Activities Office
Your Activities Office is pleased to announce that we will be having our annual Salute to Veterans event this year—with one change; it will be done as a virtual salute due to restrictions related to COVID-19. The production will be filmed in the immediate weeks prior to Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, when it will be released for viewing. As has been done in recent years, it will run for 24-hours on the TVs in the clubhouse lobbies. It will also be available for later viewing on the HOA website.
The program will be filled with the same patriotic spirit and gratitude for those who have served/are serving as in past years, but this year’s program has some additional highlights that will make this salute even more special.
Colonel Melissa Kallett will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event. Luke Air Force Honor Guard will perform the traditional Posting and Retrieving the Colors ceremony. The National Anthem will be performed by Gary Luders, and George Benz will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
We welcome homeowner Matt Scott, who will give an interesting and moving presentation recognizing the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The dance team, Dance Fusion, directed by Karyn Horst will dance to the spirit filled song “Proud to be an American” as we acknowledge and appreciate the gifts of our freedoms. Ray Hadden will lend his beautiful voice to the reading of the poem “Common Soldier,” and never to disappoint, we will include the military song sing-a-longs for each branch of the services.
As a special addition to the program this year, Kurt Shaffer, Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, and husband to staffer Trudy Shaffer, will make a very special presentation of a flag that was used in a fly-over ceremony honoring PebbleCreek for our donations to the 55th CBCS squadron during their deployment to develop a new military base in Africa. The flag presentation was made by Senior Master Sergeant Shaffer to General Manager Bill Barnard and will be featured in the video.
The program will close with Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” performed by Katie Croy. We hope that everyone watching the video, no matter where you are watching, will stand at this point and sing along.
We hope you are able to watch this incredible program on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 and after.