If you’d like to avoid being on the road this holiday, consider staying in town and attending one of several ceremonies to honor and remember those who have served our country during wartime.
The Presidio‘s annual commemoration includes a parade of the 191st Army Band, veterans’ organizations, and distinguished guests. It starts at 10:30, Monday, May 27 at the Main Post (near Sheridan and Lincoln Streets) and ends at the San Francisco National Cemetery. An 11 a.m. ceremony follows, which will pay tribute to World War II and Korean War veterans, and features remarks by military and civilian dignitaries and live music. The program will end at noon with a 21-gun salute by the U.S. Army’s 75th Pacific Division. (415-561-5300, www.presidio.gov).
A commemoration at noon on Sunday, May 26 will be held at the USS San Francisco Memorial Park near Land’s End. The battle cruiser, built at Mare Island, returned to port safely after sustaining significant damage, injury and loss of crew in the Battle of Guadalcanal. The ceremony in the memorial park that features parts of its shell-ridden hull will remember those killed and acknowledge the remaining survivors, now in their 90s, some of whom will attend. Complimentary coffee and homemade cookies will be available (two blocks north of 48th Avenue & Point Lobos, 415-334-0263, www.usssanfrancisco.org).
The submarine USS Pompanito at Fisherman’s Wharf on Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. will honor submariners lost at sea by hosting a lost boat ceremony bell tolling for the 52 submarines who did not return home during World War II (Pier 45 at Taylor, 415-775-1943, www.maritime.org).
— L. Majer
photo: Courtesy of the Presidio Trust
