TARGET 151111
THE ANTHEM VETERANS’ MEMORIAL
The veterans' memorial in Anthem, Arizona
at 11:11 AM on 15/11/11
At precisely 11:11 a.m. each Veterans Day (Nov. 11), the sun’s rays pass through the ellipses of the five Armed Services pillars to form a perfect solar spotlight over a mosaic of The Great Seal of the United States.
The Anthem Veterans Memorial, located in Anthem, Arizona, is a monument dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of the United States armed forces.
The five pillars of freedom
The monument, consisting of five pillars - one for each of the five U.S. armed forces, provides a place of honor and reflection for veterans, their family and friends, and those who want to show their respects to those service men and women who have and continue to courageously serve the United States.
Looking up through the openings
Looking up through the openings, you see that the line-up is situated in such a way that allows sunlight straight through only when the sun is in the right position. That happens at 11:11 on November 11th each year.
A little bit off center on other days
The wide holes allow the sun to hit the emblem on other days, of course, but as you can see in the picture above, the light is a little bit off-center.
Perfectly centered on 11/11
It is only on November 11 of each year that the alignment is perfectly centered. You can also see in the picture above that each of the bricks surrounding the memorial carries the name of a military member who fell in war.
Ceremonial guard
On November 11th of each year, a ceramonial guard stands proudly and quietly in honor of the fallen.
Atendees for the ceremony
While the memorial can be visited by the public every day of the year, the public is especially invited to the annual ceremony on National Veterans' Memorial day.
JUST FOR ADDED INFORMATION
Can you name the five armed services of the United States?
Answer
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
Each requires bravery and heroism and each suffers casualties in protecting the freedom of U.S. citizens. The plaques you see on the side of each pillar carries the insignia of one of the armed forces, going from the tallest, Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
AND A SMALL EDUCATIONAL TRIVIA QUIZ
ABOUT THE U.S. ARMED FORCES
1. Which service has the most planes?
2. Which service has the most boats and ships?
3. Percentage-wise, which service has the most intelligence agents?
4. Which service has jurisdiction over the U.S. Space Command?
5. How many trucks are there on any U.S. military base?
Answers
1. The Army.
2. The Army.
3. The Coast Guard.
(theoretically, all Guard members are intelligence collection agents)
4. The Navy.
(space ships are ships)
5. One for each flag pole.
(In the military, what civilians call "trucks"
are always called "vehicles". In military-speak,
the nomenclature for the pulley at the top of a flag pole
is a "truck".)
FEEDBACK MAP
If you got impressions for which this feedback is insufficient, more information,
pictures and videos can be found at the following web sites:
Anthem Community Council
WGN TV on-line
Wikipedia
Twisted Sifter web site
Trip Advisor web site
Visit Arizona web site
Faith Tap web site (detailed video tour of the memorial)
Many thanks to Windy Franks and Michael Rinaldi for this target.
NOTE TO NON U.S. VIEWERS: I live in the U.S. and know about U.S. military memorials. I also know that there are such memorials, parks, museums, etc. in all other countries, so if you have feedback information and photos of such places in your country, I would appreciate getting them for potential future Targets of the Week. Thank you.