Kids being kids or disrespectful? That's the question surrounding a picture of children climbing on the Women's' Vietnam Memorial in front of a veteran.

Amateur Ohio photographer Matthew Munson captured the moment during a recent trip to Washington DC. Munson says "some parents encouraged their kids to climb on the memorial to take a picture while a veteran in a wheelchair passed by. They were using it like a jungle gym."

The photo sparked outrage after Munson posted the photo on Reddit. "The parents were laughing while trying to get their kids to pose. The veterans showed up, and they looked hurt more than angry. Then a crowd of tourists formed around the parents and they just glared at them. It was all pretty brutal to watch," Munson writes.

While some support the kids just being kids, saying "isn't that exactly what those soldiers died for." Others aren't as understanding, writing "It's about being considerate and respectful of others. The kids aren't climbing on it because they recognize the juxtaposition between the statue's meaning and their youthful innocent play and wanted to engage in performance art. They do it because they lack the maturity to truly understand or appreciate the serious symbolic nature of this piece." While another wrote, "I get that it's good for kids to be kids but there's a time and a place for that and a war memorial is not one."

The Vietnam Women's Memorial is dedicated to U.S. women who served in the Vietnam War.

What do you think? Is this just kids being kids or is it disrespectful?


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