Tens of thousands of people are making their way to the Space Coast on Thursday for an event that is being billed as the largest veterans reunion in the country.
The 28th annual Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion will take place at Wickham Park in Melbourne.
The centerpiece of the reunion is the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The traveling wall, which was made in Brevard County, has traveled about 160,000 miles across the United States.
"It affects everybody differently — family members are moved one way, friends another," said Greg Welsh, the chairman of the event. "Just a Vietnam veteran could be moved someway else. It's an emotional experience for most people when they come out here."
Event organizers expect about 100,000 people to show up for Thursday's reunion, which will fill up local campgrounds and hotels.
The reunion was originally designed just for Vietnam veterans, but it has expanded in its 28 years. Now, all veterans are invited to show up and remember friends and family members who were killed while fighting for the U.S.
"It's going to get bigger and bigger," said Cmdr. Jay Conti Sr., of the American Legion Department of Florida State. "You're going to see the Iraq and Afghanistan (war) veterans come out, and that puts a tear in my eye. You're going to see it embraced by the future generations of our veterans."
There are tributes to the soldiers who were killed during the Korean War, as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There will also be a tribute to the people who died trying to save lives on 9/11.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is a replica of the National Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
The wall will hit the road again after the reunion ends Sunday.