This is 38-year-old Brennan Gilmore from Charlottesville, Virginia, and his 97-year-old grandpa, John Middlemas.
Grandpa John is an American hero. His grandson told BuzzFeed News that John served on submarines in the Navy for 21 years, during World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War.
Gilmore said Grandpa John has "a strong commitment to social justice stemming from his deep Christian faith."
Grandpa John felt it was important to speak out about how it's the values of our country, not the symbols, that are important to protect. So, he took a knee in solidarity.
His grandson tweeted the photo, writing that Grandpa John said, "Those kids have every right to protest." His tweet has since gone hugely viral, with over 150,000 retweets.
My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: "those kids have… https://t.co/DSLvQYmgn2
Many people, including other vets, tweeted their support.
@brennanmgilmore That's America!!! Thank you for sharing. This Gulf War veteran, wants to say thank you to your gra… https://t.co/yoCSx7qpVC
And thanked Grandpa John for his service.
@brennanmgilmore That brought tears to my eyes. Thank you to your grandfather for his service then and now.
"Please thank your grandpa for his service to our country and for standing up for the right of Americans to protest. He's a hero!" said one person.
@brennanmgilmore @noreen_shoop Please thank your grandpa for his service to our country and for standing up for the… https://t.co/y0TIRZF6XR
Other people spoke out on behalf of relatives who passed away, saying they would do the same thing as John.
@brennanmgilmore @972_834 My brother who recently passed was WW2 VET, he was 92. If he was here he would agree with… https://t.co/rp0VDhkFxo
"My dad was also a WWII vet, and would have been taking a knee today. Your Pop is now everyone's Pop. Give him a hug for me," one person wrote.
@brennanmgilmore My dad was also a WWII vet, and would have been taking a knee today. Your Pop is now everyone's Pop. Give him a hug for me.
Gilmore said Grandpa John has enjoyed reading all the replies to his photo.
"He has been very appreciative of the huge outpouring of support from well-wishers," he said. "But he's 97, so it's taken quite a bit of explaining as to what Reddit and Twitter are."