The Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society will honor two organizations and one person during its 18th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon on May 9, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix/Mesa.
AVHOFS President Pat Chupa said there are two primary reasons that the luncheon is held:
“One is to recognize non-veterans, organizations and companies that go above and beyond to help veterans and our military,” Chupa said. “The second key purpose is that we give out multiple scholarships. We give out scholarships to veterans. We’re probably going to add a scholarship this year for the spouse or children of the veteran. And we also give scholarships out to students in the Imprints of Honor Program formerly the Veterans Heritage Project.”
AVHOFS has announced the recipients of three of the awards it will be giving out. The first award is the Copper Eagle Business Award which is being given to GlobalMed.
“Their CEO is a Marine and under his leadership they have really made a difference in a lot of innovative technology which is used by the Department of Defense,” Chupa said. “They’re very big and generous supporters of the Veteran Medical Leadership Council, Returning Warriors Program and the Patriotic Award Luncheon.”
The second award, the Copper Eagle Organization Award, will be presented to Honoring America’s Veterans.
“That is the organization that does the Phoenix parade,” Chupa said. “They do Pearl Harbor Day. They put together the ceremony at the National Cemetery on Memorial Day. Their whole mission is honoring veterans, honoring the military, honoring their service and so we wanted to honor them.”
The third award, which will be given to Mike Broomhead, is the Copper Sword Award. Broomhead is not a veteran, but his brother, Tom, who was killed in Iraq in 2003 and since then he has been very involved in the Arizona veterans community.
“He is always out there at events and fundraisers trying to help raise money for organizations,” Chupa said. “He is a true example of a non-veteran who is going above and beyond … in part because of his brother’s death and wanting to memorialize him.”
Chupa noted the AVHOFS is finalizing its keynote speaker which in the past has included Medal of Honor recipients, POWs and veterans who have served in several wars.
“We’re looking for someone who has a great story that will resonate and connect with the audience,” Chupa said.
The Unified Arizona Veterans, an organization founded in 1981 that serves as the “voice of Arizona veterans,” will also be presenting several Copper awards and scholarships at the luncheon to be announced later this month. Chupa noted the AVHOFS and Unified Arizona Veterans will also be posting soon on their web channels about their scholarships and someone can be nominated for a scholarship.
Tickets for the 18th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon will be available in January.
“Recognizing [the recipients] is meant to send a thank you from veterans for all that they do,” Chupa said.
