With more than 70,000 people expected to attend Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, it could be one of the largest recognition ceremonies ever held for Vietnam War veterans.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, the United Service Organizations of North Carolina and the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters will team up to pay tribute to the patriotic contributions of the 216,000 U.S. troops from North Carolina who were sent to Vietnam. According to the Myrtle Beach, S.C. newspaper, the Sun Times, 1,600 soldiers from N.C. were killed during the war.
While thousands of free tickets have already been handed out, President of USO North Carolina John Faulkenbury has announced that all veterans will be admitted to the program with or without a ticket.
Gates to the Charlotte Motor Speedway will open on Saturday at 9 a.m. Events will kick off at 10:45 am, with a live broadcast scheduled for 3 p.m.
In addition to donating free airtime for the event, North Carolina television and radio stations contributed more than $1,000,000 in public service announcements to promote free tickets for all veterans and their families.
