Schedule set for Anthem Veterans Memorial dedication

STAFF REPORT~ 9/21/2011

The Anthem Veterans Memorial Planning Committee and the Anthem Community Council has announced the dedication and opening ceremony sponsors, schedule and
speakers for the Veterans Memorial in Anthem.
The public is invited to attend this historic event at 10 a.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 in the Anthem Community Park. The dedication and opening ceremony is sponsored by Associated Asset Management (AAM) and PulteGroup, Inc.
Anthem resident and retired United States Army Major General Louis W. Prentiss, Jr. will provide the keynote address. A West Point graduate in 1950, Major General Prentiss received his Masters of Science at Princeton University. He spent 14 of his 31 years in the military on active duty overseas. In the latter part of his military career, Prentiss was responsible for all construction for the US Army and US Air Force in Europe. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC),Legion of Merit (2 OLC), Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), Commendation Medal and several foreign decorations. An active member of the Anthem community, Prentiss served on the Anthem Country Club Community Association Board of Directors, the Anthem Community Council and chaired the Council Transition Committee.
A highlight of the dedication and opening ceremony will occur at precisely 11:11 a.m. when the sun’s rays will pass through elliptical openings in the Memorial’s five pillars and perfectly illuminate a mosaic of The Great Seal of the United States, a phenomenon that will be repeated at 11:11 a.m. every Veterans Day, Nov. 11. This event will be highlighted by a Pentagon approved two-plane flyover from Luke Air Force Base. The marble-covered pillars of diminishing sizes represent the five branches of the Armed Forces. The pillars and Great Seal are set in an honor circle of brick pavers engraved with the names of more than 750 Veterans.
The five Armed Forces columns will be dedicated by:
• Ray R. Norris, Lieutenant. Colonel (Ret.), United States Army.
• Christopher Badilla, Sergeant, Active, National Guard.
• Floyd C. Lewis, Colonel (Ret.), United States Marine Corps.
• Tom Derryberry, Sergeant, United States Marine Corps.
• William L. Putnam, Rear Admiral (Ret.), United States Navy.
• Joan R. Anson, Hospital Corpsman, United States Navy.
• Thomas H. Kirk, Jr., Colonel (Ret.), United States Air Force.
• Bernard W. Pfile, Staff Sergeant, United States Air Force.
• Stephen Goodman, Lieutenant. Commander (Ret.), United States Coast Guard.
• Jack A. Maltby, Yeoman, United States Coast Guard.

Craig Boates, Anthem Community Council president, will serve as the dedication master of ceremony.
Also speaking will be Anthem resident, project originator and chairman, United States Navy Rear Admiral (Ret.) Ron Tucker, Congressman Ben Quayle (AZ-District 3) and Anthem resident and local Veterans Day parade chair United States Marine Corporal Mary Ann Derryberry. Music will be provided by ProMusica Arizona Brass Ensemble, and the Musical Theater of Anthem will assist in the singing of the National Anthem.
Those in attendance will be greeted by members of the Sandra Day O’Connor Junior ROTC and girls and boys from local Scout Troops. Seating is open. Parking and seating will be limited. It is recommended guests arrive early for the dedication ceremony.
The Veterans Memorial was designed by Anthem resident and volunteer Renee Palmer-Jones. Chief engineer for the project, Jim Martin, also is an Anthem resident and volunteer.
“It is our hope the Anthem Veterans Memorial will honor veterans in a way that touches the hearts of every citizen who visits it,” says Ron Tucker. “As people all over America celebrate a moment of silence at 11:11 a.m. on November 11 starting in 2011, those residents and visitors in Anthem will witness a truly amazing event. It was an honor to serve our country, and it is a great privilege to have worked on this project,” adds Tucker.
The Memorial is being constructed by Haydon Building Corp., Phoenix. Haydon provided their materials and labor at cost and assumed no profit from the project. The project has the support of the local Daisy Mountain Veterans, which includes the American Legion (Post 128), the VFW (Post 12031), the American Legion Auxiliary (Unit 128) and the Anthem Community Council, who donated space in the Anthem Community Park for the Memorial and provided up-front funding of the project.