Woman Claims Flight Attendant Wouldn’t Let Passengers Sing National Anthem For Fallen Soldier

UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 10:40 a.m. EDT - The story now includes a statement International Business Times received from Delta.

Original Story:

A Georgia woman has taken to social media to vent her frustration after she was told she couldn’t sing the national anthem. She wanted to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” after learning her flight carried the remains of a fallen soldier.

Pamela Gaudry said that she wanted to stand and sing the national anthem on a Saturday Delta flight as soldiers removed the remains of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright from the cargo hold, according to Savannah, Georgia, CBS-News affiliate WTOC.

Gaudry said that a flight attendant stopped her, saying it was against company policy. After the flight, Gaudry took to Facebook.

“I’m humiliated by my lack of courage to sing the national anthem in my own country on American soil with a deceased soldier on the plane,” Gaudry said. “I just sat there with tears rolling down my face.”

Gaudry said she told the attendant that she was the wife of a now-deceased Navy Captain, but that the attendant told her that “everybody is going to stay in their seats and be quiet.”

In a follow-up statement after the initial video, Gaudry said that Delta had contacted her and informed her that it was not Delta’s policy. She said she was also contacted by Wright’s family and several of the honor guards, who thanked her.

“I was told that we could not sing because people from other countries were "uncomfortable" and "offended" with this,” said Gaudry. “This statement horrified me. I was told that we couldn't sing because it was against the company policy - I was told this TWICE. I sincerely wish there was a recording. You would have been horrified too. I was horrified. I made the video after leaving the plane.”

Gaudry said that Delta told her that the company would redo some training.

Delta told International Busines Times it does not have a policy on the national anthem and provided this statement via email:

"Our employees worldwide 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."