Two Florida hearse drivers have been fired after making the decision to stop at a doughnut shop on the way to a veteran's funeral, reports AP.
During the drivers' pit stop at the New Port Richey Dunkin’ Donuts on Tuesday, a man by the name of Rob Carpenter spotted the hearse in the parking lot with its curtains open and the coffin visible.
Outraged, Carpenter took a video and sent pictures to a local veterans group called Veteran Warriors, which then posted the images to Facebook.
“In the coffin was the body of 84-year-old Lt. Col. Jesse Coleman, a decorated soldier who served in Korea and Vietnam,” writes AP. “The hearse was transporting him from Veterans Funeral Care to his funeral.”
Soon after receiving backlash for his drivers’ actions, funeral home director Jim Rudolph fired the men and issued a formal apology:
“I want to take this opportunity to offer my sincere apologies to the veteran community,” he wrote. "What they did was wrong and clearly goes against Veterans Funeral Care’s protocol."
“More importantly, their actions were hurtful, disrespectful and insensitive to all veterans,” he said.
Rudolph, the son of a deceased veteran, vowed that conducting a proper military funeral is both a personal and professional mission of his:
“To all the veterans, families, and friends of veterans reading this: I am sorry for the actions that have lead us to this place. I am a proud son of a veteran… I believe they deserve the very best.”