Every year, hundreds of young men and women in Arizona make the decision to serve in the armed forces.
More than 50 will be recognized at Tempe Community Salutes, an annual celebration to honor future military service members and give them and their families a hometown sendoff.
This year’s Community Salutes will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, April 30, at Tempe Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.
“These young men and women deserve our support, our encouragement and our gratitude as they begin their service to our country,” said Tempe Vice Mayor and U.S. Army veteran Robin Arredondo-Savage.
“We hope this celebration will show them how much we value their contributions to our community and to our nation. We want them to stay connected to their hometown and bring their talents back to Tempe once their duty has been completed.”
During the April 30 ceremony, each student will receive a First to Say Thank You coin and military stole to wear at their high school graduation ceremonies. There will be remarks from
Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell; Col. Wanda Wright, retired U.S. Air Force and director of Arizona Department of Veterans Services; and Sgt. First Class Matthew P. Vinson, U.S. Army and Bronze Star recipient.
The program will include performances by Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble and the lead singer of SugarWater, Wade Cota, as well as the Arizona National Guard 108th Army Band and the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard.
This will be the fourth year of Tempe Community Salutes, which was the vision of Vice Mayor Arredondo-Savage.
It was the first program of its kind in the state, modeled after the national Our Community Salutes organization, which honors high school seniors who have already enlisted.
Sponsors of this year’s event are Salt River Project, title sponsor; Opus Development, Military Stole Sponsor; Wexford Developments; Sender Associates, Cousins Properties, Spike Lawrence Ventures, Gorman & Company, Waste Management and U.S. Army, Stars and Stripes sponsors.
