Al Cornell speaks at Memorial Day ceremony at Posse Grounds Park

Sedona Area Veteran & Community Outreach returns to the Posse Ground Pavilion for its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25.

The 45-minute event has a goal of 150 attendees and parking has not historically been a problem. This year’s guest speaker is retired U.S. Army Col. Al Cornell, along with patriotic music from Red RockAppella and bugler Ron Wright.

“It’s a great way to remember why we’re here in a democracy,” SAVCO President Jack Ross said. “It’s not one that is given freely. It’s been paid for dearly by the lives of those that have preceded us in conflicts around the world. So it could be a distant relative, a family member or just a friend you grew up with. Everybody has connections to the military. It’s important to remember sacrifices that were made. You got to live free and enjoy life, and there’s a reason we can do that, especially here in Sedona in the beautiful outdoors that we enjoy.”

Cornell spent 30 active years in the Army, including two tours in Vietnam, before retiring on Feb. 1, 1994.

“They had sent me to flight school as a lieutenant, and I enjoyed that a lot, so that was a big part of keeping me in for the first 20 years,” he said. “Then the next 10 years, I had two diplomatic assignments. I was the defense attaché and Army attaché at Panama during the [Panamanian President Manuel] Noriega time, and then I was defense and Army attaché to Guatemala up through January of ’94, and that’s when I retired. I retired on Feb. 1, 1994.”

He lost three fellow pilots the month he departed Vietnam in 1971 and wants attendees to feel the full weight of what that means.

“If they had come back when I did, that’s 55 years of life they would have lived, family and experiences and education and pursuits, 55 years gone, sacrificed,” Cornell said. “I’m not sure people really understand or feel that depth of the sacrifice when somebody’s gone.”

New for this year’s ceremony is a flyover at the start of the ceremony by U.S. Navy veteran Thomas McPherson who will be operating his Cessna O-2 Skymaster. Cessna produced two series of the craft, the O-2A that was used to mark enemy targets with smoke, and for intelligence operations. The O-2B carried no ordnance and instead was used for psychological warfare, by dispensing leaflets and messaging with its loudspeakers, according to the National Museum of the USAF.

The ceremony will also honor the late Fred Shinn, co-founder of the Sedona Police Volunteer Program and the Sedona Police Field Support Unit, who died April 5, with a flag presentation to his partner, Terrie Frankel, and his children.

“Fred was a Michigan State University graduate, participating in ROTC and completing Officers Training School at Fort Riley,” a U.S. Army installation in Kansas, his SAVCO bio reads. “He served as an Army captain in Laos from 1960 to 1964, gaining combat experience. After his time in Vietnam, Fred earned a master’s degree in finance from Dartmouth College and began a notable career at the Aluminum Company of America, eventually leading its international finance division.”

Memorial Day Events

• The Sedona Elks Lodge located at 110 Airport Road is hosting its annual Memorial Day BBQ on Monday, May 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meal is $15 and the menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, coleslaw, beans and a dessert. Javelina Highway is playing live music from noon to 3 p.m.
• American Legion Post & Auxiliary 135 in Cornville hosts its 15th annual Memorial Day event Saturday, May 23, at 11 a.m. at 11350 E. Cornville Road, featuring keynote speaker retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert W. Hall, bagpipe performances and refreshments — all free and open to the public. For more information about the Cornville service, contact Jeri Strande at 602-935-1936.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6739 in Camp Verde is hosting its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the Middle Verde Cemetery on Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m. For more information about the Camp Verde service, call 928-567-4642.