Organizers of a Memorial Day event in Ohio are facing criticism after they cut the microphone of a veteran in the middle of his speech. Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter was speaking at a ceremony at the Markillie Cemetery in Hudson, Ohio, which was put together by the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary.
About halfway through his speech, Kemter brought up the history that freed slaves had in celebrating Memorial Day for the first time. He explained that historians believe that a group of freed slaves organized the ceremony on May 1, 1865, at the remains of a Confederate prison camp.
"The ceremony is believed to have included a parade of as many as 10,000 people, including 3,000 African American schoolchildren singing the Union marching song, John Brown's Body," Kemter said. "They were carrying armfuls of flowers and went to decorate at the graves."
That's when his mic was turned off. Kemeter tapped the microphone, thinking it was a glitch. He laughed it off and continued his speech. Afterward, Kemter learned that it wasn't a mistake and that somebody turned off his microphone on purpose.
Cindy Suchan, who is president of the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary, admitted that somebody turned off his microphone because the organization didn't want him to bring up the freed slaves during his speech.
"We asked him to modify his speech, and he chose not to do that," Suchan told the Akron Beacon Journal.
She did not identify who turned off his mic.
The sound engineer, A.J. Stokes, told the newspaper that Suchan told him to shut off Kemter's microphone, but he refused. He pointed the control knob and then said that Jim Garrison, adjutant of American Legion Lee-Bishop Post 464, was the one who turned it off.
Kemter was not happy about being censored during his speech.
"I was very disappointed that someone would choose to censor my speech," Kemter told the Washington Post. "Throughout history, there has been a lot of claims about who actually performed the first Memorial Day service. With this speech, I chose to educate people as to the origin of Memorial Day and why we were celebrating it."
The Ohio American Legion said it is investigating the incident.
"The American Legion of Ohio has become aware of an incident on Memorial Day recently published by the Akron Beacon Journal. We take this matter and its allegations seriously. We will investigate and take disciplinary action if necessary," the organization wrote on Twitter.
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