Mount Soledad memorial to host Veterans Day celebration Nov. 8

A Veterans Day commemoration called “Honoring a Legacy: 250 years at Sea, on Land and in the Air” will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla.

The event will honor all U.S. military veterans as it celebrates the 250th anniversaries of the Navy and Marine Corps and their impact on the San Diego community.

The annual Veterans Day holiday is officially observed Nov. 11.

Featured speakers at Mount Soledad’s Nov. 8 ceremony are scheduled to include retired Navy Vice Adm. Charles Martoglio and retired Marine Brig. Gen. Paul Lebidine.

The event also will pay tribute to Cmdr. Theodore Gordon “Spuds” Ellyson, the first Navy officer designated as a naval aviator, and Gen. Joseph Pendleton, the first commanding officer of Marine Corps Base San Diego, which became the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

Other highlights will include musical performances by the La Jolla High School Viking Band and flyovers by the San Diego Salute Formation Team.

The veterans memorial is at 6905 La Jolla Scenic Drive South. For more information, visit soledadmemorial.org.

— Linda McIntosh, with contribution from La Jolla Light staff