Commemoration of Nation's Fallen Heroes Set at Marietta National Cemetery over Memorial Day Weekend

An annual commemoration event remembering fallen military and support personnel is scheduled over Memorial Day weekend at Marietta National Cemetery.

Memorial Day commemoration ceremonies will be held May 29 at the Marietta National Cemetery, beginning at noon.Photo byNational Memorial Day Association of Georgia

The 78th annual Memorial Day event will take place, Monday, May 29, at noon. The noon starting time is coordinated across the US at national cemeteries honoring the nation's fallen service personnel. In previous years, crowds from several hundred to several thousand people gathered at the cemetery to pay their respects on the holiday dedicated to remembering those individuals and families who gave all in service of their country.

The ceremony will include guest speakers Brigadier General Mark D. Gelhardt, Sr. and Brigadier General Tom Blackstock, Jr. Ceremonies will be organized at the hilltop rostrum, a Greek-revival style columned structure located at the highest point in the cemetery.

Commemoration events will be held at the hilltop rostrum, which overlooks the Marietta National Cemetery from its highest point.Photo byDeanLand /OurTravelCafe.com

On Saturday, May 27, beginning at 8 am, area Boy Scout troops and other volunteers from throughout the community will place US flags at each headstone within the cemetery. There's no advance sign-up required for volunteers, who may participate by arriving at the cemetery by 8 am for an assignment.

Marietta National Cemetery is the burial site of more than 17,000 military personnel and family members. That includes over 3,000 unknown soldiers, Union casualties in the Civil War. The cemetery is closed to new interments, but subsequent interments for veterans or eligible family members in existing gravesites are still accepted.

Marietta National Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 17,000 military veterans and families, including more than 3,000 unknown.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

The Memorial Day event is sponsored by the National Memorial Day Association of Georgia and The Avenue of Flags, Inc, which was founded in1946, in Atlanta. The group is comprised of individual patron members and of member organizations who wish to remember and honor the men and women who have served in the United States of America Armed Forces, the many who have given their lives to protect our freedom, the many who are now deceased, and those currently serving in the Armed Forces.

First In A Series

This post is the first in a series of articles about the Marietta National Cemetery and the fallen heroes remembered there. Follow DeanLand on NewsBreak to see the full series through May 31.

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