Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial will hold its annual Memorial Day Ceremony. We join others across the country to honor the fallen Americans who served in our country’s Armed Forces and recognize their service and sacrifices.

This year, Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial will pay special tribute to the Marines of the Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, call sign "Darkhorse." During the fall and winter of 2010-2011, the Marines of 3/5 fought in the Battle of Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, sustaining the highest number of casualties of any unit throughout the 10-year war. Our ceremony will commemorate those 25 Marines who selflessly gave their lives so that others may know freedom.

Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial is also proud to announce that Major General Jason L. Morris will be the keynote speaker at the Memorial Day Ceremony. Major General Morris, then a Lieutenant Colonel, was the Battalion Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Sangin. He currently serves as the Director, Operations Division, Headquarters United States Marine Corps.

The ceremony will feature broadcast journalist and former NBC correspondent Chip Reid, who was embedded with 3/5 for six weeks during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. Mr. Reid has since published "Battle Scars Twenty Years Later: 3rd Battalion 5th Marines Looks Back at the Iraq War and How it Changed Their Lives." Mr. Reid will amplify the relevance and importance of those we are honoring during our Memorial Day Ceremony.

Open To The Public

Free parking and shuttle services from Mt. Soledad Presbyterian Church and French American School