According to Snopes, the announcement did not mention "gold star family". To me this is important because in spite of what a bunch of holier-than-thou, smarter-than-the-rest-of-us egotistical types think, most people don't know what a "gold star family" is. The term only came into existence about 10 or 11 years ago.
http://www.snopes.com/2016/11/20/gold-star-family-booed-on-flight/
But if they said "a special military family", then I have no excuses for the people that booed. To me, a "special military family" would have significance (and respect) regardless of the exact circumstances. Maybe not everyone feels that way, but I do.
