Veterans from across the country came to the Tri Cities over the weekend to take part in a “Veterans Homecoming” at the Appalachian Fairgrounds. The third annual event welcomed hundreds of America’s bravest men and women who have served our country in WW2, Vietnam, Korea and Iraq. The Homecoming was started by a group of area veterans who wanted to thank the thousands of Vietnam Veterans who had never received a homecoming after they returned from the controversial conflict in the 1960s and 1970s. Sam Jones, the Lead Organizer of the Event, said he thinks the event drew veterans from as far away as Washington State because of the special camaraderie Veterans have with each other. Charlie Smith, a former captain of Johnson City’s FD, says that though he was not a veteran himself, he likes listening in and talking with the veterans simply because he has the right as an American to do so.Smith thanks the Veterans including his father, a WW2 Veteran for protecting his freedom of speech.