MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) Veterans Day has passed but at least two separate groups worked recently to ensure that the sacrifices of soldiers, both the living and the dead, are remembered.

Veterans groups heralded the grand opening of the Marietta Vet Center in Dodd Plaza at 40 Dodd St., suite 700, off Roswell Street in Marietta. Meanwhile, a construction crew and crane spent the day erecting a 32-ton granite wall of honor listing the known names of those interred in Marietta's Confederate Cemetery.

The new Marietta Vet Center operated by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department is the largest of its kind in metro Atlanta. It received its first client on Oct. 13. It provides readjustment counseling and sexual abuse counseling, as well as case management, community outreach and referral services, plus supportive social services, to combat veterans and their families.

L. Tammy Duckworth, assistant veterans affairs secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, was the keynote speaker at the dedication. An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth spoke of her own recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center from injuries sustained in the war and the inspiration she received from fellow veterans.

``We may not have served during the same war... but, we have the same experience,'' she said.

``That's what this vet center does. This is a place where you can sit down maybe with another veteran from Iraq or Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea, World War II or peace time and say, 'You know, I've been in that hole you're in. I'm going to climb in there with you because I know the way out and I'm gonna show you the way out.'''

Duckworth, a former Illinois congressional candidate, lost both legs and partial use of an arm in 2004 when the Black Hawk helicopter she co-piloted on a mission in Iraq was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. She received several medals, including the Purple Heart.

She commended the work of the social workers, psychologists, outreach specialists and administrators many whom are veterans who work at the 232 veteran centers across the country. Two of those are located in Atlanta and Lawrenceville. More than 130,000 veterans are served by veteran centers each year, according to the government.

``This is your vet center, your community. This is vets helping vets to get through the things that we've got to get through so that we can all go back and have a piece of that American dream. That dream that we fought for, for everyone else,'' Duckworth told the audience, comprised of many veterans.

``No one deserves it more than the young men and women of this country. I call them our greatest national treasure, who are willing to die to protect those freedoms for other people.''

The 4,200-square-feet facility on Dodd Street has staff offices, offices for individual counseling and family therapy, a relaxation room, two large group rooms, a conference room and outdoor gazebo.

Bill Beaudin, commander of nearby American Legion Post 29 in Marietta, served in the Navy during Vietnam. ``In the past they had to travel to get any kind of counseling like this,'' he said of veterans. ``To have this right in our back yard is fantastic.''

Earlier on Saturday, a crew worked to install a series of granite monuments at Marietta's Brown Park off West Atlanta Street for a group of veterans who have long since passed.

The monuments are meant to honor veterans buried in the adjacent Confederate Cemetery. A large crane laid 12 separate granite panels that are engraved with the names of the 1,000 known Civil War soldiers who are buried in the cemetery.

The Marietta Confederate Cemetery Foundation, Friends of Brown Park and the city of Marietta are responsible for the project. More than $100,000 in donations was raised. Former Marietta Councilwoman Betty Hunter, the cemetery foundation's president, said the memorial wall is the culmination of 17 years of work.

``All of us have an interest in seeing these names of the soldiers that we know in the cemetery, placed on this wall,'' Hunter said.

``For the first time, people can come in here and actually learn something about the cemetery, because there's no sexton or anybody to tell you anything about the cemetery if you come up here to visit.''

The cemetery was established in 1863. The vast majority of the total 3,000 Confederate soldiers buried there have unmarked graves. Many fought in the battles of Chickamauga and Ringgold.

The memorial wall lists the names of the known soldiers, who represented all of the Confederate states. The names came from an original listing in the late-1800s compiled by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. A donors wall has the names of contributors of $1,000 or more. Hunter said people from as far away as California donated funds.

The finished project will include 10 benches with historical information and bronze sculptures, by San Diego sculptor T.J. Dixon. Visitors are encouraged to conduct self-guided tours of the cemetery, beginning with the wall monument, and use the benches for historical references. A large circular monument, featuring a pair of bronze boots, will be located near the wall to honor the unknown soldiers.

A dedication ceremony for the memorial is scheduled at 2 p.m. Dec. 12. It will be free and open to the public.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)