Arizona is home to many wonderful places for residents and tourists alike to visit and enjoy. Some are natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, or Kartchner Caverns. Others are man-made like The Hoover Dam or the Tumacácori National Historical Park.
All of these places and many other popular destinations can be easily found in travel guides or on Google maps, so it is no wonder these sites see thousands of visitors annually.
But there is one really wonderful place that rarely gets a mention. It is the Anthem Arizona Veterans Memorial, located in the Anthem Community Park in the suburbs just north of Phoenix.
The memorial is dedicated to honoring the service of members of the U.S. military, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The monument's unique design is comprised of five white pillars each one representing one branch of the U.S. Military. The pillars are arranged in the Department of Defense order of precedence: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, immediately opposite The Great Seal of the United States.
The monument was designed by Renee Palmer-Jones and Engineered by James Martin. The tallest pillar is 17 ft high and the shortest being 6 feet in height and each has an elliptical opening engineered with a fixed azimuth and a fixed altitude angle such that once a year on Veterans Day, November 11th at approximately 11:11 am, the sun shines through the five pillars casting a solar spotlight on the Great Seal.
Surrounding the award-winning monument are 2200 red paving stones engraved with the names of Arizona veterans. The red stones, the white pillars contrasting against the blue Arizona sky represent the red, white, and blue colors of the flag of the United States.
The park is located just off Interstate 17 at Anthem Way. There is no admission required to visit the memorial, but if you are in town on November 11th you can join in the annual Veterans Day ceremony and pay your respects to our honored veterans.
Want to know more? Visit the Anthem Community Council website at: https://www.onlineatanthem.com/visitors/veterans_memorial/index.php
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