This is incredibly emotional.
As Diane Cupp and her spouse took an aircraft in Germany to return home, they never expected it to be one of the most memorable flights of their lives. It is also worthwhile to know that it wasn’t the plane they were intended to take.
The incident Diane saw on the plane while returning home made her believe that she was on the plane “for a cause.”
The incident began when a Delta Air Lines flight arrived in Atlanta for a stopover. Before everybody got out of their respective seats, the plane captain informed us that there was a U.S, Military soldier on board who would be the first to disembark since he was escorting the remains of a WWII veteran back to the U.S.
The most memorable incident occurred when the private left his seat to exit the aeroplane.
To respect the dead soldier, several students stood up and sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Cupp, along with other passengers on the flight, quietly listened to the teenagers. Cupp didn’t forget to record the heartfelt act.
Cupp described the incident during an interview with TODAY:
“It was one of the best experiences in my whole life.” I was scornful of the teenagers who began singing. It was so heart-warming.”
Later it was revealed that the pupils were accomplished singers from Iowa.
The Iowa Ambassadors of Music is a team of about 350 people. The students on the flight were some of them. As the Des Moines Register said, the students returned home following a European performance trip. The aeroplane that landed in Atlanta had 160 pupils on board, 60 of whom were choir vocalists.
When the journey was near completion, the airline staff reached the director and told him about the army soldier. Luke Johnson, one of the group’s choir conductors, told a reporter:
“We were very gratified since… people turn to music for consolation in moments of need or suffering.”
The team of vocalists selected to perform a cover of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” as it was the ensemble’s concert closing tune.
Everyone on the plane was touched by the incident.
As Cupp has been visiting WWII locations in France and Germany alongside her spouse, she felt tearful during the incident is unsurprising.
TODAY quoted her as saying:
“In today’s world, people get separated due to different reasons that, seeing something like this is sadly rare. The passengers’ eyes welled up with tears, as did mine,” Cupp said TODAY.
Cupp was supposed to go back after the trip to Germany on a different airline. On the other hand, her spouse had a medical emergency during their vacation, necessitating a change of flights.
However, the couple ended up flying home on the same flight.
“I think all this happened for a cause. When the captain told us about the veteran and when the vocalists started singing, I was drowned in a sea of emotions. It reminded me of our journey to prison camps and the graveyard for American troops.”
Like other individuals who recorded the breathtaking moments, Diane chose to share the clip on Facebook, where it became popular in a short period. The footage rapidly went viral, and the incident made national news.
It is, nevertheless, unsurprising. Because we rarely see teenagers pay such exquisite tribute to deceased war veterans. Incredibly, the incident was captured on camera.