American Legion leaders in Ohio also suspended the post’s charter and took steps to close it, amid intense backlash over the decision to censor retired Army Lt Col Barnard Kemter.
Kemter said he included the story in his speech on Monday because he wanted to share the history of how Memorial Day originated.
But organizers of the ceremony in Hudson, Ohio, said that section of the speech was not relevant to the theme of honoring veterans.
Cindy Suchan, chair of the Memorial Day parade committee and president of the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary, said either she or Jim Garrison, adjutant of American Legion Post 464, turned down the audio, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Here’s an excerpt from the NYT article by Vigdor.
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A little more than four minutes into Barnard Kemter’s speech at a Memorial Day service organize
Keynote speaker Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter had his microphone cut at a Memorial Day ceremony in Hudson, Ohio, when he spoke about the holiday s roots in black history.