(CNN) — A woman who posted a picture on Facebook of herself giving the finger next to the Tomb of the Unknowns could lose her job.

Lindsey Stone’s co-worker took the photo of her while they were on a work trip to Washington D.C.

She’s next to a sign that says “silence and respect,” while she pretends to shout and puts up her middle finger.

That photo sparked outrage online and now both women are on unpaid leave.

“We’re totally beside ourselves,” says Peter Stone.

Lindsey Stone’s mom and dad, addressing this scandal head on, but not exactly defending their daughter and certainly not this picture.

“We’ve begged her not to put things like that on the site,” adds Peter.

[Does she understand why people are offended?]

“Oh, definitely.”

The 30-year-old took this image on a business trip to D.C. She works with this Hyannis organization, helping adults with disabilities.

Lindsey put the pic on Facebook for her friends, but it went beyond viral.

“She’s telling us to go ‘F’ ourselves, and I don’t think that’s real bright,” says veteran Edward LeBlanc.

After complaints poured in from across the country, Stone was suspended without pay and may be fired.

“This needs to calm down,” says Sarah Wunsch, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts.

The local ACLU says that while Lindsay clearly messed up, she shouldn’t have to lose her job.

“People talk about political correctness gone amok. This may well be an example of that. I don’t think she meant to insult veterans. I think she was being kind of dumb,” Wunsch adds.

[Should Lindsey lose her job over it?]

“I think it should be considered,” says Stone’s mother, Jeanne.

But Lindsey’s own parents are not as generous.

“I don’t want to see her lose her job, but if that’s what it is, I can say, “You caused it,”" adds Peter Stone.

Stone and the woman who took the photo released a statement apologizing, saying:

“We sincerely apologize for all the pain we have caused by posting the picture we took in Washington DC on Facebook. While posted on a public forum, the picture was intended only for our own amusement. We never meant any disrespect to any of the people nationwide who have served this country and defended our freedom so valiantly. It was meant merely as a visual pun, intending to depict the exact opposite of what the sign said, and had absolutely nothing to do with the location it was taken or the people represented there. We never meant to cause any harm or disrespect to anyone, particularly our men and women in uniform. We realize it was in incredibly poor taste, and are deeply sorry for the offense we have caused.

We would also like to apologize to LIFE, Inc. It is an amazing organization that provides invaluable services to adults with learning and developmental disabilities. We are beyond remorseful that our actions have caused them such undue public scrutiny. The disrespect implied by our picture has nothing at all to do with LIFE’s mission statement or values. We regret having caused any suffering to the staff members, residents, families and friends.

Again, we very sincerely apologize to everyone who took offense to the photo. We realize that it was an ignorant and distasteful thing for us to do, but we truly meant no harm. We are deeply sorry.

– Lindsey Stone and Jamie Schuh”