on our United States Coast Guard," the statement continued. "We will not be defined by the cowardly acts, but instead be defined by our unwavering response and our resolve to defeat them."

BasicPhysiology on February 24th, 2026 at 14:24 UTC »

Really makes you wonder why they did this back in November: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols

It was quickly reversed, but still, clearly there is an ongoing issue that they were trying to "fix" by making hate symbols allowed.

Flash_ina_pan on February 24th, 2026 at 14:21 UTC »

"Anyone who adheres to or advances hate or extremist ideology -- get out. Leave," Lunday said in a statement. "You don't belong in the United States Coast Guard and we reject you."

How long until Noem dismisses Lunday for being woke?