"In complete truth, it is not perfect," Jim Martin, chief engineer of the Anthem Veterans Memorial, said of the solar alignment people gather for each November 11, as reported by Fox 13. "The only way to do that would be to move the ellipses very slightly each year which is really not a recommended option."
That admission explains how the memorial works. The five marble pillars in Anthem Community Park were set once, in 2011, and will not move. The Anthem Community Council has called this year's ceremony "A Nation at 250 and A Memorial at 15." In those 15 years, every change has come at ground level: more names, new paths, new lighting, better drainage. The part made of stone and geometry is the same as it was on dedication day.
A 24-Second Window, Calculated Out to 2111
The pillars are staggered in height, and the tallest is reported at 17 feet. They stand in Department of Defense precedence order: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard. Each has an elliptical opening. At 11:11 a.m. on Veterans Day, sunlight passes through all five and lands as a spotlight on a mosaic of the Great Seal of the United States. Anthem resident Renee Palmer-Jones designed the memorial. Martin engineered the alignment.
Because the structure can't move, Martin had to fix two angles permanently. The first is the sun's azimuth, its horizontal position measured from north. The second is its altitude above the horizon. The sun reaches that exact spot at slightly different times from year to year, so his team calculated its position for every Veterans Day from 2011 through 2111. Over that century, perfect illumination falls somewhere between 11:10:58 and 11:11:22 a.m., a span of 24 seconds.
"Using the statistical mean of the 100-year data, the altitude and azimuth angles for the structure were adjusted to provide time/error fluctuation of plus or minus 12 time seconds from the International Atomic Time mark of 11:11:11 a.m."
Martin also said they checked the variance 500 years out, "and if the structure is still standing, it will work." So the spotlight you see in 2026 is the same one designed in 2011, landing within about 12 seconds of its target.
The Pillars Stayed Put, So the Ground Changed
Since the geometry is locked, the memorial's growth has come in the circle around it. At an April board meeting, the Anthem Community Council approved an expansion that retired Rear Adm. Ron Tucker presented for the 2023 AVM Expansion Committee. The Foothills Focus reported that Haydon Corps, which built the original memorial, was approved as the sole-source contractor.
Here is what the $172,000 project covered, funded through the Anthem Way Foundation:
- 3,000 new veteran commemorative pavers, bringing the Circle of Honor to 5,400
- New lighting
- Two sidewalks to make it easier to reach the memorial
- Updated flower beds
- Drainage changes to send water away from the pavers and cut down on dust
- Sponsor pavers moved to a new area
- Enhancements to the tops of the pillars
The paver count is the clearest measure of growth. With 3,000 added to reach 5,400, the circle was built out to more than twice its earlier size, and the new space is for names.
Upkeep hasn't stopped either. A council report dated April 22, 2026, lists ongoing polishing and marble repairs at the memorial, along with fresh flowers. Martin designed the pillars to last centuries. Keeping the marble looking right is a job that comes back every year.
The 15th Anniversary Program, Hour by Hour
The memorial was dedicated November 11, 2011, and became an Arizona Historic Landmark six months later. This year's ceremony falls on Wednesday, November 11, at 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway. The council's calendar listing runs it from 10 to 11:15 a.m.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. | Breakfast for purchase from Tennessee Grill |
| 10:00 a.m. | Ceremony begins |
| 11:11 a.m. | Solar spotlight on the Great Seal, weather permitting |
| 11:15 a.m. | Scheduled end |
The speakers this year connect to the memorial's history. Command Sergeant Major Joshua Holton of the U.S. Army is the emcee. Council Board Chair Dave Duckworth and Director Aaron Baker give opening remarks. Jim Martin, the civil engineer behind the geometry above, will speak about the memorial. Retired Rear Adm. Ron Tucker, who helped conceive the memorial and later presented the expansion proposal, gives the keynote. Two of the people behind the memorial's creation share the stage in its 15th year.
Pastor Lee Davis of Kings Church gives the invocation, and Musical Theater of Anthem provides music. Youth for Troops will have a nonprofit booth and help place the wreaths. Sandra Day O'Connor Air Force JROTC supports the event under Major Vaughan Whited and Master Sergeant John Michael Badey. The council will also present its Veterans Service Award, which recognizes a person, group, business, or organization for extraordinary service to the community's veterans.
The Spotlight Is Watched From the Lawn
The council's 2026 announcement doesn't spell out logistics. The most recent detailed instructions come from an earlier City Sun Times guide to the ceremony, so treat these as past practice and not a confirmed 2026 plan.
That year, attendees were not allowed to approach the memorial during the ceremony or the 11:11 spotlight. A high-definition LED screen showed the program and captured the moment the light hit the seal, and the memorial opened to visitors once the ceremony ended. The window Martin engineered spans just 24 seconds. The crowd is large; a 2021 Defense Department report described "thousands" of locals and tourists at that year's ceremony. The guide gave safety as the reason for keeping attendees back.
If that setup returns, plan for these:
- Seating and parking are limited, so bring lawn chairs or a blanket.
- The lot closest to the memorial is for people who can't walk long distances.
- Everyone else parks in the middle or lower lots, or at the Community Center, and walks in over the footbridge.
- Once the program wraps up, walk up to the pillars and the Circle of Honor.
The spotlight depends on the weather, and both the earlier guide and the 2026 calendar note it with the words "weather permitting." None of the sources describe what happens to the program if clouds block the sun.
A Paver Is the Part Residents Can Add
The Circle of Honor is the only part of the memorial that grows. The council's veteran paver form lists a price of $150, with up to three lines of text at 23 characters per line. Pavers are placed in the order purchases come in. You can order online or mail a check.
Timing is the catch. The Anthem Way Foundation's August 26, 2026 board packet schedules a paver-laying ceremony for October but gives no specific day. In 2025, the paver laying was scheduled for October 28 and 29, about two weeks before Veterans Day. No published cutoff guarantees a new order will be set in time for this November 11. Anyone hoping to see a name in place for the 15th anniversary should ask the council directly.
Three Days Later, the Parade Uses the Same Park
Veterans Day week in Anthem has two events. Daisy Mountain Veterans holds its 22nd annual parade on Saturday, November 14, 2026, starting at 10 a.m. The route begins at Memorial Drive and Gavilan Peak Parkway, runs along Anthem Community Park, turns right on Anthem Way, and ends at the Community Center. As of October 10, the parade page still says grand marshals "will be announced Summer 2026," so names may be posted closer to the date.
The parade starts at Memorial Drive, a short walk from the pillars. The Saturday morning crowd doesn't have to watch an 11:11 moment on a screen, and the memorial is open to walk up to.
The 11:11 spotlight is the one part of the memorial that never changes, and the Circle of Honor is the part people keep adding to. If your Veterans Day plans have you wondering what your Anthem home is worth, Common Sense Real Estate 101 offers a free home valuation with no listing commitment and no pressure.
