Prescott Valley’s Civic Center has a new monument to the service and sacrifice of Arizona veterans, the first of its kind in the state.
It’s being formally dedicated as the nation marks its 250th anniversary with commemorations across Greater Prescott and the rest of the United States.
It’s a 38,000-pound boulder painted with colorful images of Ira Hayes, Lori Ann Piestewa, Pat Tillman and the Navajo Code Talkers, plus the USS Arizona ship that sank at Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona submarine that’s set to debut in 2027. These tributes to Arizona icons tied to military courage are joined by the Stars and Stripes painted over one side, literally wrapping the monument in the flag.
These “Freedom Rocks” got their start in Iowa after art student Ray “Bubba” Sorenson II watched Saving Private Ryan in 1999 and was moved to find a way to honor veterans. He ended up painting a rock in his hometown that had been marred by graffiti and went on to paint one rock in each of the state’s 99 counties, plus one for Iowa’s Capitol.
Then he moved on to sites in other states, and word of his work reached Prescott Valley via Bryan De Jong, an Iowan who moved to town in 2024. He brought the idea to Mayor Kell Palguta, who brought it to the rest of the Town Council. The council donated a spot on the north side of the Civic Center downstairs from the Limitless sculpture.
A local committee including De Jong and chaired by Erin O’Hara, an Army retiree, began fundraising at the town’s Red, White and Boom event in July 2025. All donations have come from private sources, including materials and labor from eight local businesses. Sorenson painted the rock over a 10-day stretch in October, choosing to depict these icons from a longer list provided by the committee.
The boulder and concrete work around it have been completed, and a ribbon-cutting will be held 9 a.m., June 27. The committee is continuing to sell bricks to be laid around the monument to pay for a pergola and other features: for more information email freedomrockpv@gmail.com or visit the Freedom Rock – Prescott Valley Facebook page.
