A Facebook photo taken at Arlington National Cemetery has angered thousands of people and caused the creation of a petition calling for the women’s resignation. One of the women, Lindsey Stone, from Plymouth, Massachusetts, was on a trip paid by her office to Arlington National Cemetery back in October when she posed in the photo that has caused such a stir.
Stone is standing next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the photo near a sign that says “Silence and Respect” while giving the middle finger and acting like she is yelling. Stone decided it would be in her best interest to post the photo on her Facebook page. The photo was taken by one of Stone’s coworkers.
In a post on Facebook on October 20, Stone said, “Whoa whoa whoa… wait. This is just us, being the douchebags that we are, challenging authority in general. Much like the pic posted the night before, of me smoking right next to a no smoking sign. OBVIOUSLY we meant NO disrespect to people that serve or have served our country.”
A Facebook group called “Fire Lindsey Stone,” added some gasoline to the already burning fire, saying that Stone “disrespected every man and woman far greater than herself with the actions shown in my profile picture.” The Facebook page calls for her resignation from Living Independently Forever, Inc. (LIFE), which is a non-profit company in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Stone and the co-worker were placed on unpaid leave pending an internal investigation after LIFE learned of the photo. The company posted the following on Facebook:
“This photograph in no way reflects the opinions or values of the LIFE organization, which holds our nation’s veterans in the highest regard. We are proud to have veterans serving on our staff and board of trustees, and we value their service. The men and women who have selflessly fought and sacrificed their lives to protect the rights and lives of Americans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. We are acutely aware that this photo has done a disservice to veterans and we are deeply saddened that it was taken and shared in a public medium.”