Don’t Silence the History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors military personnel who died in service to their country. In 2021, retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter was invited by the American Legion to give a Memorial Day speech in Hudson, Ohio. Kemter grew up in Hudson and graduated from High School there in 1962. He had previously delivered a Memorial Day speech in Hudson in 2017.

While he had no intention of becoming a celebrity, the 2021 speech was picked up by several newspapers and went viral on the internet. It also resulted in the American Legion reviewing what happened and publicly discussing racism.

Why did this speech garner so much attention? Because two members of the American Legion turned off his microphone as he delivered the following paragraph about the first Memorial Day celebration in America:

“But in recent years the origins of how and where Decoration Day began has sparked lively debate among historians, with some, including Yale historian David Blight, asserting the holiday is rooted in a moving ceremony held by freed slaves on May 1, 1865, at the tattered remnants of a Confederate prison camp at Charleston’s Washington Race Course and Jockey Club – today known as Hampton Park. The ceremony is believed to have included a parade of as many as 10,000 people, including 3,000 Black school children singing the Union marching song ‘John Brown’s Body’ while carrying armfuls of flowers to decorate the graves.”

History is important to Kemter. I visited with him as Memorial Day 2024 approaches and asked if he would change anything about the speech if he were giving it today. He answered, “No.” He explained history is important so that we don’t repeat it.

In the speech, Kemter made it clear that learning the hidden story of Hampton Park is an important lesson about racism.

“Not surprisingly, many white southerners who had supported the Confederacy, including a large swath of white Charlestonians, did not feel compelled to spend a day decorating the graves of their former enemies. It was often the African American southerners who perpetuated the holiday in the years immediately following the Civil War.”

“African Americans across the South clearly helped shape the ceremony in its early years. Without African Americans, the ceremonies would have had far fewer in attendance in many areas, thus making the holiday less significant.”

Kemter’s story begs the question, How many stories have not been told at Memorial Day celebrations because white people have attempted to hide the important role of Blacks and other people of color in American history. The American Legion National Commander James W. “Bill” Oxford made this point in a statement about the speech: “National headquarters is very clear that The American Legion deplores racism and reveres the Constitution. We salute LTC Kemter’s service and his moving remarks about the history of Memorial Day and the important role played by Black Americans in honoring our fallen heroes.”

But the speech is not just about history. In fact, Kemter doesn’t want to get into an argument with those communities across America who claim to have a first Memorial Day. His point was to help the people in Hudson empathize with soldiers and with all those who suffer. In his speech, he said:

“More importantly than whether Charleston’s Decoration Day was the first, is the attention Charleston’s Black community paid to the nearly 260 Union troops who died at the site. For two weeks prior to the ceremony, former slaves and Black workmen exhumed the soldiers’ remains from a hastily dug mass grave behind the racetrack’s grandstand and gave each soldier a proper burial. They also constructed a fence to protect the site with an archway at the entrance that read ‘Martyrs of the Race Course.’”

He uses the example of the former slaves to illustrate empathy:

“The dead prisoners of war at the racetrack must have seemed especially worthy of honor to the former slaves. Just as the former slaves had, the dead prisoners had suffered imprisonment and mistreatment while held captive by white southerners.”

The final words of the speech leave no doubt that for Kemter, Memorial Day is a time to honor those who have chosen to be part of the military. Using himself as an example, he said:

“I chose to join the military and part of making that official is the oath - the promise we make to be a part of this elite group of Americans. We made that oral commitment so all will know what our country means to us and what we will do to defend it, its values, and the right to our way of life.”

“We are here today to pay tribute to those who freely took this oath and ultimately gave their lives. Part of the Memorial Day celebration is a period of silence and reflection at 3 p.m. Please join with me at that time in remembering these young men whom I personally knew that were a part of my generation who answered their country’s calling.”

For Kemter, individuals continue to be his concern. With his celebrity status, he was invited to speak by eight communities in 2022. He turned down all except for the invitation to repeat the speech at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York. This provided the appropriate backdrop for the speech. As part of their Memorial Weekend events, 7,300 flags blanket the grounds. The flags represent the average number of United States veterans who have lost their battle with PTSD per year, an average of 22 per day.

For Kemter, remembering those who served in the military is not limited to those who died in battle. He recognizes everyone who served in the military regardless of race or background by seeing them as fellow human beings. The importance of supporting the mental health of soldiers and veterans is part of his Memorial Day message.

Kemter’s focus on our shared humanity was evident when I asked him what he would talk about if he were asked to be the speaker at the Hudson American Legion event in 2024. He was quick to answer. He would tell the story of his high school classmate, Paul Flandermyer, who died on active duty in 1962 in the navy from a heart attack. He would want people to know what he was like as a person.

As we look for ways to celebrate Memorial Day, retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter provides an example. We can ensure that military history includes the stories of all the people who served regardless of race. And we can remember and care for all those individuals who chose to join the military.