Roswell Remembers, hosted by Roswell Rotary, the City of Roswell, and Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic and Cultural Affairs marked 2017 as its 20th year. Started in 1997 by 12 patriotic individuals, this has become the largest Memorial Day Ceremony in Georgia. It is a non-political, non-commercial ceremony honoring veterans and the sacrifices they made in protecting our freedom. That first ceremony attracted approximately 1,800 individuals. From that humble beginning, came the Roswell Memorial Day Ceremony, an event which attracts approximately 6,000-7,000 people from throughout Georgia and the southeast.

“Roswell Rotary is honored to be a sponsor of this tribute to the men and women who so proudly served our country”, said President Lisa Carlisle.

On this Memorial Day, Roswell residents gathered at city hall for the tribute ceremony dressed in red, white and blue. Retired United States Army Sergeant and World War II Veteran Henry E. Freedman was the keynote speaker of the event. He spoke of his experiences as a prisoner of war, captured and held captive by German soldiers. Freedman received the honor of having his name inscribed on one of the bricks that collectively makes the path leading to the Faces of War memorial.

In Ronald Regan’s 1981 Inaugural Address, he addressed the nation saying, “Those who say that we’re in a time when there are not heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” Roswell Rotary Memorial Day Ceremony Committee Chair Dave Young knows for Roswell Rotary that is not the case.“Never let it be said that the City of Roswell and this club have trouble finding heroes.We embrace them and surround ourselves with them every chance we get.”