Miramar Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony

Miramar National Cemetery will hold its 15th annual Memorial Day ceremony on Sunday, May 24, with a formal public program beginning at 1 p.m. at the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater. The event is free and open to the public, according to the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Organizers say the 2026 theme is “America 250: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice.” The ceremony is scheduled at the cemetery at 5795 Nobel Drive in San Diego. ### When and where is the ceremony? Sunday, May 24, is the date listed for the Miramar observance, with the program running from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., according to the support foundation’s event page and a VA roundup of Memorial Day events nationwide. The ceremony will be held at Miramar National Cemetery, a 313-acre national cemetery in San Diego managed by the National Cemetery Administration. The Memorial Amphitheater is the listed venue for the ceremony. University City News reported the program will be held in the newly dedicated and renovated amphitheater on cemetery grounds. ### What is planned for the event? The Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation says the ceremony is intended to honor and remember U.S. service members who died in military service. The foundation’s event listing says the program will recognize “over 1.2 million American men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country.” The 2026 theme, “America 250: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice,” links the observance to the broader national commemoration ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. Organizers have framed the Miramar program as part of that remembrance. ### Who is scheduled to speak? Retired Navy Capt. Steve “Shep” Shepard is the keynote speaker, according to the support foundation’s homepage and a Fox 5 San Diego segment previewing the ceremony. Fox 5 identified Patrick McGrath, president and chief executive of the National Cemetery Support Foundation, as a guest discussing the event. The support foundation’s website says Shepard served 31 years in the Navy. The site identifies him as the featured speaker for the May 24 program. ### How does this fit into the federal Memorial Day schedule? The Department of Veterans Affairs said this week that it will host public Memorial Day commemoration ceremonies at 129 national cemeteries over Memorial Day weekend. Miramar’s observance is included on the VA’s 2026 Memorial Day listing as a May 24 event from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The VA says visitors should confirm ceremony details with the cemetery because dates and times can change. Miramar National Cemetery is one of the federal sites participating in the national observance schedule this year. ### What should visitors know before going? Miramar National Cemetery is located on Nobel Drive between Miramar Road and Interstate 805, according to the National Cemetery Administration’s cemetery page. The cemetery is about 15 miles north of downtown San Diego and sits at the northwest corner of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the VA says. The event is described as open to the public and free to attend. Organizers direct visitors seeking updates or additional information to the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation. May 24 at 1 p.m. is the next scheduled milestone for the ceremony, with retired Capt. Shepard set to deliver the keynote at the Memorial Amphitheater. The VA’s Memorial Day listing and the support foundation’s event page remain the posted sources for timing and event details. (miramarcemetery.org)