Veterans Day 2021

9/11 Heroes Honored In Veterans Day 2021 Video Program

Speakers include
Navy Officer Who Survived Pentagon Attack;
SDFD Fire Chief Who Led Search/Rescue Team at Twin Towers

(Nov. 5, 2021) If then-Navy Lt. Christopher Ludmer of San Diego had been in his usual office at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, he would have been in the exact spot where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon.

Assistant Fire Chief John Wood led a San Diego Fire Department Fire-Rescue Team that spent two weeks on the Twin Towers rubble pile helping local first responders in …

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WWII Veterans Interred

An Army honor guard conducts a flag-folding ceremony during the committal service for former Army Lt. George Key.

Two Notable WWII Veterans Now at Rest at Miramar National Cemetery

Fought in Key Battles in the Pacific and in Europe

(Sept. 27, 2021) Two World War II veterans with remarkable backgrounds—a Marine officer who fought on Iwo Jima, and an Army officer with an historic ancestor—were buried in September at Miramar National Cemetery, and now lie at rest among their fellow veterans.

Retired Marine Colonel Dave E. Severance, 102, was buried at Miramar on Sept. 15. As a young captain, he …

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POW Monument Anniversary

Ex-POWs, from left, Jim Kell, Tom Crosby, and Larry Strickland. USS Pueblo crewmen Kell and Strickland were held in North Korea after their ship was captured. Crosby was eight years old when he and his family were interned in a Philippines prison camp by the Japanese.

American Ex-POWs Remember the Hardships of Captivity  

10th Anniversary of POW Monument at Miramar National Cemetery

(Sept. 9, 2021) It was only a small group of ex-prisoners of war who were left to attend the 10th anniversary of the POW monument at Miramar National Cemetery. The black POW flag, flying above the statue of …

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Bob Baker Obituary

Bob Baker, San Diego Businessman, Veteran, Patriot, and Philanthropist Died Sept. 5

(Sept. 8, 2021) Bob Baker, well-known San Diego businessman, veteran, patriot and philanthropist—and major benefactor of the Support Foundation—died Sunday at his home in Rancho Santa Fe. He would have been 90 years old on October 1.

An Army veteran of the Korean War, Baker fought with the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division at the crucial Battle of Outpost Harry in June 1953. The outpost was a strategic position on a tiny hilltop on the direct route to the South Korean capital of Seoul, some 60 miles …

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POW Statue

“The Liberation Moment” by Richard Becker

American Ex-POWS to Mark 10th Anniversary of POW Statue

‘The Liberation Moment’ is a major feature of Miramar National Cemetery

(09/03/2021) The American Ex-Prisoners of War (AXPOW), San Diego Chapter 1, will honor America’s ex-prisoners of war and commemorate the tenth anniversary of the POW statue entitled “The Liberation Moment” during a ceremony set for 11:30 a.m., Thursday, 9 September 2021, at Miramar National Cemetery. 

The event is open to the public. Guests attending will be required to wear a mask in outdoor shared spaces when physical distancing cannot be maintained for unvaccinated individuals, …

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UDT/SEAL Monument

Captain (SEAL) Todd Perry said the monument “is primarily dedicated to our active duty teammates killed in action or training.”

UDT/SEAL Monument Dedicated at Miramar National Cemetery

(Click here for KFMB, Ch. 8, report by Reporter Steve Fiorina.)

(27 August 2021) Navy Special Operations veterans and guests gathered at Miramar National Cemetery, today, to dedicate a first-in-the nation monument to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in service to their country as members of UDT/SEAL teams and support units.

Featured speaker Captain (SEAL) Todd Perry, commanding officer of the Center for SEAL and Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crew …

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Stu Hedley

Pearl Harbor Survivor Stu Hedley Dies at Age 99

Told the story of WWII attack to thousands over the years

(6 Aug. 2021) Stu Hedley, who survived the sinking of the USS West Virginia (BB-48) during the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, died 4 August 2021 at age 99. He was a victim of COVID 19.

Over the years, Hedley estimated he told the story of the “Day of Infamy” to more than 200,000 people—many of them school children. In May, he estimated that fewer than 100 Pearl Harbor survivors were still alive. 

The death toll from the …

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Carillon Back in Service

Veterans Carillon back in service at
Miramar National Cemetery

After being out of service for several months, the Veterans Tribute Tower & Carillon bell is once again marking the hour. The Carillon also plays patriotic music throughout the day.

Contractors have completed repairs of the electrical system, and the Carillon music system has been reprogrammed.

Here is the daily music schedule:

0700          National Anthem

0830          U.S. Marine Corps Hymn

1210          Amazing Grace

1430          Patriotic random selections

1510          America the Beautiful

1610 …

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Richard Sells Retires

Richard T. Sells, Foundation’s last original Board member, retires after 17 years

Richard T. Sells, who played a key role in the location of a second Veterans Administration cemetery in San Diego, is retiring after 17 years as a founding member, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation.

During his tenure on the Support Foundation, Sells, 82, has been responsible for the organization’s financial stability. He also has overseen funding for construction and maintenance of the Avenue of Flags, a display of 50 American flags along the cemetery’s main street, and for the Veterans Tribute Tower …

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Memorial Day 2021

Memorial Day Video Program to Honor Military, VA Nurses

Speakers include Chief of U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps, Miramar Young Marines Leader, Cemetery Director

Military nurses who care for members of America’s fighting forces in wartime, and the Veterans Administration nurses who continue that care following the members’ service, deserve recognition and appreciation from the nation for their dedication and personal sacrifice, Memorial Day speakers will declare during an program to be posted on-line May 27. 

The Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation will sponsor the 30-minute program, whose theme is, “Dear to my Heart.” The program will be available at …

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COVID-19 Measures: A message from Greta Hamilton, Director, Fort Rosecrans and Miramar National Cemeteries

We have come through a difficult time, but as a nation we continue to see improvements in our battle against COVID -19. As a result of the critical gains achieved in San Diego County:

Miramar National Cemetery committal service attendance capacity is increased from 35 to 50 individuals inside the committal shelter. An additional 50 members may socially distance around the committal shelter in designated areas.    Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery committal service attendance capacity is increased from 10 to 15 individuals total. The 15 attendees is inclusive of individuals…

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Grounds Work at Miramar National Cemetery Will Improve Appearance, Reduce Maintenance

Bare earth is revealed in the Flag Assembly Area as one stage of a turf replacement project taking
place throughout the cemetery.

Miramar National Cemetery is replacing turf throughout the cemetery to improve appearance and reduce overall maintenance cost. All grass surfaces will be impacted. The project is expected to be complete by August 2021.

“Please pardon the appearance,” said Greta Hamilton, the cemetery director of Miramar and Fort Rosecrans National Cemeteries. “The cemetery will not be up to our National Shrine Standards while we’re going through the turf …

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Greta Hamilton

Air Force Veteran Greta L. Hamilton is New Director at Fort Rosecrans and
Miramar National Cemeteries

Greta L. Hamilton, a retired U.S. Air Force officer, has assumed duties as director of the Fort Rosecrans and Miramar National Cemeteries. Most recently director of the Omaha National Cemetery Complex, she took up her post in San Diego in March.

As Director of San Diego’s Veterans Administration cemeteries, Hamilton is responsible for all burials, maintenance, and administrative operations at Fort Rosecrans and Miramar. In one of her earlier assignments, she was Assistant Director at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, Calif.

“We’re …

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New Foundation President & CEO Sallay Kim

  Army Veteran C. Sallay Kim New President & CEO of Support Foundation

C. Sallay Kim, retired Army intelligence officer and San Diego entrepreneur, has been elected to lead the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation as President and CEO. Kim is the owner of Serenity Event Solutions, a firm that plans and manages conferences and events in Southern California.

The Support Foundation raises funds to construct such projects as the Avenue of Flags and the Veterans Tribute Tower & Carillon, and coordinates with local veterans’ groups to place memorials in the cemetery. It currently …

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