Guns and Gear

Lindsey Stone on “Silence and Respect” at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Mike Piccione Editor, Guns & Gear
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Lindsey Stone, an employee of LIFE, Living Independently Forever, Inc., on an employer paid trip in October to Washington, D.C., posed for this photo next to Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. She then uploaded the photo to her Facebook page.

LIFE on their Facebook page describes their organization as “a nonprofit organization that provides supported independent living for adults with disabilities within its condominium communities on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.”

The photo sparked a controversy and this is the statement LIFE posted in response to the picture:

“On Nov. 19 at approximately 6 p.m., we became aware that one of our employees had posted an offensive, inappropriate photograph on her personal Facebook page. The photo was taken at a national historic site in October by a fellow employee during a trip to Washington, D.C. attended by 40 residents and eight staff. The photo has since been removed from Facebook, and both employees have been placed on unpaid leave pending the results of an internal investigation.

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.”

How do you feel about this? Is it a foolish gesture, a First Amendment freedom of expression or a genuine gesture of her feelings towards the fallen on our Nation’s hallowed ground? Either way, it is a knucklehead thing to post on your Facebook page.

Mike Piccione