Wreaths went out across Rose Hill Cemetery in Rockmart on Saturday afternoon, honoring the service men and women who gave of themselves during their lives to ensure the safety of the nation.

The first-ever ceremony and wreath-laying event held on Saturday in Rockmart was a first in Polk County as local residents, veterans and volunteers gathered with service men and women to participate in the Wreaths Across America program. Saturday’s ceremony was one of more than 4,900 held across the country (several in Northwest Georgia beside Rockmart’s too) to honor those who served the nation in the Armed Forces.

A ceremony featuring guest speakers who provided a history of Rose Hill Cemetery and their own experiences of service before a wreath was placed in honor of every branch of the Armed Forces, a 21-gun salute and taps provided by the American Legion Post 12 Honor Guard, and then it was onto the work of placing wreaths across Rose Hill Cemetery.

The event hosted by Alvis Miller & Son Funeral Home, sponsored in part by the Walmart in Rockmart and donations of many in the community, ended with dozens of wreaths going out on veterans graves across the historic cemetery.

The final resting place for more than 400 veterans in Rockmart is the historic cemetery operated by the city.