Military veterans going back nearly 70 years turned out at East Cobb Park Saturday for an early Veterans Day tribute.
They were treated to hot dogs, hamburgers and other picnic fare, a local band playing Vietnam-era popular music and the thanks of an East Cobb and Marietta community for their service.
“It takes 10 seconds to thank the people who served to make our country a better place,” said Kim Scofi, executive director of United Military Care, which put on Saturday’s event.
It’s an East Cobb-based non-profit that assists veterans in need of food, housing and other assistance with such things as getting their veterans benefits.
The event included World War II-era memorabilia on display from the personal collections of local volunteers called Kelly’s Zeroes.
Several veterans were honored individually, including two veterans of the Korean War.
Walt Cusick Jr., who served in an Army transportation unit in Vietnam and later as an MP, is a longtime member and a commander in the Horace Orr American Legion Post 29 in Marietta.
Like UMC, Post 29—named after the first Mariettan killed in action in World War I—works to keep veterans connected and provides resources and services to those in need.
“It’s really good to see some of those guys,” he said, looking around at the assembled tables of veterans, many of them also from the Vietnam era.
“Think about it, you’re 18, 19 years old and then suddenly you’re in combat. A lot of guys came back and they just went to hide,” Cusick said, referencing anti-war sentiment that greeted some of the returning veterans.
He mentioned the case of Army Lt. William Calley, who was court-martialed for the My Lai massacre of nearly 400 Vietnamese civilians in 1968, who “gave a lot of good people a bad name.”
Veterans from later conflicts, Cusick said, “have more respect.”
He said his experiences in the military—which included stints in the Army Reserves and the National Guard—served him well.
“I grew up a lot,” Cusick said. “I learned a lot about trust and loyalty.”
Post 29 junior commander Tom Blackstock also saluted the families and employers of veteran reservists “who allowed them to go out and take care of our freedom.”
The Tunnel Rats, which has played at previous UMC events, also paid tribute with their rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
Blackstock said Post 29’s Veterans Day 5K Run and Trot next Saturday at the Marietta Square will benefit the Legion’s Service Officer Training program, Shepherds Men and the Georgia National Guard Family Support Program.
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