Nonprofit worker fired after photo scandal at Arlington National Cemetery
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This photo of Lindsey Stone at Arlington National Cemetery generated a national controversy after it was posted to Facebook and went viral, ultimately costing Stone and another person their jobs at a nonprofit.
The Massachusetts woman at the center of the Facebook photo scandal at Arlington Cemetery has been fired from her job at a Cape Cod business, MyFoxBoston.com reports.
Lindsey Stone's employer, Living Independently Forever (LIFE), issued a statement on their Facebook page on Wednesday announcing that they have released the two employees involved in the controversial incident.
"We wish to announce that the two employees recently involved in the Arlington Cemetery incident are no longer employees of LIFE. Again, we deeply regret any disrespect to members of the military and their families."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LIFE plans to delete any and all comments regarding the incident from their page in an effort to protect their residents, even if the comments were well-intentioned.
"We appreciate your concern and understanding as we focus on the care of our community," the organization said.
Stone and Jamie Schuh, the other LIFE employee involved in the incident, were placed on unpaid leave immediately following the Facebook post, which made national headlines.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the picture, Stone was featured giving an obscene gesture and pretending to yell in front of a sign at Arlington Cemetery that read, "Silence and respect."
The Director of Living Independently Forever, Diane Enochs, told FOX 25 that complaints came pouring into the organization regarding the offensive photo via telephone and Facebook commentary.
Stone was on a LIFE company trip in Washington, D.C., when the incident occurred and the photo was taken by a coworker.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stone and Schuh issued a statement late Tuesday night apologizing for the photo and all the pain that it had caused.
"We never meant any disrespect to any of the people nationwide who have served this country and defended our freedom so valiantly," the statement read.
Up until the Facebook post, Enochs said Stone had been a "good employee" for the year and a half that she was employed by the organization.
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