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A veteran was allegedly asked to leave a Delta flight over her “threatening” anti-suicide shirt. Now, the brand — which works to reduce veteran suicide — says support and demand for their clothing has skyrocketed.
Marine Corps veteran Catherine Banks said she boarded a flight at San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 16 when she was asked by a flight attendant to leave the plane, according to SFGATE and NBC affiliate KNTV.
After getting off the plane, Banks told KNTV that the flight attendant told her that her shirt — which read “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide” — was “threatening.”
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” Banks told the outlet, claiming that she was told the “only way” to get back on the plane is if she removed the shirt.
After changing into a sweatshirt, Banks claimed she was told to sit in the back of the plane, even though she said she paid for an extra legroom seat. “I feel like they just took my soul away,” Banks told the outlet. “I should be allowed to support myself and veterans.”
In a previous statement to PEOPLE, a Delta spokesperson said that the matter had been “resolved.”
“We appreciate her patience as we continue to work to understand what occurred during this event,” the spokesperson said. “Most importantly, we are thankful for her service to our country.”
The shirt Banks wore comes from Til Valhalla Project, a Veteran-owned business that helps provide mental health treatment to veterans — and the founder says that support and demand has skyrocketed since news of the story went viral.
“It’s great to kind of see people rally around something,” founder Korey Shaffer told KNTV. “Our sales on that T-shirt is up over 4,000% just in the past 48 hours.”
Based in St. Augustine, Florida, Til Valhalla Project sells veteran-themed apparel and accessories with the sales going to fund memorial plaques for the fallen. Shaffer, who enlisted in the Marines, iserved in Afghanistan.
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In a recent Facebook post, the organization shared the story behind the “Do not give in” T-shirt, explaining that the design was dedicated in the memory of Shaffer’s friend, Marine Cpl. Benjamin Dunston, who died by suicide.
“In his grief, Korey crafted a memorial plaque to Honor Dunston’s memory—a gesture that ultimately sparked the T.V.P. mission. Since then, the Do Not Give In design has played a massive role in helping us donate over $1.3 million to reduce Veteran suicide and Honor 3,500+ Fallen Heroes with memorials surprise-delivered to their families,” read the post.
Speaking about the recent attention the shirt has gotten, Shaffer wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Oct. 23 that “it’s been a crazy past few days.”
“But I am glad Catherine is being taken care of and that the media is interested in promoting the positive side,” Shaffer added. “Good on them.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
