KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The East Tennessee Veterans Memorial at Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park will soon feature a new section honoring veterans of the Vietnam War.
The Knoxville City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a request by the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association to expand the existing memorial along the walkway leading to the flagpole.
The existing memorial bears the names of more than 6,200 veterans from 35 East Tennessee counties who have died in military service since WWI. It features 32 9-foot granite pylons inscribed with roughly 220 names each sorted by conflict and county. The 14 Medal of Honor recipients from the area are also inscribed on one of the pylons.
Each year on Memorial Day, The East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association and American Legion Post 2 holds a ceremonial reading of the names at the World’s Fair Park site. The more than 6400 names of service members are read aloud by volunteers, community leaders, active duty and retired service members, Gold Star families and Scouts from sunrise until completion. The event also includes a dedication ceremony for new names added to the memorial.