Capt. John Walton, commander of B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial), delivers the Independence Day proclamation to Rick Mueller, mayor of Sierra Vista. Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista and the Sierra Vista Rotary Club hosted the annual festivities on July 4, 2022, at Veterans Memorial Park and city sports complex, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Fort Huachuca's Select Honor Guard fires a canon salute to honor each state in the union. Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista and the Sierra Vista Rotary Club hosted the annual festivities on July 4, 2022, at Veterans Memorial Park and city sports complex, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Fort Huachuca's Select Honor Guard presents the colors at the Independence Day ceremony July 4 at Centennial Pavilion. Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista and the Sierra Vista Rotary Club hosted the annual festivities on July 4, 2022, at Veterans Memorial Park and city sports complex, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Pfc. Derek Derboghossian, canine handler for 483rd Military Working Dog Detachment is apprehended by MWD Edo during a demonstration July 4. Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista and the Sierra Vista Rotary Club hosted the annual festivities on July 4, 2022, at Veterans Memorial Park and city sports complex, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

A static display accompanies the B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) riding demonstrations during the Independence Day celebration. Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista and the Sierra Vista Rotary Club hosted the annual festivities on July 4, 2022, at Veterans Memorial Park and city sports complex, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. -- Fort Huachuca and the City of Sierra Vista joined the Sierra Vista Rotary Club in the annual Independence Day festivities on July 4 at Veterans Memorial Park and the city sports complex fields.

Several of the fort’s organizations contributed to the day of patriotic activities.

Capt. John Walton, commander of B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial), delivered the July 4th celebration proclamation to Sierra Vista Mayor Rick Mueller kicking off the Salute to the Union ceremony.

Mueller took to the podium and read the proclamation aloud.

"It is my honor and privilege as the mayor of the City of Sierra Vista to offer the following proclamation on behalf of the good citizens of Sierra Vista," Mueller remarked. "On July 4, 1776, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence making it the most important of all days to the people of the United States of America."

Mueller said the words transcribed on the Declaration of Independence continue to be the ideals of the nation.

"In a nation created of people of different languages, national origins, economic status and religions, Americans find true unity in the principles of our founding fathers," he continued.

"The principles of truth, justice, freedom and the rights of all our citizens to pursue their dreams and aspirations."

Guest speaker, Maj. Gen. Christopher Eubank, commanding general of Network Enterprise Technology Command, read the name of each state and the date it entered the union during the ceremony at Centennial Pavilion while Fort Huachuca's Select Honor Guard manned a battery of five cannons.

"We fired off artillery rounds as a salute to each state of the union," said 1st Sgt. Joseph Schmidt, Headquarters & Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison.

Additional units from Fort Huachuca manned static displays and demonstrated their unique missions.

Members of B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) set up an encampment and performed demonstrations over jumps using the saber on horseback.

Soldiers from the 483rd Military Working Dog Detachment displayed equipment used in police canine training and demonstrated MWD capabilities.

"We are showing the public how the MP dog handlers at the Military Working Dog Detachment conduct operations," said Pfc. Derek Derboghossian, MWD handler.

While wearing a training sleeve, Derboghossian assumes the role of a fleeing suspect and runs away from fellow MWD handler, Spc. Shawn Buie, during a demonstration. Buie commands his partner, Edo, a male MWD, to apprehend. Edo locks on Derboghossian's training sleeve, pulling him to a stop.

Buie describes a few items in the static display, including a leather muzzle and a medium-size Kong ball.

"These are tools we use to train the dogs," Buie said. "The leather muzzle is an aggression muzzle and makes the dogs' training sessions safe."

The dog is rewarded with a Kong ball when performing correctly, he added.

Displays, vendors and crowds of people carrying their lawn-chairs searching for a bit of shade filled the park.

"We are here to support the businesses and organizations that made this event possible," said Kayla Raker.

Raker's four children, husband, parents and two dogs found a shady spot during the ceremony and planned to enjoy the all of the holiday activities, including the evening fireworks display.

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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.

Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.

We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.