White River Junction —  More than 500 people are expected to turn out for a ceremony Tuesday March 29honoring Vietnam War veterans and commemorating the 50th anniversary of the war. 

Due to the overwhelming response, the event, set for 1 p.m., will be held outside under tents on the grounds of the VA Medical Center. The public is asked to park behind White River Toyota on Sykes Mountain Avenue and use shuttles provided by the VA to get to the ceremony.

Other local commemorative activities include reveille at 6:15 a.m. in Veterans Memorial Park, followed by a sunrise service at 6:35 a.m. A pancake breakfast will be served fro 7-10 a.m. at the Vet Center, 118 Prospect St. 

Throughout the country Tuesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs will honor the service, sacrifice and enduring achievements of the veterans, the medical center said in a news release.

“While U.S. involvement in Vietnam goes back to the mid-1950s with military advisers, it was March 1965 when then-President Lyndon Johnson sent in the first conventional ground troops,” the VA said. U.S. combat forces were withdrawn in 1973, following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, and the war ended in 1975 when North Vietnamese forces entered the South Vietnamese capitol of Saigon.

Each Vietnam War veteran will receive a special lapel pin during Tuesday’s ceremonies.

Living U.S. veterans who served on active duty at any time between Nov. 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are eligible to take part.For more information, call the Vet Center at 802-295-2908 or the VA at 866-687-8387, ext. 5397.     — Staff report