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Arizona soldiers to join in mass military formation at Sun Devil Stadium, Dec. 7


Ray Anderson speaking at press conference
November 19, 2014

Sun Devil Stadium will serve as the site of a mass military formation when Arizona’s soldiers and airmen and women are honored for their service on Dec. 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The event will honor the state’s military personnel and their families for their sacrifice during the last 13 years of conflict, as well as the state’s veteran and military support community. Immediately following the muster that starts at 11 a.m., Dec. 7, is the Arizona National Guard community open house.

Featured at the Arizona National Guard Muster and Community Expo will be Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, Arizona Adjutant General.

“I am proud of each soldier and airman who voluntarily serves our state and nation, and the time has come to recognize them,” McGuire said.

Ray Anderson, Sun Devil Athletics director and university vice president, said the university is honored to host the event.

“As a university, we are recognized as one of the most military and veteran friendly universities in the country. We are very proud of that,” he said. “To engage and partner with the National Guard is an absolute pleasure, honor and privilege for us.”

Arizona State University has been named a “Military Friendly School” for six consecutive years by G.I. Jobs Magazine. The university also supports veterans and active-duty personnel by: awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees to students using GI Bill benefits since the program's rollout in 2009; opening the Pat Tillman Veterans Center in fall 2011; and expanding services to support a military, veteran and dependent population that has grown to more than 4,400 students. The university partners with the Pat Tillman Foundation in support of the Tillman Military Scholars program, which provides scholarships for active and veteran service members as well as their spouses.

ASU recently celebrated our nation’s military on all four campuses through Salute to Service with a variety of events that honored servicewomen and men. The university is ranked No. 2 as a "Best College for Veterans" by College Factual, a listing of the best colleges and universities for veterans nationwide. ASU’s veteran center is also home to VetSuccess on Campus, one of the original eight institutions selected to pilot this joint program with the VA.

Students, faculty, staff and the general public are welcome to attend the free military muster, and stadium gates will open to the general public at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony, a guard tradition dating back to the first muster of the colonial militia in 1636, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to noon, and will be followed by the community expo adjacent to the stadium from noon to 4 p.m. featuring more than 180 vendors, live entertainment, food, attractions, children’s activities, information booths, a job fair and more.

Arizona’s Army and Air National Guard, a force of more than 7,500 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen, have supported more than 10,000 individual deployments to overseas contingency operations since Sept. 11, 2001.

For more information about the Arizona National Guard Muster and Expo, visit https://dema.az.gov/muster.