15th Annual
Memorial Day Ceremony
Sunday, May 24, 2026 (1 p.m.)

America 250: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice
Please join us for the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation’s 15th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Miramar National Cemetery. The event is open to the public and free to attend.
The keynote speaker is Captain Steve “Shep” Shepard, U.S. Navy (Ret.). CAPT Shepard spent 31 years in senior leadership and executive-level roles worldwide and in the United States. As a career intelligence officer, his assignments included sea and shore duty in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Central America. He completed eight overseas deployments and served on seven different aircraft carriers during peace, crisis, counter-piracy, and combat operations.
CAPT Shepard has a diverse career including leadership assignments in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as a Vietnam POW/MIA Analyst, helping resolve the status of missing servicemen from the Vietnam conflict. During his assignment to the U.S. European Command, he ran a Commander’s Action Group and served as a speechwriter for international, military, and host-nation events. While at the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters, he ran the Fleet Intelligence Watch and served as Chief of Targets for Joint Task Force 519.
Following retirement, he has been a public speaker and defense consultant. CAPT Shepard currently serves as Commander of American Legion Post 35, which his grandfather helped charter after serving in the Navy during World War I. He also served as Membership Chair on the board of Naval Intelligence Professionals (NIP) and writes for NIP’s upcoming publication on the 150-year history of naval intelligence. He remains active in the military and veteran community by volunteering with many organizations.
The ceremony will be held in the newly dedicated and renovated Memorial Amphitheater on cemetery grounds. For questions about the Memorial Day Ceremony, email: President@miramarcemetery.org