Ever the watchdog of fugly signage in Los Angeles, Dennis Hathaway of Billboard Blight spotted another urban atrocity sullying L.A.'s pastoral coastline a couple days back: A “Medal of Honor” billboard promoting the video game's latest traipse into turban country (rated 'M' for Mature).

Afghanistan, already? Have they no shame?

An even bigger problem: The Van Wagner Outdoor-owned board points directly at Westchester's poshest charter elementary school, just across the street at South Sepulveda and La Tijera Boulevards.

Crap move, Van Wagner. Everyone with half a brain is aware that children on the Westside don't know about guns and war and the Internet and stuff — and that their parents will do anything to keep it that way.

In fact, they raised such a fuss that the billboard company — currently fighting its own battle against the L.A. City Council's proposed 12 percent billboard tax — quietly removed the ad a day later.

Before the surrender, parent Denise Gustafson told Hathaway she was worried for her child and her city:

“I think it's about time parents and citizens alike begin thinking about the negative impact these images have on our children and our beautiful City of Los Angeles,” she said.

The suits at Van Wagner couldn't tell us what had happened, but said they'd look into it. Two of them conjectured that perhaps the contract with “Medal of Honor” had expired. How convenient.

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