Memorial Day Ceremonies in San Francisco

For most people it’s a day of sales or barbecuing or an extra day off from work, but Memorial Day was established to commemorate Americans who died while serving in the military. If you want to mark Memorial Day as it was originally intended to be, there are free, solemn ceremonies at the Presidio and a couple of other military memorial sites in San Francisco.

Since 1950, annual Memorial Day observances have been held at the USS San Francisco Memorial, which overlooks the Pacific. The ceremony begins at noon on May 30.

The USS San Francisco was built at the naval shipyard at Mare Island. It was a real trooper—it was in nearly every Pacific battle from the time the US officially entered World War II until the war ended.

Directions: The USS San Francisco Memorial is at Lands End, off Camino del Mar in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. More info: Check www.usssanfrancisco.org or call 415 863-8371.

San Francisco’s biggest Memorial Day observance, in the Presidio, begins at 10:30 am, when the 191st Army Band leads a parade from the Main Post Parade Ground (at Montgomery and Sheridan streets) to the San Francisco National Cemetery.

A formal ceremony at the cemetery, starting at 11 am, includes a flyover, taps, a Korean War commemoration, a chorus and a 21-gun salute.

The cemetery in the Presidio is an official National Historic Landmark District. It contains the graves of more than 35,000 veterans and their family members, dating back to the 1846 war with Mexico.

Directions: Park near the Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Ave., on the Main Post. A free shuttle runs between there and the National Cemetery from 9 am to 1 pm. More info: Contact the Presidio Trust at 415 561-5418, or check its website.

May 31 - Lost Boat Memorial Day Ceremony

Submarine veterans will gather on the USS Pampanito at 4 pm to honor submariners who were lost at sea. A bell will toll 52 times, once for each US submarine lost during World War II, and the fate of its crew will be read aloud.

W.G. (Jerry) Ellis, U.S. Navy rear admiral and director at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, will speak.

Directions: USS Pampanito is at Pier 45 along Fisherman’s Wharf, at Taylor Street and The Embarcadero. More info or to RSVP: Check the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association website, call 415 775-1943 ext. 13, or e-mail lostboats@maritime.org.