Lawn-Mowing Patriot Helps Keep Washington Tidy

A South Carolina businessman jolted by the closing of national landmarks has taken it upon himself to clean parts of the Washington Mall during the government shutdown.

"They started talking about how vulnerable our memorials were and I was concerned," Chris Cox told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

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"I threw my bike in the back of my truck and I went there and to my dismay it was a ghost town and anybody could have spray-painted the Vietnam Memorial or the Korean Memorial, and it was unacceptable," he said.

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"I just hung out the first two nights on my bicycle, kind of patrolling, with my fingers near my phone. I realized later that I could play a more valuable role as a janitor."

So Cox, the owner of Cox Carvings in Mount Pleasant, S.C., obtained a lawn mower and started trimming the grass at the Lincoln Memorial and the WWII Memorial.

In days, he had plenty of help.

"At first, it was lonely and now I have more company than I know how to handle. And it's just been an overwhelming response," he said.