Facebook/Pamela Gaudry
A Delta airlines passenger and physician, Pamela Gaudry, claimed in a video that a flight attendant stopped Gaudry and fellow passengers from singing the National Anthem as the body of a fallen American soldier was removed when the plane landed in Atlanta, Georgia.
Gaudry, a doctor from Savannah whose husband served in Vietnam, said in the Facebook Live video that she posted after the flight that the lead flight attendant had told her singing the National Anthem was against policy and that “several of the people on the plane were from other countries and that they were uncomfortable with us singing the National Anthem.” As a result, the passengers sat in silence as the casket was removed from the plane, she said, in an emotional video that she posted to her Facebook page. It’s had more than 2 million views. You can watch Gaudry’s video here:
According to Boston.com, Anthony Black, a spokesman for Delta, “declined to comment Monday on the specifics on Gaudry’s account,” but stressed, “There is not a policy about singing the national anthem, period.”
Although Black told the Boston newspaper that he couldn’t identify the deceased soldier on the flight, Boston.com reported that the body of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, “a special forces soldier who was among four U.S. troops killed in an ambush attack Oct. 4 in Niger, was returned Saturday to Wright’s family in rural southeast Georgia.”
Gaudry said the family had contacted her, and she said in a follow-up message that, “Delta has contacted me – no money or free tickets (I promise, and I would not have taken them)- and this is NOT their policy. Evidently they had a flight attendant that made some bad decisions in trying to make this situation go away. They are going to do some training for the future.”
Gaudry’s Facebook page says she works as a Gynecologist at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah. This is what she says in the video:
My name is Pam Gaudry, I am a physician, and I am the wife of a deceased Navy captain, not who died in the line of duty, and he gave 20 years of his life to the Navy. I just did the most uncourageous thing in my life today, and I’m sharing it, and I hope that somehow it gets to people all around and even the president. So I was on a flight from Philadelphia to Atlanta today, and we had a deceased soldier who was also accompanied by his best friend, a man in uniform, and the captain came on and asked if we would all remain seated while the soldier got off the plane first and while the Honor Guard took the deceased soldier out of the plane, which was great. I had an idea, it was just one of these spontaneous ideas, that it would be so neat when this soldier stood up and, while the honor guard was taking him off, that we should sing the National Anthem, and so I went around to each seat and I asked if people felt comfortable doing it if they would join me, and most people were thrilled out of their minds, and several women cried, and said you know that’s so great, and I had some people come up to me and say we should make a habit of this and said this would be great, and it’s a great honor to the boys parents and wife and perhaps children.
Anyway, I went to every seat. And Some people said fine, and others didn’t want to do it, which is fine; I said whatever you feel comfortable doing. After I sat back down, it was apparent that the plane was starting to descend, and the chief flight attendant came up to my seat and she kneeled down and she said, ‘It’s against company policy to do what you are doing.’ And I said the National Anthem, and there’s a soldier on board. And she said yes, you can not sing the National Anthem, it is against company policy. And I said, Well, I just told every single person on this plane that we are going to do it, are you going to tell them not to because I’m not going around to tell them not to sing. They did make an announcement that we were to stay quietly in our seats and be very quiet. She did not tell the rest of the plane that singing the National Anthem for this soldier was against company policy.
She told me that several of the people on the plane were from other countries and that they were uncomfortable with us singing the National Anthem. So the soldier got up. They whisked him out very quickly, which I assumed would happen when word got out to the flight crew that we were going to do this. We all sat in silence as the Honor Guard took the soldier off the plane. I was a little scared that I would be taken away by, I didn’t know what would happen to me if I started speaking. I am 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. I wish I could have been an example for my children. I’m glad my former husband is deceased because he would have been profoundly disappointed in me, and I can tell you that having been in Vietnam and having saved a lot of people’s lives there ,he would have been horribly disappointed in me, so I just wanted people to know that this happened. Obviously, I’m still in the airport. …I wish I had more courage to start singing.
After she received massive support online in response to the video, Gaudry posted another message on her Facebook page. It reads:
“Dear America,
I would like to publicly respond and thank everyone for the support. I wish that I had just STOOD UP after the soldier got off the plane and just started singing – I believe in my heart that many would have joined me.
Delta has contacted me – no money or free tickets (I promise, and I would not have taken them)- and this is NOT their policy. Evidently they had a flight attendant that made some bad decisions in trying to make this situation go away. They are going to do some training for the future.
Delta was very reverent and let the honor guards do a wonderful thing to honor each and every soldier that comes home with this beautiful tribute. For just this reason, I personally do not believe in a boycott of Delta.
The family knows what happened, has contacted me, and are appreciative of the effort. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have told them how beautiful and reverent it was as he was being taken off of the plane.
Several of the honor guards that were there have contacted me and were appreciative of the effort. Thank you. Thank you for your service. God bless you.
Many, many people from the city of Lyons, GA have contacted me and are appreciative of the effort. Thank you. God bless all of you. What you did in Lyons was amazing for Dustin Wright. I hope that everyone finds those videos of them arriving in that city.
Several people have commented that we should never sit down to sing the National Anthem. I agree 100%. I was trying to honor this soldier AND follow Delta’s rules to stay in our seats. It was all and only done to honor this soldier. Lots of things are easy to see in hindsight.
For those few that felt that I was doing it for the glory: Please. Please stop. My new husband is a veteran, and so were both his brothers. One of them is a retired general. They all served during the Vietnam war. My deceased husband was a flight surgeon in Vietnam, a 20 year veteran of the Navy. I have been handed a flag after an honor guard honored him at his funeral. I was told that we could not sing because people from other countries were “uncomfortable” and “offended” with this. 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.
For the many soldiers who have shared their stories with me: Thank you. I have cried reading your heartfelt stories.
The one thing that has been profoundly evident to me with all of your comments is that I am not worried about the patriotism of this wonderful country as much as I was prior to hearing from you. I thought that we had no hope. We do. We have lots of hope. I encourage the silent majority to be silent no more.
Do I think that we can break out in the singing of our national anthem when we feel it is appropriate? Yes. Should it be ok on a plane with a soldier being taken off? Yes, WHEN the time is appropriate and if you stand AND observe the appropriate silence that is due. If the family is on board and does not want you to sing? No, I would respect their wishes. Did Delta honor this soldier? Yes, beautifully and reverently.
Were there really people on the plane that were from other countries and were uncomfortable and offended? I will never know for sure, but this is what was told to me. If I was in your country and the same thing happened, I would smile and be impressed by the patriotism. If the flight attendant just told me this to stop me singing {and be silent and reverent (which was admittedly appropriate)}, then shame on you! How could you even come up with this excuse. In a thousand years, I cannot fathom that an American could have come up with that excuse. Although, I pray that you just DID make this up because you were nervous. I have done stupid things when I was nervous or upset. If you actually conceded to these wishes of people from other countries…I cannot find the appropriate words to reprimand you.
Delta has apologized to me. Profusely. I accept. Like many things in life…it should have been handled differently. I am not throwing any stones.
What good has happened?
1. Hundreds of thousands of people who never knew about William Wright (Dustin Wright), his death, his family, and his service to our country, now know.
2. Hundreds of thousands of people are now praying for this soldier and his family. I know that they appreciate the prayers. Please keep them coming for this family – they will need it, especially when the attention dies down. Thats when it is the most lonely – after.
3. Hundreds of thousands of people now know that four soldiers died in this tragic event in Africa:
Staff SGT. Dustin Wright
Staff SGT. Jeremiah Johnson
Staff SGT. Bryan Black
SGT. LA David Johnson
Lets pray for all 4 of them and their families.
4. All of you have made it clear that there is profound patriotism SLEEPING in this country. Lets WAKE UP! Show it.
5. There is profound belief in God – The God of which the foundation of our country was based- SLEEPING in this country. This woke a lot of people up.
PLEASE WAKE UP!
Show it! I have received so many messages about prayer and God with respect to this country, it makes me hopeful that we all truly pray for God to continue to bless this country. We need it.
Thank you all for your messages that are 99% positive. I cannot possibly answer – let alone read -them all. I am going to try. I wish that every soldier and especially every gold star family could see the messages…they would have more pride in this country than they already do – which would be impossible. I sure do.
For those who were upset with me or thought that I was after glory…I am sorry that I upset you and that you think like this. It is wrong – but we can debate that forever and get no where. It is just sad. For the people who said very nasty things…I forgive you. I understand the passion and emotion. I get it.
I wish that I had asked for forgiveness in singing instead of permission to sing – but then these good things would not have happened. It is done. Just like NOT singing yesterday… I cannot undo it.
For the William Wright Family – I hope that you are ok. I am sorry if I caused you any discomfort or unwanted attention. Truly. Obviously America, the great State of Georgia, and The Bulldog Nation have lost a hero. I pray for you. We all do.
Please pray for ALL of these families tonight and for a long time – they will need it.
Sincerely,
Pamela Dee Gaudry.”