Anthem dedicates Veterans Memorial

MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR~ 11/16/2011

It was a day to say thanks in Anthem.
On Friday nearly 5,000 people showed up at Anthem Community Park for Veterans Day to dedicate the new Anthem Veterans Memorial.
The thanks went out first and foremost to U.S. service men and women past and present, but also to the volunteers that made the memorial possible.
It was a project that took 2.5 years to complete, coming to fruition just days before Friday’s ceremony, as the memorial includes five marble pillars representing each of the branches of the military and a series of brick pavers on the ground that surround a mosaic of the Great Seal of the United States.
“We can all be proud of this memorial,” said Anthem’s Ron Tucker, a retired Rear Admiral, who was behind the idea for the project and then oversaw it from beginning to end. “It took a great team to build it.”
While Ben Quayle of the U.S. House of Representatives made a speech and a representative from Governor Jan Brewer’s office read a prepared statement, most of the speakers were Anthem residents.
U.S. Navy veteran William Putnam spoke specifically of the spirit of Navy men and women, but of the spirit of military personnel in general.
“There is a sense among them that there is important work to be done before enjoying the fruits of freedom,” he said. “Some call that sacrifice, but they would call it duty.”
However it is viewed the people of Anthem now have a way of saying thanks to not only their local veterans, but those from around the state and the country.
Anthem resident Louis W. Prentiss Jr. a retired Army Major General, spoke of his time as a youth, working as a groundskeeper at Arlington Cemetery.
“The difference in concept between Arlington and our memorial is that Arlington only honors soldiers that have passed away,” he said. “Ours recognizes both those that have passed on, those that are still living, but have retired and then our active soldiers as well.”
Tucker concurred.
“More than anything, we wanted to honor men and women who put on a uniform and served from Pearl Harbor to Normandy, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan and countless other places supporting U.S. interests,” he said.
Following the ceremony Anthem resident Myran Walen had his family take his picture in front of the Army pillar. After serving from 1971 to 1973 he then was a military chaplain in the service from 1986-2004.
“This just touches my heart that the people of Anthem would do something like this,” he said. “This monument has spiritual meaning. Service is what the Bible talks about, people giving of themselves and that’s what this monument celebrates. At the end of the ceremony, when the planes (F-16) flew over, I couldn’t help getting choked up.”
Michael McDonald, a 76-year-old Sun City resident was in Anthem for the ceremony with his daughter Donna Eubank.
Eubank, a 12-years Anthem resident and her husband Aaron, purchased a paver for McDonald, an Army and Air Force veteran.
“I think this is great what they’ve done here in Anthem,” he said. “The people here are real fortunate to have something like this.”
Dave Wright, an Anthem resident since 2002, and a Marine veteran, having served from 1963 -1966, agreed.
“I first heard about this project about two years ago and I was curious to see what it would become,” he said. “I’m surprised to see just how impressive it turned out. I think if people get an idea of how nice this is that they’ll visit Anthem to come see it. It’s really heartening to see so many people come out today in support of the troops.”
Anthem Community Council President Craig Boates, who served as masters of ceremonies, labeled the effort Anthem’s first community project.
“This memorial will honor our military men and women’s service and sacrifice, today, tomorrow and always,” he said.
Pavers, engraved bricks with a veteran’s name, the branch they served in along with the years they served, are still available for purchase.
For information on purchasing a paver go to onlineatanthem.com/anthem-veterans-memorial-donate-here.