Vietnam Veterans Oppose Charlie Kirk Highway Signs on 1987 Memorial Road
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 22
Vietnam Veterans Oppose Charlie Kirk Highway Signs on 1987 Memorial Road
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 22
Summary
State Route 386 signs reading “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway” drew objections from Vietnam veterans after appearing last month on a roadway designated Vietnam Veterans Boulevard since 1987.
Sumner County veterans said they were not warned about the change and objected to placing Kirk’s memorial on a road long dedicated to those who served in Vietnam, not to honoring him elsewhere.
David Black, 78, a Vietnam veteran and Vanderbilt professor, said residents “woke up” to find the new signs, while Barry Rice, 80, of Tennessee’s Vietnam Veterans of America council said support for a Kirk memorial did not extend to that boulevard.
The designation stemmed from a March proposal by Republican state Representative Johnny Garrett, who said constituents wanted to honor Kirk for defending free speech and Christian values.