Cobb Thanks You For Your Service, known as Cobb Salutes, brings local residents together to honor military service and support veterans and their families.
Cobb Thanks You For Your Service, known as Cobb Salutes (CobbSalutes.org), was founded in 2018 by Mark Maloney and Mary Ansley Southerland while they served on the Hospice Committee of the Wellstar Foundation. Their initial purpose was to honor veterans receiving hospice care in the Wellstar Health System. The recognition visits included a specially designed lapel pin, a letter thanking the veteran and the family who supported that service, and a blanket in patriotic colors. When possible, volunteers invited veterans to share memories of their time in uniform. Families sometimes gathered friends and relatives to witness what could be one of their loved one’s final honors.
The organization raised funds through galas, walk/run events, and other means, with beneficiaries including the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation and the Atlanta History Center’s Veterans Oral History Project. The organization’s mission has since grown from hospice recognition to honoring veterans, supporting their families, preserving their stories, and encouraging community participation. Maloney, himself a Vietnam veteran and former Army combat photographer, also hopes this recognition will inspire future generations to serve.
Earlier this year, Maloney and Alan Bernhardt, a retired VA psychologist who designed the therapeutic photography program called Fresh Eyes, taught an eight-week course at the VA hospital in “mindful photography.” Mindful photography teaches participants to see more, be more aware, and take comfort in everyday sightings. With funding from the NEA, the program offers veterans opportunities for creative expression, awareness, and social connection. The courses encourage participants to look at familiar surroundings with renewed attention.
“Impact is not measured merely by dollars raised and distributed, but also by veterans and families reached, hospice recognition visits supported, completed photography courses and participant counts, mental-health assessments accessed, and volunteer participation,” Maloney said.
Another key program of the Cobb Salutes organization is Say Their Names, in which volunteers read the names of those who have served during an annual ceremony at Marietta National Cemetery. Participants help ensure that more than 17,000 veterans are honored and remembered by publicly saying their names. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, November 7.
“Say Their Names 2026 honors and remembers the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have served in uniform, especially those laid to rest in Marietta National Cemetery,” Maloney said. “Many of their names may not have been spoken aloud since the last family member who remembered them passed away. Speaking their names brings them back into the community’s memory. As long as someone says their name, their memory lives on.”
Local citizens can volunteer to read names at Say Their Names, assist with event logistics and outreach, introduce potential sponsors, and contribute skills that support the organization’s programs. They can also submit the name of a veteran to be honored, whether living or deceased. Donations are welcome but are not required to submit a name for reading.
Businesses and community groups can help recruit readers, sponsor the work, and spread awareness. Current opportunities and participation details should be obtained through CobbSalutes.org.
Cobb Salutes began with two local citizens deciding that gratitude should take a tangible form — a pin, a letter, a warm blanket, and the chance to tell a story could make a veteran feel recognized and could help a family see that service with fresh appreciation. That same impulse continues in Say Their Names: It is a community choosing to remember people whose lives and service deserve acknowledgment. Residents do not need to have served in uniform to help. They can give their time, their skills, or their support.
To volunteer or donate, go to cobbsalutes.org.
