Coast Guard investigating swastika drawn in men's bathroom at Cape May facility

Robert Moran, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb 23, 2026

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The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an incident in which a swastika was reportedly drawn on a bathroom wall at the Coast Guard’s training center in Cape May, New Jersey.

“Following discovery of a hate symbol drawn on a bathroom wall in a building at Training Center Cape May, the Coast Guard immediately referred the matter to the Coast Guard Investigative Service for investigation — consistent with longstanding Coast Guard policy. This hate symbol was immediately removed,” a spokesperson for the service branch said in an email Monday.

The Washington Post first reported on Monday that the hate symbol — which the Coast Guard did not specify — was a hand-drawn swastika that was discovered Thursday evening in the men’s bathroom.

Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard commandant, was informed about the incident on Saturday, the Post reported.

“The Commandant immediately traveled to Training Center Cape May and held a mandatory All Hands 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 Coast Guard spokesperson said.

In a statement, Lunday declared: “Anyone who adheres to or advances hate or extremist ideology — get out. Leave. You don’t belong in the United States Coast Guard and we reject you.”

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

The spokesperson said that the Coast Guard is “committed to maintaining a workplace that is safe, professional, and respectful for every member of our workforce. Any behavior that undermines these standards will be addressed swiftly and seriously.”

Late last year, the Post reported that the Coast Guard had planned to downgrade swastikas and nooses in its workplace harassment manual as “potentially divisive” rather than hate symbols.

In December, Lunday announced that the revisions were “completely removed” from the policy manual and swastikas and nooses would still be considered overt hate symbols, the Post reported.