| Pigeon
Forge, TN � March 2013 / Hospitality 1ST / Vietnam veterans from
across the U.S. will be in Pigeon
Forge and Sevier County, Tenn., April 15-17 for a series of events
that includes the �Welcome
Home from Vietnam Parade� in Pigeon Forge.
Adrian Cronauer, the Air
Force sergeant who was the inspiration for the 1987 film �Good Morning,
Vietnam,� and Barry Rice, president of the Tennessee State Council of the
Vietnam Veterans of America, are the grand marshals of the April 16 parade.
The U.S. Marine Corps
Band from Quantico, Va., is scheduled to lead the parade, which will feature
a variety of military-oriented units, civilian floats and groups honoring
the veterans.
Also, more than 300 Vietnam
veterans have registered to march while their families and friends watch
the procession. Those registrants are from 24 states, stretching from Vermont
to Texas to Oregon, and organizers expect more.
The parade is a public
component of �Welcome Home Vietnam,� an event organized by U.S. Tours in
Parkersburg, W.Va. Other aspects of that program are for event registrants
only and include special concerts and opportunities for Vietnam veterans
to meet with each other.
�All Vietnam veterans
are invited to march or ride in the parade at no cost,� said Bob Cline,
president of U.S. Tours, adding that the Tennessee National Guard will
provide vehicles for veterans who want to ride in the parade.
Parade sign-up is online
at WelcomeHomeVietnam.com/registration,
and there is reserved parade seating for veterans� spouses with registration.
The parade starts at 1:30
p.m. April 16 on Jake Thomas Road. It will turn south onto the Parkway
and go south past Traffic Light 8 to Dixie Stampede.
Among the parade participants
are the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the AMVETS Post 104 Motorcycle
Riders Club, Patriot Guard Riders, Tennessee Helping Hearts, the North
Carolina Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association and the Vietnam Veterans
of America Chapters 596 and 1073.
�This will be the parade
they never got, and we invite everyone to show their support,� Cline said.
Visitor information about
Pigeon Forge is online at MyPigeonForge.com
and from 800-251-9100.
|
Contact for the Welcome
Home Vietnam program:
Rita
Ritenour
U.S. Tours
304-917-6099
Media Contact:
Tom Adkinson, APR
for Pigeon Forge Department
of Tourism
tadkinson@bohanideas.com
615-341-8796 |
