Volunteers will read aloud the names of more than 17,000 veterans at Marietta National Cemetery on Saturday, Nov. 7, in a public ceremony ahead of Veterans Day.
The event, called "Say Their Names 2026," runs from noon to 3 p.m. at the cemetery at 500 Washington Ave. NE in Marietta. It is free and open to the public.
Cobb Thanks You For Your Service Inc., the all-volunteer nonprofit also known as Cobb Salutes, is organizing the effort. The group is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting veterans and military families in Cobb County.
Volunteer readers will recite the names of veterans buried at the cemetery, along with names of living and deceased veterans submitted by community members. Readers can sign up for one-hour shifts of about 500 names or two-hour shifts of about 1,000 names through the organization's website.
Residents who want a veteran in their family honored can submit names through CobbSalutes.org. A donation is optional. The organization's suggested donation is $22, a figure it ties to the estimated number of veterans lost to suicide each day.
The Nov. 7 ceremony is one of several Veterans Day events across Cobb County. According to the county's event calendar, other observances include a veterans luncheon in Kennesaw on Nov. 6, a Veterans Day tribute at West Cobb Senior Center on Nov. 9 and the American Legion Post 29 Veterans Day Parade on Marietta Square on Nov. 14.
