There are numerous military and veteran memorials and monuments all around the country.
Each one of them is unique and special and designed to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have fought for our country. Even though we all respect these monuments, most people don’t really appreciate them in their entirety, and some even take them for granted. The Anthem Veterans Memorial in Anthem, Arizona, is a lot different from other monuments, and there’s a pretty neat reason why.
The Anthem Veterans Memorial is impressive to look at and definitely eye-catching.
It consists of five vertical stones in a line. Each stone represents a branch of the military: the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, and the United States Coast Guard. Each stone also has a hole in the center of it. The area around the stone is paved with bricks. Each brick has the name of a veteran on it.
While the monument is interesting any time of year, on Nov. 11 at 11:11 a.m. each year, something amazing happens.
The sun shines through the holes and projects an image of the Great Seal of the United States. The image only lasts for a short time, and when the sun changes positions in the sky, it goes away again until the same time next year.
Each year at this time, there is also an elaborate Veterans Day celebration.
Crowds gather around, guest speakers and veterans greet the crowds, and all of those who served are remembered and honored for their service and sacrifices. Once the presentations are finished, the crowd silently awaits that magical moment when the display appears.
Anyone planning a trip to see the monument and the amazing display on Veterans Day should plan on arriving early. Thousands of people flock to the structure, and parking is often limited. Still, anyone who has even been to the celebration will tell you that it is well worth it. It isn’t just the locals who enjoy the celebration, people come from all over the country to see this unique tribute. One visitor said:
“We were able to wiggle our way into a position where we were able to get a pretty good view, but there were probably over a thousand people there, and so after the sun illuminated the seal at the Anthem Veterans Memorial, we backed out to let others take a chance to see it.”
The monument was a very well-though-out structure.
It took a lot of planning and research to create such an impressive design. The chief engineer of the monument, Jim Martin said:
“The angles for the structure were adjusted to provide time/error fluctuation of plus or minus 12-time seconds. We also checked the variance 500 years out, and if the structure is still standing, it will work.”
They spared no expense and made sure there were no errors made in the construction.
This memorial is meant to withstand the test of time and is sure to be around for many generations. Everyone deserve to see this monument at least once in their life. Thanks to the engineers, many generations will get to enjoy it.
It is not only impressive for visitors, but a true tribute to veterans everywhere. Hopefully it will be well-cared for and around for a long time. Of you happen to be passing through Anthem, Arizona, around Veterans Day, stop by and check out this impressive structure.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Sources: I Bleed Red White and Blue, Newsner
