A group of World War II veterans headed to France received a patriotic sendoff before boarding their flight in Detroit.
On Monday, gate agents discovered that 12 veterans, including one who was going to an event at Omaha Beach for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, were waiting to board a Delta flight. They urged their coworker, Anna Marie Barile, to sing the national anthem, and when the other passengers heard the reason behind the impromptu serenade, they all stood in respect.
Alyssa Vermeulen filmed the performance, and told Today.com: "It was a lovely display of patriotism in such a crazy place. Usually airports are a high stress environment... but for a few minutes everyone in the airport was standing, quiet and peaceful, showing respect to those who fought for our freedom."
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The special attention didn't stop once they got on board. The pilot thanked the veterans for their service, and got on the loudspeaker to inform passengers when they were flying over Normandy. Once it was discovered that one of the vets was celebrating his 95th birthday, the entire plane sang "Happy Birthday" upon arrival in Paris. Listen to Barile sing below. --Catherine Garcia
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