Two Funeral Home Employee Got Fired Because of This Photo
Here’s the story from Nashville News and then I’ll provide some commentary:
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (WFLA) – Rob Carpenter did a double-take on his way into his New Port Richey Dunkin’ Donuts. But there it was, straddling two parking spots: a hearse, with the front window down, back curtains drawn and a flag-draped coffin on display.
He took video, snapped a photo and then confronted the funeral home workers when they returned, coffee and a bag of doughnuts in hand.
Carpenter, whose own father served this country in the military, described his confrontation with the driver.
Ltc. Jesse Coleman, who died at age 84
“I’m like, ‘Is this really a body in here?’ and he says, ‘Yes,’ and I said, ‘So you have a dead soldier in the back of your hearse and you’re stopping to get coffee?’ And he didn’t say anything.”
Carpenter said the men didn’t seem at all remorseful. So, he sent his video and photo to the local group, Veteran’s Warriors.
“It was very upsetting and very disrespectful to this solider and their family,” Carpenter said.
Lauren Price, who is the head of Veteran Warriors, posted the photo on Facebook and it went viral.
I’ve hearse bombed more than a couple times in my life. I’ve driven our removal van through Dunkin Donuts, through McDonalds (eating there is a crime in itself) and I’ve parked the hearse outside a restaurant on a number of long trips (2+ hours) I’ve taken to various cemeteries.
Rarely have I driven the hearse / removal van through an eatery when it has been loaded with a deceased body. But, I’m sure — although my memory can’t recall anything specific — that I’ve needed to stop for a pee once or twice when I’ve had a body in the back of my vehicle.
Stuff happens.
From my perspective, the mistake here is twofold: 1.) the casket is viewable to the public and 2.) the deceased is a Veteran. Veterans belong to a group of men and women who thrive on honor, integrity and sacrifice. Just as funeral directors adapt our services to the rituals and values of Catholics, or Jews, or Muslims, so we should adapt ourselves when we are serving a Veteran by making sure the commitments and sacrifices they gave for their country are recognized and appreciated. The rituals of service men and women are integrity, honor and sacrifice, and funeral directors need to understand and accommodate ourselves to those values, whether we ourselves have served or not. So if we park a hearse at a coffee shop and the Veteran is viewable to the public eye, we should realize that we — in effect — are doing a disservice to the culture and community of the armed forces.
I’ve always been told that it takes a lifetime to build a legacy and only takes a second to destroy it. Thanks to the viral nature of social media, for the two funeral directors involved, it only took a donut.
