Guardians of the Promise: Honoring 250 Years of Valor This Veterans Day
There is a wall on a mountain above San Diego where nearly 10,000 veterans look out over the Pacific.
Their names are carved into granite. Their service records are preserved. Their faces look back at you from photographs taken long before you knew their names. Each plaque tells a full story: a life before the uniform, a commitment freely made, and the family that loved them and made sure they would never be forgotten.
This is Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial. And this Veterans Day, we are gathering on the mountain to honor all of them.
Join Us: The 2026 Veterans Day Ceremony
On Saturday, November 7, 2026, we invite the San Diego community and veterans supporters from across the country to join us for Guardians of the Promise: The 250-Year Unbroken Line, the annual Veterans Day Ceremony at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.
The ceremony begins at 11:00 AM and is free and open to all.
The program will feature remarks from distinguished speakers, patriotic music, and a tribute to the living veterans, active-duty service members, and military families who carry the unbroken line of American service forward today. Guests are welcome to walk the walls before and after the ceremony, where nearly 10,000 plaques tell the stories of those who served across every era of American history.
Following the ceremony, join us on the west lawn for The Guardians’ Gathering, a community celebration featuring live music by Full Strength, refreshments, and the company of people who believe that freedom is worth celebrating and those who secured it are worth remembering.
The ceremony is fully open to the public. No tickets required. Complimentary off-site parking is available at the San Diego French American School and Mt. Soledad Presbyterian Church on Soledad Mountain Road. The Old Town Trolley will be available at both locations to transport guests up to the Memorial.
Why This Year Is Different
Veterans Day is observed every year. But 2026 carries something that won’t come around again.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Two and a half centuries since the first Americans made the choice to stand for something larger than themselves. And in the years since, generation after generation has made that same choice, in wars and conflicts across the globe, in service to a promise that has never been fully finished and never been abandoned.
The men and women on our walls represent that unbroken line in the most literal sense. They served in the Revolutionary War era and the Civil War, in the World Wars and Korea and Vietnam, in the Gulf and in the long campaigns of the 21st century. They came from every background, every branch, every corner of this country.
This Veterans Day, we honor all of them together.
How to Honor a Veteran Who Belongs on This Mountain
The ceremony is one day. The memorial is forever.
If there is a veteran in your life whose story deserves a permanent home on these walls, there are several ways to make that tribute lasting. And with the 250th anniversary year ending on December 31, 2026, this is a meaningful moment to act.
Dedicate a Granite Plaque →Add the 250th Anniversary Gold Medallion
A plaque at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial is unlike any other tribute you’ll find. Each one is laser-engraved into a granite panel on our iconic walls and carries a portrait photo, a branch of service emblem, the veteran’s name and service record, and a personal tribute written by their family.
And now, for the first and only time, we are offering a special engraved gold medallion add-on to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States. The medallion is a commemorative distinction available as part of a new plaque dedication. Whether your veteran served 50 years ago or 5, their story belongs here.
This offer closes December 31, 2026. Once the year ends, it is gone.
More Ways to Be Part of This Mission
If you want to stay connected beyond the ceremony, there are a few ways to do that. The 1776 Charter Membership, available for just $17.76 a month, helps keep this memorial standing and new plaques going up for the next generation. For businesses and organizations, sponsorship opportunities for the 2026 Veterans Day Ceremony are still available — a meaningful way to put your name alongside one of San Diego’s most significant patriotic events. And if you have ever wanted to give your time to something that genuinely matters, our volunteer program welcomes individuals, companies, military commands, and community groups year-round.
Become a 1776 Charter Member→
Explore Sponsorship→
Get Involved→
We Hope to See You on the Mountain
Veterans Day is a reminder. A reminder that freedom has a cost, that the cost has been paid in full by real people with real names and real faces, and that the least we can do is remember them.
At Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, we do not just remember them on one day a year. But on November 7, we come together to say it out loud, as one community, on the mountain above San Diego where nearly 10,000 of those guardians are still watching over us.
Come stand with us.
Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 11:00 AM | Free and open to all
Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, La Jolla, California
Honor. Above All.
