140th Memorial Day Ceremony at the Presidio of San Francisco
The ceremony will take place on Monday, May 26 at the San Francisco National Cemetery
Presidio of San Francisco (May 8, 2008) — The 140th Official San Francisco Memorial Day Ceremony will take place on Monday, May 26 at the San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio, located at 1 Lincoln Boulevard.
The day’s events kick-off at 10:30 am with a parade of veterans and distinguished guests to the Cemetery from the Presidio’s Main Post Parade Ground at Montgomery and Sheridan Streets.
The formal program begins at 11 a.m. in the Cemetery and will honor the more than one million Americans killed while serving in the United States Armed Forces, with special focus on those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.
The Memorial Day ceremony frequently draws some 2,000 people, making it one of the largest such events in the country. The National Cemetery in the Presidio is a designated National Historic Landmark District. More than 35,000 veterans and their dependents are buried here, dating to the 1846 war with Mexico.
Following the ceremony, National Park Service rangers and volunteers will lead free Cemetery walks highlighting the final resting place for Medal of Honor recipients and other noteworthy soldiers. The guided tours last about 30 minutes.
A free Memorial Day Shuttle will provide service from the Main Post to the National Cemetery from 9 am to 1 pm.
The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to manage the Presidio of San Francisco, a former army base located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The 1,500-acre site contains the infrastructure of a small city as well as expansive open space, a 300-acre historic forest, spectacular views, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. It comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District, making it unlike any other national park. In establishing the Trust, Congress mandated that it make the park financially self-sufficient by 2013. The Trust is the only federal agency with this mandate.”