Oak Grove, KY – Welcome Home Veterans, five days of activities in Clarksville and Oak Grove to honor and celebrate American Veterans has begun. The events are once again hosted by Visit Clarksville.
The main location for this year’s activities will be Oak Grove Gaming, Racing & Hotel. A caravan delivering the exhibits, including the Korean War Memorial, The AVTT Vietnam Wall, and the Field of Honor Tribute to Veterans, traveled from Clarksville Regional Airport to Oak Grove on Wednesday.
On Thursday, visitors began exploring the exhibits. In addition to the AVTT Wall, the Korean War Memorial and the Field of Honor Tribute to Veterans was the Cost of Freedom, and General Tommy Franks Mobile Classroom exhibits.
The AVTT Wall is 360 feet in length, 80% the size of the wall in Washington D.C. It will be open 24 hours a day from Thursday at 9:00am until Sunday at 9:00am.
Activities on Thursday concluded with a Veteran Picnic at War Memorial Park, sponsored by Oak Grove Tourism and Tilted Kilt. Veterans were invited to attend and enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs prior to the Remembrance Ceremony at Oak Grove Gaming.
Hundreds were at the Remembrance Ceremony/Wreath Laying at the AVTT Wall. The evening event was described as a massing of the colors, tributes, and wreath-laying to honor those names listed on the AVTT, the Traveling Korean War Memorial, and the Cost of Freedom exhibit.
Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett and Oak Grove Mayor Theresa Jarvis gave brief remarks to the crowd, before Fort Campbell Garrison Commander, Col. Andrew Jordan took the podium as the evening’s Featured Speaker.
A Clarksville school’s Combined Choir sang to open the ceremony. Then numerous Color Guards took their positions in front of the AVTT Wall. In addition to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) were eight local high school groups, as well as American Legion Post Number 289, the Al Menah Shrine Temple Legion of Honor, and the Old Hickory Camp, Heroes of ’76.
After the National Anthem, the guests of honor moved forward and, along with two JROTC cadets, placed the wreath in position in front of the center of the AVTT Wall.
Emcee Lee Erwin invited everyone to join in a moment of silence in honor of the fallen. That silence was followed by a firing detail and then the playing of Taps.
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