The Tunnel Rats performing Vietnam-era pop tunes at the 2019 United Military Care Veterans Day event. (ECN file)
Back in 2019 we attended a Veterans Day tribute sponsored by the East Cobb-based non-profit United Military Care, which served up hot dogs, hamburgers, mid-20th century musical favorites and support.
United Military Care works with local veterans who are struggling with a variety of issues, including housing and homelessness, hunger, mental and physical health issues, isolation and tangling with the bureaucratic red tape of veterans agencies.
Last year, the group had a virtual food pick-up for veterans due to COVID-19, but next weekend its fourth annual “Give Thanks For Those Who Served” will be expanded to include a full range of festivities at East Cobb Park.
The date is Saturday, Nov. 6, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at what it’s calling the “Hug A Hero” Pavilion.
The special theme will be “Strength In Numbers,” with a special recognition include the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
Also being honored is Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady, Jr., a combat veterans.
Here’s more from United Military Care on what else is featured on the schedule:
Kelly’s Zeroes’ living military timeline featuring equipment and memorabilia from WWI through the Vietnam War will also be on display with representatives from the Atlanta History Center’s Veteran History Project. Live music featuring popular songs from the 1940s through the 70s from Rome, Georgia band, GI Jive, the Marietta-based group, The Tunnel Rats, and Air Force Veteran Pam Cushenan is singing the National Anthem. United Military Care will provide free lunch and fun for the entire family and a special kids area, “All American Jr.” that features an American History trivia with great prizes, including two bicycles.
November 6th is the perfect fall day to give thanks for real American Heroes. “Our objective for the day is twofold, first to kick off Veterans Month by giving thanks for the men and women who served in the military protecting us, and, second, to bring together the community, both old and young, to enjoy a great free day in the park,” said Kim Scofi, President of United Military Care, Inc.
Special thanks to our Pearl Harbor Sponsor, Datascan for their continued support. The event will feature nonprofits, businesses, and social clubs that cater to Veterans around the Marietta area.
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The event takes place from 7:55 am to 11:00 am in front of the Visitors Center at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, and here’s the lineup of speakers and activities:
Memorial Service at the Field of Flags with Bagpiper Detective Tommy Burns, Speaker Retired NYFD Capt. James D’Avolio, Soloist Heather Graham Tamburello, Marietta Fire Department Color Guard, 21-Gun Salute by Cobb County Police Honor Guard, Riderless Horseman presentation by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department, and Retired Homeland Security Agent Richard Rubio will play taps after the reading of the names of the 2,977 innocent victims at the end of the Ceremony at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw, GA 30152.
The flags that were placed at the park last Saturday during the “Field of Flags” event will remain until Sept. 18.
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We posted a couple weeks back about the upcoming “Field of Flags” festivities being put on by the Marietta Kiwanis Club to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11.
Those events start on Saturday with a parade and procession of flags at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, and Debbie McCracken, a member of the Field of Flags Committee, has sent updated information.
Specifically, there are revisions for volunteer parking and shuttle service to/from the Grace Community Church on Saturday. Details here about what’s taking place on Saturday, and for the next couple of weeks:
The entire community is invited to participate in the 20th Anniversary of 9.11. Field of Flags Memorial Events sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta held from September 4th through September 18th (flag removal occurs on the 18th). The Field of Flags at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park will honor and memorialize the 2, 977 innocent and unsuspecting individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Each flag representing one life lost on that tragic and horrific day in our nation’s history.
Procession of flags led by the Atlanta Pipe Band will occur on September 4th 10:00 am from Grace Community Church to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Parking and shuttle bus service to the church will be available from CW Matthew 1600 Kenview Rd off of Old 41, Shrine lot on 1380 White Circle, and Gardens of Kennesaw Mountain on 1127 White Circle beginning at 8:30 am. Return shuttle service will be provided until 12:30 pm.
Memorial Ceremony will be held on September 11th 7:55 am to 11:00 am in front of the Visitors Center Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
911 Ceremony will include: Bagpiper Detective Tommy Burns, Speaker Retired NYFD Capt. James D’Avolio, Soloist Heather Graham Tamburello, Marietta Fire Department Color Guard, 21 Gun Salute by Cobb County Police Honor Guard, Riderless Horseman presentation by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department, Richard Rubio, Retired Homeland Security Agent, will play taps after the reading of the names of the 2, 977 innocent victims at the end of the Ceremony.
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“I’m not really a swimmer,” said Jim Whitcomb, who’s taking part in a 10-mile swim Sept. 10 to help the Tunnel to Towers “in my own little way.”
It’s been nearly a year since East Cobb resident James Whitcomb learned about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a non-profit set up after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to provide seriously injured first responders and military veterans with mortgage-free homes and other housing assistance.
“I thought, ‘What a great foundation? What can I do to help to in my own little way?’ ” Whitcomb said.
To mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Tunnel to Towers has organized a “Swim2Help” campaign to encourage donations.
Whitcomb, who splashed in the many lakes of his native Minnesota as a young boy and has lived in East Cobb for 20 years, admits that “I’m not really a swimmer.”
But for several months now, he’s been building up his endurance with weekday swims at the Mountain View Aquatic Center.
On Saturday, he logged seven miles, his longest swim yet, in about four hours, to get ready for the climax to his “Swim to Help” effort that’s been underway in other respects.
Next Friday, Sept. 10, he’s undertaking a 10-mile swim at the Mountain View pool, with some rest and hydration breaks, to get over a substantial fundraising goal he set for himself
Whitcomb has raised nearly $15,000 of a targeted $25,000, mostly through word-of-mouth efforts.
“I’m not a social media guy,” he said, adding that a flyer he posted on Facebook didn’t generate much of a response.
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The entire community is invited to participate in the 20th Anniversary of 9.11. Field of Flags Memorial Events sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta will be held from September 4th through September 18th (flag removal occurs on the 18th). The Field of Flags at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park will honor and memorialize the 2,977 innocent and unsuspecting individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, each flag representing one life lost on that tragic and horrific day in our nation’s history.
Procession of flags led by the Atlanta Pipe Band will occur on September 4th 10:00 am from Grace Community Church to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Parking and shuttle bus service to the church will be available from lots on Old 41 beginning at 9:00 am. Return shuttle service will be provided.
Memorial Ceremony will be held on September 11th 7:55 am to 11:00 am in front of the Visitors Center Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Ceremony will include: Bagpiper Tommy Burns, Speaker Retired NYFD Capt. James D’Avolio, Soloist Heather Tamburella, Marietta Fire Department Color Guard, 21 Gun Salute by Cobb County and Riderless Horseman presentation by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department; CCSD Major Mark Rubio, bugler, will play taps after the reading of the names of the 2,977 innocent victims at the end of the Ceremony.
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Join the Honorary Commanders Association, in partnership with CobbCounty Government, for a special event featuring Col Patricia Blassie, USAF (Retired) on July 29. Col Blassie will share the story of her brother, 1st Lt Michael Blassie, a USAF pilot who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972.
In 1984, his remains became the unknown service member from the Vietnam War, buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Due to the perseverance of his family, 1st Lt Michael Blassie was restored his name on July 11, 1998, when his remains were properly identified and later reinterred at Jefferson Barrack National Cemetery.
Attendees may register for this free event at www.cobbchamber.org/events. The program begins promptly at 10 a.m. at the Cobb County Civic Center.
Thank you to Event Host Cobb County Government and Printing Sponsor Tharpe Printing. The Honorary Commanders Alumni Association is sponsored by Yearlong Presenting Sponsor Arcadis. The Honorary Commanders Association is sponsored by Yearlong Presenting Sponsors Marriott Atlanta Northwest Galleria, Blue Sky Exhibits, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Hawthorne Global Aviation Services.
For more information about the Honorary Commanders Association, contact Joel Blockton at jblockton@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2348.
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Information submitted by Cobb and Douglas Public Health regarding a free vaccination event Saturday for veterans at the VFW Post 2681 (140 Powers Ferry Road):
We are partnering with the Atlanta Veteran Affairs to offer COVID-19 vaccines to veterans, their families and caregivers on July 24 from 9:00 am until noon. For more information, please call 770-977-2088. http://ow.ly/TYyq50Fujho
According to the Georgia DPH vaccine dashboard, there have been 727,952 vaccine doses administered in Cobb County, with 350,641 of them considered “fully vaccinated.”
That means individuals have had either both of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That figure represents 47 percent of all eligible Cobb citizens (age 12 or older).
Another 388,170 people in Cobb, or 52 percent, have received the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
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For the last few years Five Star NTP has organized a 5K/10K race in the Sprayberry area on Memorial Day, and the event is continuing on Monday.
The Marietta Memorial Day 5K/10K starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday at the Sprayberry Square Shopping Center (2550 Sandy Plains Road), and registration is free for active and retired military veterans.
The event includes same-day registration that starts at 6:30 a.m., with entry fees starting at $45 (you can sign up in advance through Sunday with fees starting at $40).
Both races start and finish in the Sprayberry Square Shopping Center parking lot, and the the routes will be run entirely on E. Piedmont Road.
The awards in both races are for Top 3 Overall Male & Female, Top 3 Overall Masters (40+) , Top 3 Overall Grand Master (50+), Top 3 Overall Senior Master (60+) and Top 3 in each age group (10 & under – 75+).
There’s also a virtual race option.
For information and to register, please click here. COVID-19 protocols will be in place
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To kick-off Memorial Day weekend, The Avenue East Cobb invites the community to purchase a ticket for their upcoming Family Movie Night event on Thursday, May 27, 2021. The patriotic movie being shown is SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO based on the incredible true story of America’s most decorated dog. All proceeds from the event benefit Project Charlie Oscar. For ticket sales: https://aec-may.eventbrite.com.
The May Family Movie Night, sponsored by Project Charlie Oscar, aims to raise community awareness of their charity, whose mission is to serve Military Veterans and their families by providing horseback riding activities, equine job training and the essential resources needed for improved quality of life.
“Our Vision is to reduce the number of suicides in the Military Veteran Community and bring awareness to Veteran’s needs,” says Victoria Hoefler, Founder & President of Project Charlie Oscar. “Project Charlie Oscar is proud to partner with The Avenue East Cobb to promote our programs and spread awareness about our Charity.”
Parking for the event will begin at 6:00pm at The Avenue East Cobb in Marietta. Pre-movie entertainment includes Little Red Barn Petting Zoo, a balloon artist, and a DJ with trivia and games. The movie begins at sundown following a bugle playing Taps and a moment of silence for our fallen heroes.
For more information about Project Charlie Oscar, to get involved, or to support the organization, please visit https://www.projectcharlieoscar.org/.
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In observation of Veterans Day, members of the Rocky Mount Elementary School choir came together—online—to offer a musical tribute to those serving in the U.S. armed forces.
The school is among those in the Cobb County School District that has had an in-person Veterans Day celebration in the past, so the students recorded this virtual rendition of “Veterans We Love You.”
According to a release from the Cobb County School District, the 35 students—from third through fifth grade—worked for weeks to get the song just right: “They may not have been able to meet in person for practices like in the past, but they wanted to keep the music alive.”
The district said the choir, under the direction of music teacher Andrew Geocaris, has been meeting on Wednesdays—which is a day for catch-up and independent learning this year.
He gave them individual feedback, and students submitted their solo performances through FlipGrid. Geocaris then compiled the final video with some light audio and video editing “to maintain the most authentic performance possible in the virtual medium.”
Here’s more from their teacher:
“I love the enthusiasm our students show when they have the chance to be a part of something new. Time and again, when a new club or opportunity arises, our students are eager to be a part of the next exciting moment at Rocky Mount. I often find that our students’ enthusiasm feeds my own, giving me both the energy and inspiration to come up with new ideas for the classroom and for chorus.”
He said he was worried that after having gone virtual in March, his students might have felt some screen fatigue, but said he was pleased more students signed up for the fall virtual choir than had taken part in the spring.
“Even if it means one more Zoom call, our students crave the feeling of connection and community that the fine arts provide.”
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On Saturday the East Cobb-based United Military Care organization will be holding a free barbecue lunch for veterans, and this year it’s going to be a drive-through event.
The pickup period takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their offices (1220 Canton Road, across from the Olde Mill Shopping Center) and you can sign up by calling 770-973-0014 or by e-mailing peggyb@unitedmilitarycare.org.
Proof of veteran status is required when you pick up your food. Non-veterans can purchase meals for $10 to help fund programs to help veterans in crisis. Volunteers will be holding signs thanking veterans for their service.
Last year we visited United Military Care at its Veterans Day event and wrote about the organization’s efforts to provide food, financial, housing and other assistance to veterans in need.
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From former State Rep. Tom Wilder of East Cobb, who’s involved in the Wreaths Across America fundraising effort to honor departed military veterans during the holidays:
The Georgia National Cemetery Advisory Council participates with national cemeteries across America by recognizing those who have fought bravely in serving America. This national program provides a wreath placed on each grave in December. This program has been supported by family, friends, and community leaders in Georgia since 2008.
Over 22,750 military men and women are buried in Georgia’s National Cemetery on a hilltop near Canton Georgia. Approximately 500 volunteers from the Boy Scouts of America, churches, community organizations and families lay wreathes on the gravesite prior to the annual memorial service. This annual event will be held this year on Saturday, December 19, 2020.
Georgia businesses and individual donors have supported this program for over 10 years. Our appreciation to those who continue to support this memorial project. Donations are tax deductible with a receipt provided by the Georgia National Cemetery Advisory Council upon request.
Please support this special program recognizing the lives of those who have protected or given their lives for our freedom. Corporate and individual sponsorships of $1,000 or more are recognized appropriately. Our fundraising goal by November 30th for $200,000 purchasing 17,000 wreaths are to be placed at each gravesite. Checks can be payable to Georgia National Cemetery Advisory Council at GNCAC Post Office Box 5476, Canton, GA 30114-9998.
For more information, contact Tom Wilder, U.S. Navy Vietnam Veteran and Cemetery Council member at 770-973-1422 or tom@wilder-realty.com.
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Information from the Marietta Police Department about military training exercises at Dobbins starting Sunday and for the next week:
The U.S. Army requested we share with you information about planned military exercises that will take place in Cobb County.
LOW FLYING fixed wing and helicopters are part of these training exercises.
Here is their official statement: “Elements of the Department of Defense are conducting training in Blairsville, Atlanta, and Marietta, Georgia from 27 September – 04 October, 2020. Aviation assets will be involved in this training, so citizens may experience a higher than normal level of noise associated with military aircraft. This training is fully coordinated with local government officials, and every effort will be made to fly friendly and limit inconvenience to the local communities. Extensive safety precautions are in place to protect the service members and local citizens and to limit inconvenience to the communities. Due to inherent risks to personal safety, there will be no opportunities for public viewing of this training.”
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The grant will be used for critically needed home repairs of U.S. States veterans over the age of 55 in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties.
“The Home Depot Foundation shares our commitment to honor our veterans with safe, warm and dry affordable shelter,” said Jessica Gill, CEO, Northwest Metro Atlanta Habitat. “The Foundation respects these heroes who have given so much for us, and we are grateful to be the organization to facilitate these important repairs.”
Critical repair projects could include roof and HVAC repairs, adding insulation and weather stripping, installing wheelchair ramps or renovating bathrooms and doorways to accommodate disabled veterans. Last year, NW Metro Atlanta Habitat served 26 deserving veterans through this program in Cobb Douglas and Paulding counties. Anyone interested in participating should contact James Maner at Jmaner@nwmetroatlantahabitat.org or 770-432-7954, x109
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Earlier this month we posted about a fundraising appeal for Wreaths Across America, and in particular donations for purchase wreaths for the gravestones of veterans buried at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton.
That was right before Veterans Day, but Tom Wilder, an East Cobb real estate agent and Naval veteran of Vietnam who’s spearheading the drive, says the group is running short of time and donations in order to place a wreath at every marker in that cemetery.
That’s more than 20,000 homemade wreaths in all, and the goal is to place the wreaths on Dec. 14. That work is done by local civic, church and scout organizations, but the wreaths need to be ordered by the end of November.
(There’s a separate organization that’s conducting a similar wreath-laying effort at the Marietta National Cemetery.)
Wreaths Across America is a national program that’s been doing this since 2008, and Wilder says Georgia businesses and individual donors have been making contributions for about as long.
Here’s what you can do to help:
Donations are tax deductible with a receipt provided by the Georgia National Cemetery Advisory Council upon request.
Please go to ganationalcemetery.organd support this special program recognizing the lives of those who have protected or given their lives for our freedom.
For more information, contact Tom Wilder, U.S. Navy Vietnam Veteran and Cemetery Council member at 770-973-1422 or tom@wilder-realty.com.
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Thanks to Tom Wilder, an East Cobb real estate agent, for passing along the following information about Wreaths Across America, which seeks donations to place wreaths on gravestones for veterans, including those buried at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton:
On Sunday, the Cobb Wind Symphony is having its annual Veterans Day concert at the Lassiter Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Road. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
On Monday, the city of Marietta and the Kiwanis Club of Marietta will be honoring veterans with its annual parade from Roswell Street Baptist Church to the Square, starting at 11 a.m. A ceremony follows at noon. For more information, click here.
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The Tunnel Rats, a local string band, will perform at the East Cobb Senior Center on Friday. (ECN file)
Over the weekend we posted a story about how an East Cobb-based organization is providing assistance to veterans, including community outreach at a cookout on Saturday.
This coming Friday, representatives from United Military Care will be at the East Cobb Senior Center for an official Cobb County government salute to veterans.
The event is from 11-2 p.m., and includes a catered meal from Carraba’s Italian Grill. Also performing will be a Woodstock-based string band that appeared at Saturday’s cookout. The Tunnel Rats, named after the Vietnam War troops who performed underground missions, will play tunes from that era.
The East Cobb Senior Center event is free for veterans and their spouses. Space is limited and registration is required. For event contact info call 770-509-4900. (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
The Tunnel Rats will be playing Tuesday in a Veterans Day concert at the Jennie Anderson Theater at the Cobb Civic Center, starting at 6 p.m. It’s a fundraiser for the Georgia Vietnam Veterans Association, and will include a film screening, “In the Shadow of the Blade.” The cost is $10, $5 for veterans and seniors age 62 and older.
On Friday, the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA Veterans Day event is from 5-8 p.m. at the Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road).
The cost is free for veterans and family of those who have served. Registration is open for those ages 18 years and older.
Please contact Gayle at 770-977-5991, or by email at GayleB@ymcaatlanta.org.
On Sunday, the Cobb Wind Symphony Veterans Day Concert will take place starting at 3 p.m. at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road). Admission is free.
Also this weekend, The Art Place is staging “Piece of My Heart,” which portrays the stories of six women who served as nurses in the Vietnam War and how they were affected by the experience.
The performances will be at 7:30 p.m, on Friday and Saturday, and the suggested donation of $10 (3330 Sandy Plains Road).
Veterans Day is next Monday, Nov. 11, and on that day U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath will hold a ceremony at 2 p.m. at American Legion Post 201 (201 Wills Road, Alpharetta).
This ceremony will honor Vietnam veterans, who will receive a commemorative lapel pin and certificate of special recognition.
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“It’s real nice to know that there are people who want to appreciate veterans,” Vietnam vet Ed Reynolds said. (East Cobb News photos and videos by Wendy Parker)
Amid the aroma of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and with the sounds of his generation playing in the background, Ed Reynolds talks a little about his days serving in the Vietnam War, but mostly about what’s happened since then.
The Connecticut native, who’s lived in Kennesaw for the past couple of decades, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early years of full American ground operations.
That was in 1965 and 1966, before hundreds of thousands of troops came over in military transport planes, like the C-5 manufactured at Lockheed’s Marietta plant.
“Got there before the big guns came,” Reynolds recalls. “We landed by boat.”
His combat experience was intense, and being a radio operator “was not a healthy occupation to have.”
The retired building construction supervisor said he didn’t endure the wrath of anti-war protestors like some Vietnam veterans. However, as the years continued, so did the frustrations of dealing with a system designed to help veterans like him.
Reynolds says he suffered a heart attack in 1992, and thinks it could stem from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Other maladies have added up, and he noted he came back with one that lingers—ulcers.
“I was 20 years old,” Reynolds said. “Imagine that.”
On Saturday, an East Cobb non-profit that helps veterans in need treated Reynolds and other veterans to food, music and to give thanks for their service, with Veterans Day being observed in the coming week.
United Military Care, which moved to a building on Old Canton Road near Roswell Road 11 years ago, entertained a few dozen veterans on a sunny, blustery afternoon.
UMC helps veterans who are in danger of experiencing, or who have experienced, hunger, homelessness and lost hope.
“When you leave the military, you lose two things,” said Leenie Rubin of United Military Care, which began assisting active-duty personnel but has expanded to reach out to veterans.
“Your rifle, and your buddy. Our mission is to serve as a ‘battle buddy’ ” for veterans who often don’t know where to turn for help.
The Tunnel Rats, a local string band that includes Vietnam veterans, performed Vietnam-era pop tunes as well as country/bluegrass songs.
UMC served more than 8,000 veterans in 10 counties across metro Atlanta last year, and expects to serve more this year, according to President Kim Scofi.
That’s because word’s growing about how the organization is trying to fill the gaps in veterans’ assistance.
UMC has two food pantries, and delivers food regularly at Fort McPherson for distribution around the Atlanta area.
The assistance includes help with clothing, government and agency referrals, home visits and phone calls and special events, such as Saturday’s cookout.
Making human connection is often the most important thing UMC does, Scofi said.
“It’s offering hope.”
She said she got a call several months ago from a staffer at the East Cobb Senior Center, about a regular visitor there who’s a Vietnam veteran and who was threatening suicide.
Scofi got in phone contact with the man, and offered up some tough love—military-type directives about getting help, and how to do it.
“Now he’s living in Mississippi, near his family,” and isn’t in deep isolation any longer, she said.
Raffling off items for veterans that were donated by local businesses and organizations.
Reynolds has stayed involved in Marine League and other veterans events. But as he got older, and as his health declined, he grew frustrated in getting health care and other veterans benefits for himself. He had to quit work to care for his wife for six years (she died in 2012), while he was seeking to 100 percent disability payments from the Veterans Administration.
“It took me 14 years,” he said.
His experience is common. Scofi said that some so-called “blue water” Navy veterans—those who transported Agent Orange to Vietnam—are only now getting VA benefits. That’s because of bureaucratic red tape that denied them to veterans who literally didn’t step foot on Vietnamese soil.
While much is made of the suicide rate of veterans from the Iraq War, Scofi said the largest percentage of veterans who take their own lives is in an age group of 50 and older—from Vietnam to those who served during the first Iraq War, in the early 1990s.
Reynolds noted that it’s groups like UMC, more than those from the larger civilian world, that are reaching out to veterans.
“It’s real nice to know that there are people who want to appreciate veterans,” he said.
If you’re a veteran or know of a veteran who needs assistance with food, housing or just need someone to talk to, you can reach United Military Care by clicking here or calling 770-973-0014.
UMC also accepts donations to carry out its services. You can donate online by clicking here.
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