Military officials: Inspiring Tomb of the Unknown Soldier photo not taken during Sandy

ARLINGTON, Va. - An inspiring image of soaked members of the Old Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Superstorm Sandy’s wrath on the region has gone viral over the last few days, but now army officials are saying the photo has nothing to do with the storm that has caused death and destruction across the East Coast.

The photo, which many believed to show the dedicated guardians of Arlington Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier withstanding Sandy’s wind and rain, was actually a photo taken in September long before the superstorm hit the region, according to The Old Guard, the infantry that guards the tomb. In the photo that went viral Monday, three Tomb Sentinels stand at attention before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in pouring rain.

The Old Guard tweeted at a Washington Post reporter on Monday to say the photo was not taken around the time Sandy hit the Washington, D.C., area.

“ @ tjortenzi Thanks for posting the pic about @The_Old_Guard , but that is not from today. This one is http://goo.gl/OC5lz ,” the Old Guard tweeted. The link they posted shows Facebook images of the tomb’s guardians on Monday, a much less rainy day.

The Old Guard has guarded the tomb every minute of every day -- in all kinds of weather -- since April 6, 1948, and the days of Hurricane Sandy’s impact were no different. The photo circulating the Internet, however, was actually taken on Sept. 18 by photographer Karin Markert and posted on a photo-sharing site .

The photo has been passed around social media sites and garnered positive comments for the U.S. military in a time when Sandy has caused deaths and left millions without power.

To see more viral photos that, in fact, were not taken during Hurricane Sandy, go to http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/science_tech/viral-photos-that-arent-hurricane-sandy .