In a region that features endless beautiful views, the one from atop Mount Soledad stands out. Three-hundred-sixty degrees across a large swath of San Diego county pairs with a vista of the Pacific Ocean to create a very special place.
“We strive on a daily basis to project this memorial as the most pristine veterans memorial in the United States,” said Neil O’Connell, the executive director of the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association. The group runs and cares for the half-acre memorial. It’s surrounded by the 170 acre Mt. Soledad Natural Park, owned by the city of San Diego.
“So when folks come here, to the tune of about 350,000 visitors a year to the memorial, they will come in here and view a memorial unlike anything they’ve seen anywhere,” O’Connell said.
The memorial has changed a lot over the years since it was dedicated in 1954. For decades, it was just the cross at the peak of Mt. Soledad. And there were challenges to that cross being there which involved decades of litigation.
“The whole entire case took forever - it really was about 26 years. And, it held our hands for quite a bit of the while because we couldn’t develop the memorial,” said O’Connell.
Over the years, the Mt. Soledad land has been owned by both the Navy and the City of San Diego. The litigious chapter finally ended in 2015 when the memorial association bought the land from the Defense Department. Before that, work began on the walls which host the plaques.
O’Connell said the organization started getting serious about the plaques back in 2000. “We said listen folks, we have an opportunity here to take this to the next level. So henceforth, we built six walls and we started up with the plaque project.”
The walls are finished in a black granite.
“This granite, 3 centimeters - it is the same exact granite that’s on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. It’s polished on a regular basis… The plaques are about a quarter inch thick and there’s somewhat of a standard appearance to these, with the look of a photo, the layout and the individual’s awards - decorations.”
There are currently about 7,800 plaques - and room for about a thousand more, each of them with glimpses into the unique stories of some extraordinary people; some known only to family and friends.
“Look at this. Navy Cross, Bronze Star, World War II victory, Coast Guard and Navy, World War II,” O’Connell said, gesturing toward one of the plaques.
And there are the vets that are very well known.
“We have an unbelievable piece of history here with Dorie Miller,” said O’Connell as he gave a quick history lesson on one of World War II’s naval heroes.
Doris “Dorie” Miller, as you may know, was a mess attendant on the USS West Virginia when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. After rushing the ship’s mortally wounded captain to safety, he took over an unattended 50-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun and fired at incoming Japanese aircraft.
He’d had no training on the weapon, yet various eyewitnesses say he downed between four and six aircraft. He was awarded the Navy Cross. O’Connell said he deserves more.
“He personally in today’s standard should be upgraded to the Medal of Honor, without a doubt, and there’s resolutions out there and I hope there’s some consideration for that to happen,” O’Connell said.
The stories behind some of the plaques are particularly close to O’Connell’s heart, like Megan McClung. She was the first female Marine officer killed during the Iraq War.
“She was one of mine, I was her sergeant major,” O’Connell said quietly.
McClung came from a family with a history of military service. Some of them are featured on plaques adjacent to Megan’s.
“You have her dad and her grandfather,” O’Connell said as he pointed out the McClung family plaques.
Spending time at the Mt. Soledad memorial is a somber experience. But there can also be little unexpected moments - like when Neil O’Connell pointed out the plaque of one veteran by the name of Glen William Bell, Jr.
Bell was a corporal in the Marine Corps in World War II. When he got out of the service, he would go on to start a taco stand. There are a lot more than just one stand now. You’re probably familiar with - Taco Bell.
Not every veteran on a plaque here has passed away. Another little unexpected moment came when we saw a plaque of a young cigar-chomping marine in Vietnam. His name is Jim Wheyland.
The day we were there, not far from his plaque, Jim Wheyland was showing some folks around. He is a docent at Mt. Soledad.
As much as it is a memorial, this place is also a big history lesson. Veterans from every era are here; from the Revolutionary War up to the present day.
It is a place of beauty, of remembrance - a spot to reflect on the gift of service given by Americans for 250 years.
