According to reports by multiple media outlets, Catherine Banks was attempting to board a flight at San Francisco International Airport when the incident took place.

Banks told NBC Bay Area that the situation began when a male flight attendant called out to her and instructed her to leave the plane. "A male flight attendant was saying, 'Ma'am, ma'am.' I looked around, like, 'Who was he talking to?' And it was me. He said, 'You need to get off the plane,' and I was like, 'What did I do?'" she recounted to NBC.

After exiting the plane, Banks said she was informed that her shirt, which read "Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide," was deemed threatening. "He said that shirt you're wearing is threatening," Banks told NBC. "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.' 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.'"

Eventually, Banks was allowed to reboard the flight but was required to sit in the back, which caused her to miss a connecting flight due to the delay.

Delta Airlines has not yet commented directly to Marine Corps Times but informed SFGATE that they are "seeking to make contact with the customer directly to hear more so we can begin to look into what occurred." Banks mentioned to NBC that Delta had reached out to her following the incident.

Delta’s policies state that flight crews have the authority to remove passengers whose "conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers."

Veterans and their families grappling with suicidal thoughts are encouraged to reach out for help through the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.