Vietnam War veterans have voiced their opposition after a section of Vietnam Veterans Boulevard in Sumner County was renamed the Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.
According to the veterans, the boulevard was created to recognise the sacrifices of all Vietnam War veterans, especially the 25 Sumner County service members who died in the conflict, and they were not consulted before the change. A memorial sign has since been erected along the roadway in honour of Charlie Kirk, the conservative podcaster and co-founder of Turning Point USA, who was fatally shot last fall.
Speaking on the issue, Barry Rice, president of the Tennessee Council of Vietnam Veterans, said memorial signs were erected along the highway about a decade ago to commemorate the 25 Sumner County service members who gave their lives during the Vietnam War.
“To come off I-65 and see a sign saying Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway indicates that’s the entire highway all the way to Long Hollow over here, and it’s just not right,” Rice said. “We are requesting, actually demanding, that the legislature take this bill and put it really where the sun doesn’t shine. We want our roadway back.”
When asked by FOX 17 News why he selected Vietnam Veterans Boulevard for the memorial, Representative Johnny Garrett defended the decision in a statement.
He said, in part, “Countless highway memorials such as this one happen every year across the state as a way to honor the people that make our nation great. Charlie Kirk was a patriot who died exercising the very freedom that veterans have served to protect, freedom of speech, and this sign on the side of the highway simply memorializes that freedom. This does not change the name of the highway or take away from the service and sacrifice of those who have fought to protect the freedom of speech for all Americans.”
Vietnam veterans are calling on authorities to relocate the Charlie Kirk memorial to a different roadway, arguing that it should not be placed on Vietnam Veterans Boulevard.
