MARIETTA — Everyone knows that Marietta and military pride go hand in hand. It is, after all, the home of Dobbins Air Reserve Base and 6,800 employees of defense-contractor juggernaut Lockheed Martin.

And not just Marietta but all of Cobb County will show its love and respect for military veterans on the evening of March 1 at the Earl Strand Theatre on the Square.

The fourth annual “Hearts for Heroes” event will be an evening of music, memories, and inspirational stories from three Medal of Honor recipients from the U.S. Marine Corps, all wrapped into an hour-and-a-half variety show.

The theme of this year’s show will be “the citizen soldier,” focusing on those men and women who have successfully made the transition from military to civilian service, said Bill Duelge, the co-chair of this year’s event along with John “Sandy” Sanders.

Lockheed Martin and each of Cobb County’s six cities will introduce a different citizen soldier.

“These are folks who’ve made the transition from the military service to some type of local civilian capacity,” Duelge said. They could be fire or police first responders or other public servants.

Inspirational speakers will be three Medal of Honor recipients representing three different wars:

* Cpl. Hershel “Woody” Williams, World War II: Iwo Jima;

* Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, Vietnam War: Dai Do;

* Sgt. Dakota Meyer, Afghanistan War: Kunar Province.

Lead sponsors of the event are Lockheed, Vinings Bank and Marietta Power and Water.

Hearts for Heroes was the brainchild of Alan Price, a now retired C-130 pilot who was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the second highest decoration for valor under the Medal of Honor.

“He was convinced that the citizens of Marietta would turn out to honor military heroes and he wrote the first check to rent the Strand Theatre to guarantee it,” Duelge said.

Moby of “Moby in the Morning” will emcee. Country Music singer/songwriter Corey Crowder will lead the musical ticket along The Big Chicken Chorus. A VIP after-party will be at the home of former Gov. Roy Barnes and his wife Marie.

Cost is $30 per person. And for $125 per person, you get to see the Strand event with VIP seating, and transportation to the after-party.

Proceeds go to benefit the Marietta Museum of History and its Aviation Wing, a 15.5 acre park which tells the story of aviation manufacturing and how it helped build in Marietta into the city it is today.