Sun City residents to honor veterans on day of reflection

To me, it’s an honor to be part of Veterans Day to help honor those individuals.”

Phil Easley

By Zev Black
Mail

Veterans Day gives Americans a chance to reflect on and honor the brave men and women who serve and defend the United States of America. According to USAfacts.org, there were 2.81 million U.S. military members worldwide as of December 2025.

Phil Easley, Sun City resident and commander of the Northwest Valley Veterans Association, noted Veterans Day is to honor those who are still living while Memorial Day is to remember those who have passed away.

Easley, who was in the Army, has multiple family members who have served. His father was in World War II and the Korean War, both his grandfathers served in World War I and he has a couple cousins who served in Vietnam.

His association, in conjunction with Sunland Memorial Park Mortuary & Cremation Center, will host a Veterans Day ceremony 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the center, 15826 N. Del Webb Blvd.

The event will include music, a guest speaker who was a nurse in Vietnam during the war and colors posted by Peoria High School Air Force Junior ROTC cadets. Organizational flags, along with flags of different services, will also be on display.

A catered lunch will be available at the end of the ceremony.

Easley will be the master of ceremonies for the event. He said he’s going to be thinking of his father.

“To me, it’s an honor to be part of Veterans Day to help honor those individuals,” he said. “Thank you for your service. Thank you for your commitment to protecting the United States and continue your service. It’s something that means a lot to be able to do that.”

Members of the Sun City Posse will be in attendance to help with parking. Cmdr. Arlene Kluizenaar said the group’s Color Guard will be at other Veterans Day events, including at churches, nursing homes and a hospital.

“The color guard is going to be quite busy,” she said. “We have just enough people in the color guard that we can split them up and have one group go one place and another group in the other place… the Posse is very proud of our color guard. They do a lot of good work.”

For more information, call Phil Easley 602-561-0353 or email p_easley@msn.com.

Reporter Zev Black can be reached at zblack@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to azopinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.