American Legion Post & Auxiliary 135 hosts its 15th annual Memorial Day event at 11350 E. Cornville Road, Cornville, Saturday, May 23, 11 a.m. This free, open-to-the-public outdoor event honors those who died in military service. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and umbrella; however water and light refreshments will be provided.
The keynote speaker is retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert W. Hall from the Pacific Air Forces, event organizer Jeri Strande wrote in a press release. Hall joined the USAF after high school and served at various stateside and Pacific area duty locations in his 32 years of service. His tour of duty with the Air Force saw him involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 through Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He served two tours in Vietnam and five years with Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. His military job duties included: airframe structural repairman, first sergeant, command chief master sergeant; 15th Air Base Wing, Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii; 313 Air Division, Kadena Airbase, Okinawa and 7th Air Force, Osan Airbase in South Korea.
“The theme for our program will be America’s 250th anniversary, and our speaker will try to bring that into his speech in recognition of that celebration,” Strande said.
Additionally the program will open and close with a bagpipe performance by Michael Donelson, with a vocal performance by Samantha Noelle.
“Noelle has been part of a variety of productions which started in Los Angeles,” Strande wrote. “She relocated to Sedona from Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, she performed at the Starbright Theater as well as other various event venues on the strip.”
Memorial Day carries personal meaning for her, Strande said.
“My brother was retired Air Force. My husband was retired Air Force. His father was in the military. We kind of do have a family of veterans. Memorial Day is the day that we recognize our passing veterans who have served the country,” she said.
“We welcome the children to come, and we offer cookies, which is a draw in itself,” she said.
The post, which was chartered in 2010, is small but active in the Cornville community, Strande stated.
“We’re there to serve the community. We’re there to serve our youth and our veterans. We reach out to Oak Creek School and Sedona Red Rock High School actually falls under our purview for programs for high school children,” Strande said. “We reach out to them through our American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Leadership Camp,” and the Legion sponsored SRRHS students Dayanna Landaverde and Kahil Alexander this year. “We have an honor guard and a color guard. We are little, but mighty.”
For more information about the event, contact Jeri Strande at 602-935-1936.
Camp Verde
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6739 in Camp Verde is hosting its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the Middle Verde Cemetery on Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m. For more information about the Camp Verde Service, call 928-567-4642.
