This display was put together by James E. Smotherman, who had a military fascination at age 10 and hung around soldiers under the command of Gen. George Patton in 1941 during maneuvers in Bedford County. Badges and insignia Smotherman collected from the troops will be on display at Wartrace City Hall today through Saturday. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge]

A special Veterans Day ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Hollywood Cemetery in Wartrace to honor local veterans from today and the past.

Over the past few months, an effort has been made to identify every serviceman and woman buried in Hollywood Cemetery from the Civil War to the present day.

Wartime and peacetime veterans are to be included in the ceremony, the first time the town has organized this type of observance.

Appropriate flags will be placed on the graves of the veterans and several speakers will make presentations.

Aside from Saturday's event, visitors are also invited to stop by Wartrace Town Hall this week to view memorabilia associated with military service. The display will be open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon until 2 on Saturday.

The items have been brought in by Wartrace residents and people from the surrounding community. Clippings from old local newspapers are included, along with photos taken during World War I and World War II. Relics from the Civil War are part of the display as well, up to items from Vietnam and the present day.

Several photos are from the summer of 1941, when Gen. George Patton's army conducted maneuvers in Bedford County and the surrounding region.

One display comes from James E. Smotherman, who at age 10 hung around Patton's soldiers and collected badges and insignia from them.

Other items include ration cards and stamps from World War II and wartime propaganda maps, touting the benefits of saving fuel for the war effort, as well as an original WWII uniform and medals.

For more information, call Wartrace Town Hall at 389-6144.