Small Arizona Community’s Annual Ceremony Honors American Veterans In A Unique Way
Small Arizona Community’s Annual Ceremony Honors American Veterans In A Unique Way
Veterans Day is a focused time to remember and thank the brave men and women for their sacrifice to save the country. In fact, during this time, a beautiful memorial in Anthem, Arizona, is being done for this reason. This all started about a decade ago. Residents would gather in the Community Park every year on Veterans Day to celebrate those who have served.
Every year at exactly 11:11 AM on Veterans Day, the sun lines up with the five pillars of the monument which represent the branches of the U.S. military, giving the U.S. seal just below the pillars its natural spotlight. This yearly memorial started in 2011. Then in 2012, it was designated as an Arizona Historic Landmark by the Arizona Historical Society.
Jim Martin is the civil engineer who led the construction of the memorial 10 years ago. He said that this is very close to his heart. He shared, “It means a lot. It’s impacted my life. It’s done a lot for my career.”
Darrin Francom, vice chairman of the Anthem Community Council, explained that the annual Veterans Day ceremony is considered as a hallmark of the community. He said, “It really has been a cornerstone of Anthem. ’m a veteran, so it really has a deep meaning to me to be part of it and to see our community come out and really celebrate what makes us all Americans and the United States great.”
For this year, everyone was excited because the keynote speaker was retired Adm. Thomas Fargo.
Fargo served for 35 years in the Navy. He was commander of the U.S. Pacific Command from 2002 to 2005. During his speech, one of his focused topics was the importance of patriotism and democracy. We all know that countries like China are starting to threaten it.
Aside from the speech from retired Adm. Thomas Fargo, as this year marks the 10th-anniversary ceremony, a rededication of the five pillars happened. It was such a beautiful celebration as members of the Musical Theater of Anthem and ProMusica Arizona provided the musical tributes to the veterans.
This yearly celebration attracts Americans from all over the state. And even those who just happen to pass by will surely stop and join the celebration.
Retired pastor Judith Rainforth said that she was taking a Navy veteran, Cecil, from her congregation for a day trip to Sedona, Arizona, when they learned about the event in Anthem. She said, “I happened to need gas, and it was right here at Anthem. So it was a God thing. I said, ‘I’ve gotta take you to the memorial. I took a Vietnam vet there and it’s awesome.’”
Cecil ended up attending the ceremony with Rainforth. He said that he was touched by the event. He said, “I just think it’s important, it’s an important part of our American way of life that all should be exposed to.”
The Western Journal Editor-in-Chief George Upper who served in the Army as a psychological operations specialist said that Veterans Day should serve as an important reminder. He explained, “What it should be is just one more day to remind us to thank these men and women for what they’ve done, for keeping us safe, for being willing to lay it all on the line.”
Americans from around the country are very thankful for the freedom that these men and women gave. If not for them, Americans will not be where they are right now.