If you spent any time at all on Twitter this morning, chances are high you came across an amazing, moving photo of three infantrymen in full-dress uniforms standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They apparently were remaining on guard despite Monday morning's driving wind and rain as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast.

Only one problem, however: That photo wasn't from Sandy at all, according to the Old Guard infantry unit tasked with keeping watch over the famous memorial.

The photo went viral with incredible quickness Monday morning, being shared among friends and co-workers as well as some of the nation's most popular media outlets. Its striking symbolism fueled online sharing and factual verification seemed to fall by the wayside as the shot gained more and more viral momentum. But, appropriately enough, the Old Guard took to Twitter soon after to digitally debunk the shot the shot's veracity:

@washingtonpost We truly appreciate the support.However, this photo was taken in Sept. This is #Sandygoo.gl/OC5lz — The Old Guard (@The_Old_Guard) October 29, 2012

@tjortenzi Thanks for posting the pic about @the_old_guard, but that is not from today.This one is goo.gl/OC5lz — The Old Guard (@The_Old_Guard) October 29, 2012

@samir This was not taken today.We posted a pic today facebook.com/oldguard — The Old Guard (@The_Old_Guard) October 29, 2012

The Old Guard did use Facebook to share a thematically similar but much less striking image of a soldier guarding the tomb as Sandy advanced Monday morning. But the photo that had the Internet abuzz now joins a growing stable of bogus storm shots that seem to make the rounds anytime a major weather disaster dominates the news.

Later on Monday morning, Karin Markert, the image's apparent original photographer, took to her own Facebook page to address the shot's sudden popularity. While she found its viral reach surprising and saw it credited to a number of sources other than herself, she said that was of secondary importance.

"What's most important, and please remember this, is that no matter how the photo ended up on everyone's computer, I am just so very proud of these soldiers and the mission that they fulfill every day," she wrote. "The Old Guard Soldiers were not only guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier today, but also participating in funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, filling thousands of sandbags, dragging water buffalos and generators around. There are some amazing men and women in this unit."

Have you seen amazing photos of Sandy that don't seem quite right? Share in the comments.

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