A Hawaiian altar at the summit of Mauna Kea used for spiritual purposes since 1997 was knocked down Tuesday by unknown vandals, according to a Big Island activist.

The altar also had been used as a resting place for personal items of two soldiers from Hawaii killed in Iraq.

"It's customary practice to place things of the deceased in high places," said Kealoha Pisciotta, who has criticized observatory expansion on Mauna Kea.

Breaking into tears, she added, "They lost their sons. It's obviously hurtful and disrespectful."

Honolulu attorney Allen Hoe, whose son Nainoa was killed by a sniper in Mosul, Iraq, last year, said he felt "blown away" by the desecration. "Talk about hateful acts," he said.

Amid the rocks of the altar, Hoe had placed a written version of his son's genealogy, his son's Army "Ranger tab," a kind of badge, and other items.

The family of the second man with items in the altar did not want to be identified.

Pisciotta said people should try to avoid anger at the desecration. "We have to remember that Mauna Kea is for peace," she said.

The altar was erected in 1997 by the Royal Order of Kamehameha "to help provide a focus of reverence," Pisciotta said.