A U.S. Marine Corps veteran was ordered to remove her veteran suicide prevention T-shirt before being allowed to continue her Delta Airlines flight from San Francisco International Airport last Wednesday — an incident that has created serious controversy over the airline’s dress code enforcement.
Catherine Banks, who served 22 years in the Marine Corps and worked 15 years with the Air Force, was wearing a shirt that read “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide” when a flight attendant demanded she leave the plane.
Another passenger had reportedly complained that the t-shirt was “threatening” and offensive.
“He said that shirt you’re wearing is threatening,” Banks told NBC Bay Area. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister.'”
The flight attendant responded, “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,” Banks claimed.
The shirt was produced by the Til Valhalla Project, an organization providing mental health treatment to U.S. veterans.
Banks was forced to change into a sweatshirt while facing away from the flight attendant, as she wasn’t wearing a bra. Despite paying for an extra legroom seat, she was then relocated to the back of the plane. The incident caused a delay that resulted in Banks missing her connecting flight.
“I feel like they just took my soul away,” Banks said. “I’m not a bad person, and that T-shirt, I should be allowed to support myself and veterans.”
Delta’s contract of carriage allows removal of passengers whose attire creates “an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.”
A Delta spokesperson commented on the incident: “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.”
I’ll never fly @Delta airlines again. They tried to kick a U.S. Military Veteran off for wearing a shirt that raises mental health awareness for our Vets and was quoted saying “I don’t care about your service” to a former Marine that served 22 years. #DeltaAirlines #Delta… pic.twitter.com/aeGgbsDCrc
— Jimmy Donn (@Sicfux) October 19, 2024