This year’s ceremony at Mt Soledad commemorated the service of Cpl Patrick “Bob” Gallagher with remarks from many about his bravery.
The largest crowd yet assembled May 25 atop La Jolla for the Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial Association’s annual Memorial Day ceremony, which this year honored Marine Cpl Patrick “Bob” Gallagher, an Irish immigrant killed during the Vietnam War.
Along with remarks from Gallagher’s sister, Pauline Gallagher, the traditional ceremony included words from civic and military leaders, a “Missing Man” flyover by San Diego Salute Aerial Formation Team, Marine rifle detail and more.
The Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial Association, which oversees the Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial, has also chosen the theme of “250 Years of Valor: Etched in Stone” to align with the US semiquincentennial, an “extraordinary milestone in our nation’s history,” said association Executive Director Neil O’Connell.
The memorial, with its nearly 7,000 black granite plaques honoring veterans from all wars and branches of military service, “provides for a moment of solace and solitude to remember those who answered the call to defend freedom,” he said.
Cpl Gallagher was one such courageous service member, O’Connell said, earning the Navy Cross for valor after immigrating from Ireland and enlisting to serve in the Vietnam War.
Gallagher “chose the path of bravery and sacrifice and put himself in harm’s way to help,” his youngest sister, Pauline, said, noting her brother left for Vietnam from San Diego and his memory is inextricably linked to this city.
Cpl Gallagher’s “life reminds us that immigrants have long strengthened our country, served our country in uniform, and in many cases died while defending our freedom,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who then proclaimed May 25, 2026 to be “Corporal Patrick Gallagher Day” throughout the city.
Cpl Gallagher’s sacrifice “is why Memorial Day matters,” said keynote speaker Marine Brig Gen David Hyman, “because sacrifice like that can never simply become another date on the calendar. It must remain personal [and] visible forever.”
A US Navy guided missile destroyer is being commissioned the USS Patrick Gallagher in his honor.
“Memorial Day asks us to remember those who ran toward danger when others needed them the most, and that kind of courage still lives amongst us today,” Gloria said. “That’s why places like Mount Soledad matter so very much. This is where San Diego comes to remember that freedom has always carried a high price, and that every generation has a responsibility to carry those stories forward today.”
“Memorial Day reminds us that peace is never accidental, it is protected,” Hyman said. “It is inherited, and for generations of Americans it was paid for.”
O’Connell urged those in attendance to “renew our commitment to these wonderful individuals, and let’s live the lives that they would expect us to live.”
