A Marine Corps veteran from California was removed from a Delta Air Lines flight on Wednesday due to a T-shirt she wore that highlighted the issue of veteran suicide rates in the United States.

Catherine Banks was scheduled to depart from San Francisco when a flight attendant deemed her shirt “threatening.”

The T-shirt featured the message: “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide.” According to Banks, the flight attendant approached her shortly before takeoff and stated, “Ma’am… you need to get off the plane.”

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It was not until she was standing on the jet bridge that the attendant explained the reason for her removal. “He said that shirt you’re wearing is threatening,” Banks told NBC.

Banks, who served in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years, expressed disbelief at the situation.

She said, “I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister. I’ve been in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years. I’m going to visit her.’”

Despite her lengthy service, the flight attendant remained unswayed. “He said, ‘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 recalled.

Since she was not wearing a bra, Banks had to turn her back to the attendant while she put on a sweatshirt.

After changing, she was eventually allowed to reboard the flight but was not permitted to return to her paid extra-legroom seat.

Instead, she was directed to sit at the back of the plane.

The incident caused a delay in the flight, resulting in Banks missing her connecting flight. Reflecting on the experience, she described it as “humiliating,” stating, “I feel like they just took my soul away. I’m not a bad person, and that T-shirt. I should be allowed to support myself and veterans.”

Current statistics from the United Service Organizations (USO) highlight the severity of the veteran suicide crisis.

In 2021, research indicated that “30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide—compared to the 7,057 killed in combat in those same 20 years,” according to the USO’s website.

The T-shirt Banks was wearing is sold by the Til Valhalla Project, an organization dedicated to honoring fallen soldiers by raising funds for families to purchase memorial plaques.

The group also provides financial assistance for therapy sessions for struggling veterans.

Banks noted that her shirt embodied the work she does for fellow veterans. In 2016, she garnered media attention for her efforts to raise $150,000 to make the home of a Marine who lost his arms and legs in Afghanistan more accessible.

At that time, she expressed her commitment to helping other veterans, saying, “I just have to. I won’t feel complete if I don’t reach out and see if there is anything I can do.”

A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines stated, “Delta is seeking to make contact with the customer directly to hear more so we can begin to look into what occurred.”

As the airline investigates the incident, Banks’s experience has sparked discussions on veteran treatment and awareness, highlighting the need for sensitivity toward those who have served and the issues they face.