Photo of WWII vet taking a knee goes viral

A photo of a 97-year-old World War II veteran taking a knee has gone viral.

Brennan Gilmore, the former chief of staff for former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), tweeted the image of his grandfather kneeling Sunday after President Trump attacked National Football League (NFL) players who kneel during the national anthem.

{mosads}

“My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: “those kids have every right to protest,” Gilmore tweeted. 

My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: “those kids have every right to protest.” pic.twitter.com/LurCj7SLUB

— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) September 24, 2017

The tweet has been retweeted more than 133,000 times and earned over 350,000 likes.

“Grandpa has been an ally to the civil rights movement for many years. He’s an amazing man always on the side of justice,” Gilmore added in a later tweet.

Grandpa has been an ally to the civil rights movement for many years. He’s an amazing man always on the side of justice.

— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) September 24, 2017

Trump has been facing major backlash for his criticism of players that kneel during the anthem to protest racial injustice. NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem last season.

Trump called for NFL owners to fire players that kneel and said people should walk out of games if they see players protesting.

Many NFL players responded with protests during the national anthem Sunday, including three teams that skipped the anthem altogether.