Honoring America's Veterans Memorial Day Program
Join us again in 2025 as we co-host this program!
We thank you for joining us in honoring those who paid the ultimate price for their country.
2024 Memorial Day Gallery
View the 2024 Memorial Day Event Program
You can see the highlights from the 2024 event by viewing our program and watching the Arizona CW7 television replay online at https://cw7az.com/memorialday/.
You can support our nonprofit by sharing potential sponsors with us via the sponsorship opportunities section below. Thank you for joining us!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Your generous tax-deductible donation helps us honor the fallen. We’d greatly appreciate your support.
Memorial Day Activities Schedule
May 25, 2024, 7 a.m.
Flag Placements, meet at center stage at VA National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix AZ 85024
May 27, 2024, 8 a.m.
Memorial Day Program at center stage at VA National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix AZ 85024
May 28-May 31, 2024:
Flag Retrieval (on your own go and retrieve flags and place in bin containers)
June 1, 2024, 7 a.m.
Flag sorting and rolling at Cemetery Warehouse, at VA National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix AZ 85024
After you download the ICS file, be sure to right-click and ‘open with’ your preferred calendar application.
We are proudly sponsored by
Event EmceeRick Romley – Vietnam War Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps
This year’s emcee is Veterans Court Judge Rick Romley. Romley is a Vietnam War veteran, serving in the United States Marine Corps. He received numerous commendations for his service in that war, including the Purple Heart medal. He was severely wounded by a land mine, losing both legs above the knee and suffering other injuries.
Following the war, Romley went to Arizona State University in Tempe as a business management student and graduated in 1974. He later attended ASU’s law school and attained his Juris Doctor degree in 1981. Romley was elected Maricopa County Attorney from 1989 to 2004 and again in 2010. He is passionate about serving and supporting our nation’s veterans and helped found the nonprofit Honoring America’s Veterans in 2011.
Keynote SpeakerDiana Pike – Cold War Veteran Grand Marshal
Diana Pike is an Army Veteran, mentor, former executive, and Gold Star Mom. No stranger to challenges, Pike had a difficult start growing up in Compton, California, but knew she wanted more from life. So a week after graduating from high school in 1975, she joined the Women’s Army Corp. After basic training, she attended Morse Incept Operator School in Boston, working in Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) from Japan to Germany for more than a dozen years.
She was stationed stateside and continued to work in intelligence including a tour at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Virginia. Sergeant First Class Pike was forced to leave the Army in 1988 after being diagnosed with Lupus.
In 1993, a tragic car accident left Diana’s without Michael, the love of her life. She then had to raise two young children Christian and Denise on her own.
So she sold everything from her home in DC and tried to find a quieter life in Arizona to raise her children. She said it was also good to get away from the stress and haunting images at work. “Terrorism has never gone away, it’s always been there
Pike took it upon herself to teach Christian the things she imagined he would have learned from his father Michael, like shooting and working on cars. She also sent him to “Outward Bound” each summer to bond with others and push his limits. Diana beamed, “He never doubted himself. He felt he was capable of anything.”
Christian enlisted in the U.S Navy in 2001, also drawn to intelligence. In March 2013, he was mortally wounded during a fierce gun battle in Afghanistan. Diana found herself in Germany once again, but this time in Landstuhl, to say goodbye to her only son, Cryptologist Tech Chief Christian Pike. “It never occurred to me that he wouldn’t come home—until I got that phone call.” The Gold Star Mom said her son loved his life and she’s grateful they left nothing unsaid.
Her former co-worker Judy Austed pointed out that, “Even after the loss of her son, Diana has helped my son’s effort to enlist in the U.S. Navy and continues to support him while he serves.”
Pike earned her Master’s in Leadership at Western International University and worked as a Human Resources Director for Fox TV. After her retirement from the media, she finds time to volunteer with the “Remembering our Fallen from Arizona” display. She said the images of fallen service members since 9/11 “are Arizona children, and my son’s on that wall.” She is also an active member of VFW Post 2135.
Memorial Day Flag Placement and Removal
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Color Guard and Wreath Presenter Application
We are no longer taking applications. Thank you for those who will participate in our event.