Both Organizers Cindy Suchan and Jim Garrison of Hudson Ohio Memorial Day Ceremony on May 31, 2021 Have Resigned
June 8, 2021
HUDSON, OHIO (AGN.News) – When retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter, who spent 30 years in the military, was giving the Memorial Day keynote address Monday, May 31, 2021 at Markillie Cemetery in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio, his microphone was turned off so the audience could not hear a portion of his speech.
When he began to speak about how former enslaved African Americans, now free, were the first to honor deceased Union soldiers on May 1, 1865 after the end of the Civil War as the origin of Memorial Day, his microphone was turned off.
Cindy Suchan, chair of the Memorial Day parade committee and president of the Hudson American Legion Auxiliary resigned, per the Akron Beacon Journal.
The audio engineer, A.J. Stokes, was asked to turn the mic off on Kemter. Instead, he pointed to the knob that controlled the volume. He told the Beacon Journal Garrison turned the mic off. Jim Garrison, adjutant of American Legion Post 464, resigned on Friday, June 4, 2021.
Suzette Heller, department adjutant for the American Legion Department of Ohio, said she was told Sunday that Suchan had resigned. Garrison had also resigned.
Why would the two leaders of the Hudson American Legion show such gross disrespect for the 30 year Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter while giving the keynote address on Memorial Day at Markillie Cemetery to honor the brave military members who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the United States?
Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter knew the role of African Americans played in the founding of Memorial Day. This was a historical fact and he wanted to share that part of history with the audience.
Two newspapers confirmed this fact. The Charleston Daily Courier and the New-York Tribune both covered the story 156 years ago. Historians have verified the story of how “African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina” on May 1, 1865.
History records on May 1, 1865, recently freed African Americans held a parade of 10,000 people to honor 257 dead Union soldiers, whose remains they had reburied from a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp.
The two, now resigned leaders, did not want the audience to know this history, so they took upon themselves to censor retired Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter’s speech. Upon hearing the events of the day, many were saddened that racism had raised its ugly head at a Memorial Day Ceremony in their community.
This history could have moved some attendees to go home and learn more about the role of African Americans in defense of America. Thousands who died are buried in America’s cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetary.
They would have learned that the first person to pay the ultimate sacrifice in the Revolutionary War was a Black man named, Crispus Attucks who was killed on March 5, 1770 in defense of what would become the United States.
Many may have discovered that 178,895 African Americans (then called “United States Colored Troops) served in the Union Army during the civil war. By the end of the war in 1865, the 175 USCT regiments constituted about one-tenth of the manpower of the Union Army. About 20% of USCT soldiers died, a rate about 35% higher than that of white Union troops. Despite heavy casualties, many fought with distinction, 16 USCT soldiers receiving the Medal of Honor and numerous others receiving other honors.
Some would have learned about an African American woman named, Harriet Tubman. When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy.
Harriet Tubman was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After her death in 1913, she became an icon of courage and freedom.
African Americans have fought and died in defense of America from the first day of the Revolutionary War through Vietnam, Korean War, Gulf War, Niger (in Africa), Afghanistan and the ongoing global war on terror. right up til until now.
African Americans from Ohio have died in battle and are memorialized in history as heroes. The Civil War ended on May 9, 1865. Eight days earlier on May 1, 1865, recently freed African Americans held a parade of 10,000 people to honor 257 dead Union soldiers, whose remains they had reburied from a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp.
“We’re proud of all of our heroes,” said one event attendee. “It is beyond comprehension why Cindy Suchan and Jim Garrison would want to censor the free speech of the keynote speaker, retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter and deny us our right to hear real history.” said another attendee. “Thanks Col. Kemter for your courage.” said another.
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