The public is invited to attend the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to noon to honor American and South Korean veterans who served in the Korean War.
The free event is being held just prior to the national Veterans Day holiday on Monday, Nov. 11. The hour-long ceremony will be held at the mountaintop cross in Soledad Natural Park, 6905 La Jolla Scenic Drive at Via Capri. The ceremony honors all who served in the Korean War, also known as the “Forgotten War,” from 1950 to 1953.
The event’s keynote speaker will be Maj. Gen. Mark MacCarley (U.S. Army Reserve, Ret.), who was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1983 and retired in 2015 as the deputy chief of staff for the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. The event emcee will be San Diego weather reporter Brad Wills. A passionate advocate for military and veteran causes, he actively supports local military/veterans both on and off the air.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association. Since its dedication in April 1954, the association has been committed to preserving the memory and legacy of our veterans’ service and sacrifice. To honor both the living and the deceased, the Association has created more than 6,600 individual veteran tributes on black granite plaques, mounted on 18 curved walls. These plaques serve as a lasting tribute to our military veterans.
Free parking for the Veterans Day ceremony will be available at the Mount Soledad Presbyterian Church and the French American School. More details can be found at veteransdaylive.org.
BEING A VETERAN IN THEIR OWN WORDS
La Jolla Village News reached out to three local veterans to talk about what it means to serve, and what this special day of the year, Veterans Day, means to them. Here’s what they had to say:
“Having served in the United States Marine Corps from 1993 to 1997, I look back on my service with a profound sense of honor and respect for the ideals and history that the Corps embodies. No one who joins the Marine Corps can truly grasp just how much this decision will change their life. When I first enlisted, I didn’t yet understand my first step onto those yellow footprints was my first step into a proud legacy — a legacy built on resilience, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to serve with honor.
“The Marine Corps’ values — Honor, Courage, and Commitment — are more than just words; they became guiding principles that still steer me today. Through training and service, these values became part of who I am. The Marine Corps has shaped the way I approached challenges then and continues to shape the way I approach life now. Every Marine understands that when we earn the title, we become part of something larger than ourselves, a family bound by tradition, purpose, and an unbreakable bond.
“We leave our time in the Corps knowing we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the best our nation has to offer, and this experience molds us into people with a lifelong commitment to duty, honor, and country.”
– Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful), Billy Ramirez, USMC, 1993–1997.
“There’s so much on the spectrum of being a ‘veteran.’ I was 18 and it just seemed like a great thing to do. I was born and raised in downstate Illinois and wanted to go somewhere. The Navy certainly fit that bill. “Join the Navy, see the world.” Anyway, I had a great time! I’m pretty sure I never got shot at, though, I did fly south of the 32nd parallel over Iraq in 1992.
“The other “spectrum” of veterans that I occasionally talk about is my father and my uncle. Both WWII vets but on either side of the spectrum. My 1LT Uncle Malvin landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, and was part of the occupation of Germany. My father, being in a protected industry, stayed out until my uncle was wounded and then joined the Navy. He never deployed and was stationed on a ship in Jacksonville, Fla. I’m not sure two brothers could have been farther apart on that spectrum. So, yes, being a veteran is all well and good that you served, but there’s a wide range of service.” – Norm Walker, U.S. Navy veteran 1978 to 1993.
“Veterans Day is a powerful reminder of the courage and sacrifice shown by those who have served in the military. Observing this day prompts us to reflect on the diverse stories of veterans — each one a testament to resilience, duty, and love for their country. Unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who have fallen, Veterans Day recognizes all who have served, reminding us of the sacrifices made both on the battlefield and beyond.
“For someone whose family has served the country since before its founding, being a veteran carries an especially profound sense of pride, rooted deeply in tradition and legacy. Serving is more than a personal duty; it’s an inherited commitment, woven into the very fabric of family history. Each generation has answered the call to protect and uphold the values of freedom and justice, shaping the nation from its earliest days.
“Carrying this legacy forward means standing on the shoulders of ancestors who sacrificed and persevered, and each act of service feels like a tribute to those who came before. For such a veteran, pride comes not only from their achievements but from being part of a lineage dedicated to the nation’s ideals, making their service both a personal honor and a family responsibility.” – Jonathan Owens.
HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY
Veterans Day is a U.S. federal holiday observed annually on Nov. 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Services who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. It marks the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of WWI were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May, as it celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. Memorial Day only honors those who have died while in military service.
While the holiday is commonly printed as Veteran’s Day or Veterans’ Day, the official spelling is with no apostrophe “because it is not a day that ‘belongs’ to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.”
Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial — Considered one of the nation’s most unique veterans memorials, Mt. Soledad is the only memorial honoring veterans, living or deceased, from the Revolutionary War to both world wars and even the current war on terror. The memorial has stood since 1954. It has gone through many trials to be what it is today — a beacon of freedom.
Mt. Soledad veterans have the unique duty to create plaques for all military people — living or deceased — so that all members of the armed forces can be thanked for their service. Every military plaque on walls surrounding the cross monument lists each veteran’s or service person’s accomplishments during their term.
Soledad Natural Park is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The memorial is readily accessible. Visitors are invited to walk along the 11 walls view the individual veterans’ plaques and climb the brick steps up to the cross. There are a few parking spaces surrounding the Memorial and portable restroom facilities are located adjacent to it. The memorial features 360-degree panoramic views encompassing the Pacific Ocean to the west, coastal cities to the north, mountains to the east, and Downtown San Diego and beyond to the south.
Korean War – Over 2.5 million people lost their lives in this war between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The war reached international proportions in June 1950 when North Korea, supplied and advised by the Soviet Union, invaded the South. The United Nations, with the U.S. as the principal participant, joined the war on the side of the South Koreans, and the People’s Republic of China came to North Korea’s aid. The fighting ended in July 1953 with Korea still divided into two hostile states. Negotiations in 1954 produced no further agreement, and the frontline has been accepted ever since as the de facto boundary between North and South Korea.
