2024 Smyrna Veterans Day Ceremony

Smyrna’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 at Veterans Park, 2800 King Street in Smyrna.

Veterans Day honors the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard across time. This Veterans Day also acknowledges special anniversaries such as 1944’s Normandy invasion, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Philippine Sea.

The keynote speaker for the event is retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. George Harrison, who started as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1962.

He flew 530 hours of combat missions in Vietnam/Southeast Asia and logged 4,900 hours of total flight time. He flew various aircraft such as the O-1F as a pilot and forward air controller, F-4 Phantom II as a fighter pilot and the F-16, AT-38, EC-135, E-3 and E-8C. He earned eight major decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 11 oak clusters.

Maj. Gen. Harrison also graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and has an MBA from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. While in the Air Force, he was posted to several U.S. states, Vietnam and West Germany. He was promoted seven times, making Major General in 1989.

From 1993-1997, he was Commander at the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center. In this capacity, he had a staff of 900 and directed over 300 major testing programs at 20 different locations. These programs supported aircraft such as the B-IB Lancer, B-2A Spirit, F-22 Raptor and F-15E Strike Eagle.

Maj. Gen. Harrison retired from the Air Force in 1997 and went on to become a Principal Research Engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

The event will also feature patriotic music by the South Cobb High School chorus. Admission and parking are free.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at the nearby Smyrna Community Center.