The father of a soldier who was killed by a suicide bomber last Saturday in Afghanistan claimed that he and his family were booed on an American Airlines flight to bring their son's body home.
Stewart Perry was aboard the flight with his wife and daughter on their way to recover the remains of their son, Sgt. John Perry, 30, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week. The reported booing incident occurred on the Perry's delayed flight from Sacramento to a connecting flight in Phoenix when the captain announced that the Gold Star family needed to deplane first, People reported.
"To hear the reaction of the flight being delayed because of a Gold Star family, and the first class cabin booing that was really upsetting, and it made us cry some more," Perry told CBS.
According to the Army Times, Perry doesn't remember the captain mentioning "military personnel" as he explained the reasoning behind the family getting off the plane first.
"I believe that the passengers knew there was a Gold Star family on board," he told the Army Times. "The woman sitting directly behind us touched me on the shoulder and asked if I was the father of the soldier killed in Afghanistan … It was very disappointing. It's just enough to put you over the edge."
He also told The Stockton Record that he overheard passengers making statements like, "'This is just baloney,' and 'I paid for first-class for this?'"
Sgt. Perry was killed last Saturday when a suicide bomber detonated his vest at the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, also killing Pfc. Tyler Iubelt, 20, and two U.S. contractors. Sixteen other U.S. service members and one Polish soldier suffered injuries from the explosion.
Perry's father, who is a Marine veteran himself, said that his son was heroic and deserves respect, CBS Sacramento reported.
"He [the bomber] would have killed possibly 100, 200, who knows?" Perry said. "My kid was over there to help put a stop to this garbage, and he died."
Following the attack, Perry's father said he wants people to respect his son and the sacrifice he made for his country. Perry also called out President-elect Donald Trump for his comments during the presidential campaign about the Khan family, the Gold Star family with which the then-Republican nominee exchanged critical words.
"One example would be Donald Trump speaking badly about a Gold Star family, who I now am, but it also bothers me that people don't want to talk about the terrorism that killed my kid," Perry said.