So most of you know that I just completed band camp. Last weekend, there was a local deputy that passed away due to a bee sting. He didn't have his Epi Pen within reach, and he died almost immediately, leaving behind a wife and a 2-year-old daughter. The community is shattered, and it would be great if prayers were said for all of us, especially the family. That's not what this thread is about, though. His funeral had to be held at my high school because it was so large. No funeral home could accommodate it. The funeral was Wednesday night, and the procession was to be held at 10 AM Thursday morning. The plan was for a line of police motorcycles and cars to lead out with the family directly behind it. When I arrived around 8:45 that morning, people were gathered, but there didn't seem to be any organization of any sort happening, so the band continued with our normal morning routine on the football field while our band director finished some things up inside. I was calling some commands for the band when, around 9:30, it seemed that the procession was beginning. Everyone began to line up. We have a saxophone player who was really close to the man who passed, so she was upset and crying. We stopped for her and let her fall out and sit for a while. I decided that the respectful thing to do until the procession left would be to take a knee and be silent. Our band director soon came out after we took a knee. When he got on the field (well aware of what was happening), he said, "Why are you all so silent? You can talk and stuff." Then he told the upset girl to "go inside or something" because she was "being a distraction". Being the kind of kids that we are, some of my fellow band members and I got really peeved off. The drum major, field commander/majorette (me), other majorette, clarinet section, and half of the low brass walked off the field and left to go sit with the upset girl as she watched the procession. That left our director with no leaders other than himself. As if I wasn't mad enough to begin with, he continued pushing the rest of the band to play and march throughout the procession! When we confronted him about it later, he said, "We have a lot of work to do. We can't stop for one person." Yes, I realize that there is a lot of work to be done, but there is also respect to be given. I just wondered what you all thought about it. Was he right in saying that we couldn't stop for one person? Was I wrong in leaving, even though it was out of respect? Thoughts?

You did what you thought was right. You supported a friend in a hard time and showed respect to the friends and family of the deputy. I see nothing wrong with that.