A veteran donning a shirt calling for the end of military suicide was forced off of a plane by a male flight attendant in what she described as a humiliating ordeal, and told that she wouldn’t be allowed back on unless she removed the shirt.
The shirt read, “Do Not Give In To The War Within. End Veteran Suicide.”
The Daily Mail reports:
Catherine Banks was supposed to fly out of San Francisco on Wednesday, but instead she was forced off the plane by a flight attendant who found her shirt “threatening.”
At first, she didn’t realize the flight attendant was trying to get her attention when he ushered her off the plane, and had no idea what was going on or why she’d been singled out to exit the aircraft, but followed his demands to leave without protest or explanation.
Once on the jet bridge, the flight attendant told her that her shirt was threatening and must be removed in order to reboard.
Banks recalled the incident, describing her disbelief. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister. I’m going to see my Marine sister. I’ve been in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years. I’m going to visit her.'”
The flight attendant completely dismissed her and belittled her, replying, “I don’t care about your service, and I don’t care about her service. The only way you’re going to get back on the plane is if you take it off right now.”
The New York Post reports:
Delta Airlines can refuse to transport passengers if their “conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers,” according to the airline.
Following COVID-19, when flight attendants were tasked with enforcing mask compliance, many flyers have reported incidents of airline employees on power trips, targeting customers with bizarre, frivolous, and partisan demands.
Banks continued, “I feel like they just took my soul away. I’m not a bad person, and that T-shirt. I should be allowed to support myself and veterans.”
The Daily Mail continues:
In 2021, research established that ‘30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide – compared to the 7,057 killed in combat in those same 20 years,’ the U.S.O. states on its website.
Banks said that the T-shirt summed up the work she did for other veterans. In 2016, she received media attention for her attempt to raise $150,000 to make the home of a Marine who lost his arms and legs in Afghanistan more accessible.
Delta offered the following statement about the event: The matter with the customer has been resolved. We appreciate her patience as we continue to work to understand what occurred during this event. Most importantly, we are thankful for her service to our country.
Many aren’t satisfied with the statement, and customers are blowing up their social media accounts with inquiries about the incident, furious with the treatment of the veteran, asking for updates on disciplinary action against the flight attendant, and threatening to end business with the company.
The attendant should be at least placed on unpaid leave. He should also be ordered to visit Military Hospitals where troubled Veterans are being treated, as well as attending Military Service funerals of Veterans who died by suicide. Maybe some community service involving Veterans. Maybe the airline should make him do this, as well as apologizing the the Veteran and her sister before allowing him to come back to work. Maybe he’ll get the idea that he was way out of line.
Rick Olson: USAF Veteran
If the flight attendant thinks “End Veteran Suicide” is threatening, he should be required to attend pre-school.
The matter with the customer has been resolved. We appreciate her patience as we continue to work to understand what occurred during this event.
At least one of those sentences is a lie. I suspect both.
Delta had better be short one flight attendant. But as they are unionized it’s probably not going to happen.
What has happened to people?Are they mentally destroyed by DEI, Democrats and haters?
Just yesterday I was on a zoom continuing education event presented by a Duke University professor, in which many military chaplains participated. Data on suicides by active duty military and by veterans was presented. Active duty military and veterans have a much higher suicide rate than the general public. We send them to do a very hard job that breaks some of them, and they cannot live with themselves after the things they have seen and participated in. While greater use of diplomacy and less eagerness to jump into foreign wars would be a great idea, the fact is, we currently have many soldiers in harms way, and too many veterans unable to recover from what they have experienced. I am furious at the ignorance of the Delta employee who forced a US military veteran off her flight apparently because the flight attendant was offended by this message about a problem caused by our government that apparently everyone would rather bury. Between the problem of Boeing planes falling apart mid-air and the rudeness and ignorance of flight attendance – I am no longer a frequent flyer. Zoom meetings are my preference. Delta ought to think more about customer service for their guests and be thankful that anyone is still flying at all. This incident was totally preventable and totally egregious. To make a veteran miss her flight. There are not even words for that.
I will never fly delta again
“End Veteran Suicide” on a WOMAN’S T-shirt is “threatening” to a male attendant?! Give me a break!! I will NEVER fly Delta!
That was Just UNACCEPTABLE and the Flight Attendant should Loss His / Her job.
the delta rule said that it had to be offensive to passengers. Was there a passenger that complained, or was it just a stupid flight attendant that didn’t like or understand what the shirt was about?
The attendant’s rude and un-called for comment about not caring about the service of the two vets, should bring her up on Delta’s official carpet. She would be warned that those kinds of comments are intolerable.
Be blessed,
Don Thornton USN, 1964-68
I will encourage my friends and family to never fly delta again. There is no good excuse for that idiotic flight attendant to get away with his shameful behavior.