Viral video shows choir singing 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' as soldier's remains taken off plane

ATLANTA — For Diane Hollifield Cupp, a flight to Atlanta turned into something that she says she will never forget – and for all the right reasons.

Cupp, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was returning from a vacation with her husband touring several sites across Europe related to WWII.

While touring one of the concentration camps, Cupp said their tour guide told her that remains of soldiers are still constantly being found from the war.

It was ironic, then, that when her flight from Germany landed in Atlanta, the captain made the announcement that there was an Army private on board escorting the remains of a WWII soldier to their final destination in Houston, and that he would be let off the plane first.

Also on board that flight was the Iowa Ambassadors of Music Choir. When the soldier’s remains were being taken off of the plane, the choir got up out of their seats, turned to the windows of the plane and started singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Cupp said the sight of the young men and women singing “Glory, glory, Hallelujah,” took her breath away.

“To see those young people do that just melted my heart,” Cupp told WSB-TV.

When Cupp saw what was happening, she grabbed her cellphone and immediately started recording the moment.

“It was absolutely beautiful, to see the respect that these kids had, I just had to capture it,” Cupp said. “It was an awesome treat for me and something I will never forget.”

Cupp posted the video on her Facebook page, where it started going viral. As of the writing of this story, her post had about 92,000 views and had been shared more than 1,000 times.

Once Cupp posted the video, parents of the students started contacting her, thanking her for posting it. Cupp says she hopes at some point in the near future she gets to meet the choir in person and hear them sing.

Cox Media Group