Delta passenger says she was stopped from singing anthem
A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight said she was stopped from singing the national anthem aboard the plane.
The passenger, Pamela Gaudry, wanted to sing the anthem to honor a fallen soldier on a flight carrying the soldier’s casket.
She told The Associated Press that passengers on the flight were told to “stay quietly in our seats” as the casket was taken off the plane.
{mosads}A flight attendant reportedly told Gaudry that passengers from other countries might be uncomfortable with the singing of the anthem.
“I couldn’t put up with that,” Gaudry told the AP. “I wouldn’t be offended if I was in their country.”
After she got off the flight, Gaudry posted a video to Facebook explaining what happened on the flight.
“The chief flight attendant came back to my seat and she kneeled down and she said, ‘It is against company policy to do what you’re doing,'” Gaudry said in a video.
“And I said, ‘The national anthem? And there’s a soldier onboard?’ And she said, ‘Yes, you cannot sing the national anthem. It is against company policy.'”
Once she was told to stop, she said she did as she was told. In the video, Gaudry said she did the “most uncourageous thing in my life today.” She said she was “humiliated” by her lack of courage.
Gaudry said in her video that if she “instigates a spiritual and patriotic feeling in this country,” she’s “thrilled.”
“I’m not real thrilled with the attention to myself.”
The company said in a statement that its employees “take great pride in Delta’s longstanding support of the military.”
“The respectful ceremony of the Delta Honor Guard is one symbol of Delta’s pledge to the men and women of the armed forces, and it represents our broad commitment to our veterans and active-duty service members. Delta does not have a policy regarding the national anthem. We have reached out to the customer and are looking into this situation,” it added.
The report comes after President Trump last month sparked controversy when he attacked NFL players who kneel in during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial discrimination.
Trump has called for the NFL to implement a rule requiring players to stand during the anthem, calling the action disrespectful to the country’s flag and its soldiers.
–This report was updated at 10:47 a.m.
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