KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Friday marked a day that honors the thousands of U.S. troops killed in Vietnam and the millions still living across the country.
It's National Vietnam Veterans Day, and groups gathered in downtown Knoxville to honor both those who lost their lives and the ones who returned home. They gathered at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial at World's Fair Park Friday morning.
The ceremony included a Presentation of Colors by the Karns High School Air Force Junior ROTC and a flyover by the Knox County Sheriff's office. Max Haston, a retired major general for the U.S. Army, was also the keynote speaker for the event.
Around 58,000 U.S. troops died in Vietnam, and 617 were from East Tennessee.
"I was in the first group to come home, and the toughest thing I ever did was leave my brothers behind," said one person at the ceremony. "This is a true homecoming for me."
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said there are around 7 million living Vietnam veterans across the U.S., and around 10 million families of people who served there.
