WRAL-TV Sponsors Heroes Homecoming for Vietnam Vets Nov 4 – 13

Capitol Broadcasting Company & WRAL-TV are proud to be a part of a very special event to honor Vietnam veterans over the next week in Fayetteville.   Homecoming Heroes remembers the honor and courage of these vets in a long-overdue welcome home.

The event celebrates and acknowledge the sacrifices of our Vietnam veterans over a 10-day period.  WRAL-TV is the presenting sponsor.

“When we first learned of Heroes Homecoming to honor Vietnam vets we thought this was a very natural evolution from honoring the WWII vets with the Flight of Honor that we’ve been doing,” explained WRAL-TV Vice President & General Manager Steve Hammel. “More than 80% of soldiers who fought in Vietnam went through Ft. Bragg, and many of those people are living in our area.  They are wonderful citizens of our country who did not get the proper thank you when they returned from Vietnam.”

WRAL is also providing daily coverage of the events, which began on Friday, November 4th. All stories are linked in the special Heroes Homecoming section of WRAL.com.

Vietnam vets attend the opening ceremony on Friday, Nov 4th, for the Heroes Homecoming events.

“As a television station Cumberland County and Fayetteville are important to us, and certainly veterans are vital to our country,” said Hammel. “We thought this was a perfect way to honor people in our viewing area who did not get the proper thank you when they returned.”

Hammel attended the opening ceremonies on Nov 4th and was touched by the response the event received.

“Driving back from the opening ceremonies, I’m so proud of WRAL, that we’re doing this,” he said. “It was in a standing-room-only auditorium with the Mayor of Fayetteville, and the people of Ft. Bragg were so thankful of the vets and of WRAL.  We were recognized this morning, and it was just a wonderful thing to be able to continue to do the right thing in our community.”

Find a complete schedule of events on the Heroes Homecoming website. All Vietnam veterans are invited to March in the parade on Friday, November 11th.  Find out more details about the parade here.