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Sohn: Admiral blaming Chattanooga attack on Obama was not supposed to speak Crowds pack Ross’s Landing for tribute to five slain servicemen
Organizers of Wednesday’s Chattanooga Unite concert fundraiser are declining to say who invited a former Navy admiral whose remarks critical of the Obama administration have drawn criticism from some attendees of the event.
In his speech, retired Adm. James “Ace” Lyons blamed the Obama administration for the July 16 shootings that killed five servicemen who were memorialized at the riverfront memorial and music concert. The four Marines and one sailor were gunned down by Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, a Jordanian-born naturalized citizen who grew up here and attended local schools.
Speaking from the deck of the Coca-Cola Stage, Lyons blasted President Barack Obama as anti-American. Lyons drew applause and cheers from many in the crowd. Other attendees questioned whether his remarks were appropriate for an event billed as an attempt to bring the community together in the wake of tragedy. Emcee Samuel L. Jackson was seen moving out of the camera frame as Lyons spoke.
Concert organizer Chip Baker initially said Lyons was “not someone we invited” and that the 88-year-old former admiral’s remarks were a surprise. Fellow organizing committee members Gator Harrison, of iHeart Radio, and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Mickey McCamish also said they were not aware of who invited Lyons.
On Friday, however, Baker conceded that Lyons had been invited, but he refused to identify which member of the organizing committee made the invitation. He said Lyons was substituted for retired Navy Adm. Skip Bowman, a Chattanooga native who had to cancel due to illness.
Lyons, responding to questions Friday via email, said he had been invited by festival organizers.
“I wasn’t told what to say by anyone, but as someone who writes a regular column and speaks quite often in public, my general views are well known,” he said.
Indeed, more than half of the admiral’s Wikipedia page is devoted to his controversial remarks about numerous topics, including allegations that CIA Director John Brennan is a Muslim convert and that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated all U.S. security agencies.
Lyons denied that his remarks were divisive.
“We have far too few people willing to stand up and speak truth to power, to the power of this administration,” he said in his email. “That is a large part of what has gotten us in the mess we’re in today, particularly by the Obama administration, which has been a disaster for this country and the world.”
Baker, who is also executive director of Friends of the Festival, which organizes the annual Riverbend music festival, downplayed the impact of Lyons’ remarks in remarks to the Times Free Press on Thursday.
“We had a lot of people involved in making this happen; thousands of people who donated their time,” he said. “We got him off the stage as soon as we could and in its totality, this was a tremendous event.”
Contact Steve Johnson at sjohnson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.