Tony Alexander

(Left to Right) Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation (CVMF) Board President & CEO Donna Rowe, CVMF Director of Development Tony Alexander, CVMF Secretary Kathy Collar, CVMF Vice President Shelley O’Malley, CVMF Board Member Dave Hambrick, Cobb County District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, CVMF Board Member Emily Lembeck, CVMF Board Member Curtis Williams, CVMF Board Member Ralph ‘Top’ Roeger

(Video by Ross Cavitt, Director Cobb County Communications, transcription follows)

Hello Everyone, I’m JoAnn Birrell, your District Commissioner and I’m honored to be here today with the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation Board. We have an exciting project and they are partnering with Cobb County and the Veterans Memorial group here today and we are so excited to tell you about the project. It is going to be located on County property that would be a county park for future generations to enjoy and honor all of our veterans across the state of Georgia. Please join us in welcoming the Cobb Memorial Foundation Board and please watch the video and learn how you can be involved.

I always wanted to do something for my country and in 1942, I found myself in the South Pacific. ~Harry Kone, U.S. Marine Corps, WWII Veteran

I’ve always been proud to serve my country. And, to be a veteran, I don’t know whether I would be the same individual today that I would have been without being a veteran. ~SGT David Hankerson, U.S. Army

I don’t remember the flag much, other than in school, the Pledge of Allegiance, when I was growing up. But, when I was eight years old and I went to my Dad’s funeral, the flag took on a whole new meaning. How can we not teach our children about the sacrifice and our Country? ~Laura Armstrong, Father LTC Roger J. Bartholomew, U.S. Army, Killed in Action Nov. 27, 1968

You know, you don’t want to forget no matter what good, bad, or whatever. You don’t want to forget. ~SGT David Hankerson, U.S. Army

Cobb County wants to recognize those people that served this County, the State, and this Nation.  And, I think it’s important for those veterans to see that appreciation in a monument style. ~Donna Rowe, CPT Army Nurse Corps

We need to say ‘thank you.’ We need to say thank you to veterans and their families. We want this memorial to mean that to every veteran. ~ Maj Gen James D. Bankers, U.S. Air Force

Democracy is not free. It comes with a price and we need to be thankful and let people know, not only in the past that we thank them for their service, or the present, but also future generations to come. ~Sen. “Doc” Rhett, MSgt, U.S. Air Force

I think this way veterans don’t think that they’re forgotten. They see the memorial and they know what I’ve done has changed something or done something and is bigger than themselves. ~Petty Officer Tiffany Ross, U.S. Navy

Hi I’m Donna Rowe. I’m the president of the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation. I want to tell you about this wonderful Foundation and what we’re about to do. We’re going to have a wonderful Memorial here in Cobb County right next to the Cobb Civic Center. This board is here to raise the money along with funds from Cobb County to make this the best Cobb Veterans Memorial and the best Veterans Memorial in the state of Georgia. We hope you join us. You can go to our website, CobbVeteransMemorial.com, and get more information and you can get our phone numbers on that site. Thank you so much, we look forward to working with you and having a celebration at the next Memorial Day.

(Shelley O’Malley, Vice President, Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation) We’re very excited to build this memorial to thank and honor our veterans and the families of those who served; and also to inspire the next generation to lives of service and to unify our great State and great County, and the United States. We hope you learn more about the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation and Cobb Veterans Memorial at CobbVeteransMemorial.com. The memorial is going to be built to thank and honor our veterans and their families for their service to our Nation and also to inspire the next generation to lives of service. We hope you’ll join us.

God Bless America!