{"id":44763,"date":"2025-11-09T01:48:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T01:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/44763\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T01:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T01:48:13","slug":"how-the-government-shutdown-reshaped-veterans-day-ceremony-at-mt-soledad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/44763\/","title":{"rendered":"How the government shutdown reshaped Veterans Day ceremony at Mt. Soledad"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ongoing government shutdown, the longest in history, is impacting airports, food benefits and federal offices.<\/p>\n

The annual Veterans Day ceremony at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial wasn\u2019t spared either.<\/p>\n

A cessation of many federal activities and the furlough of federal staff prevented many familiar sights from happening during Saturday\u2019s ceremony at the\u00a0memorial, which marked the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marines Corps.<\/p>\n

The energetic snare drum pulse and melodies of John Philip Sousa, typically the territory of Marine Band San Diego at Mt. Soledad events, were handled by La Jolla High School music students.<\/p>\n

\"DuringVeterans stood to be recognized for their military service During the Veterans Day ceremony at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial on Saturday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

The ensemble had a month to learn marches that were at a new level for the students, said Richard LeGerrette, a teacher at the school who directed the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were a little wide-eyed at the beginning,\u201d LeGerrette said. \u201cHere\u2019s a bunch of material that you guys got to learn real quick. They tackled it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another pinch hit, for color guard duties, came from the NJROTC at Canyon Hills High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the same events that we usually do,\u201d said Jorge Alatorre, a junior at the school who\u2019s the commander of the unit. \u201cIt was definitely different, but we were very honored to have the opportunity to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

But plenty of the sentiment and sights that mark events at Mt. Soledad remained the same Saturday.<\/p>\n

The plush contrails of a military flyover. Veterans and their loved ones seated at the mountain\u2019s beautiful vista. Speeches marked by a deep reverence for how the military has served and shaped the United States.<\/p>\n

This Veterans Day in San Diego coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marine Corps, two institutions long intertwined with the fabric and people of the city.<\/p>\n

That history<\/a> dates back to 1846 amid the Mexican-American War.<\/p>\n

\"ImmediatelyImmediately following the Veterans Day ceremony at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, Katheryn Anthony of La Jolla enjoyed walking and taking photos of the memorial. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Marines landed in San Diego to take the city, and for the first time, plunged the American flag into ground that is now Old Town. Months later, Marines fought Mexican forces at the Battle of San Pasqual near Escondido.<\/p>\n

By the early 20th century, the Marines and the Navy, through recruiting depots, air stations, ships and more, established what has become a lasting presence in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeaders from both parties have advocated for infrastructure, protected jobs and honored veterans, ensuring San Diego remains not just a training ground, but a permanent home for those who served,\u201d Retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Paul Lebidine told the ceremony\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n

Other remarks captured the diverse experience of what it means to serve.<\/p>\n

Lebidine recounted an appearance made by comedian George Gobel on \u201cThe Tonight Show\u201d in the 1960s. After getting laughed at by the audience when he said he was stationed in Oklahoma during World War II, Gobel quipped, \u201cremember, not one Japanese aircraft got past Tulsa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis humor carried a more profound truth,\u201d Lebidine said. \u201cEvery role and responsibility in military service matters. Whether walking point, maintaining vehicles, serving food or providing administration, each contribution strengthens the mission and safeguards the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

For retired Marine Corps Capt. Jim Wheyland, named Veteran of the Year by the memorial\u2019s association, the history of San Diego and the military are seared into his early life.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Julian, his family owned a tourist camp of cabins. During World War II, young men stayed in their cabins on their way west for deployment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that was the last time a lot of them saw the continental United States,\u201d Wheyland said. \u201cThat stuck with me, and it was one of the reasons that inspired me to join the military.\u201d<\/p>\n

From western outpost to Navy Town, USA, San Diego\u2019s history is tightly woven with the military\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The ongoing government shutdown, the longest in history, is impacting airports, food benefits and federal offices. The annual…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7,23,74,84,76,75,1696],"class_list":["post-44763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-california","tag-local-news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-top-stories-sdut"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}