Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial is a unique veterans memorial in America and the only one honoring living and deceased veterans from the Revolutionary War to current-day conflicts. The Mount Soledad Memorial Association was founded in 1952 by American Legion Post 275 of La Jolla. In 1954, the association built a cross at the site to honor service members who gave their lives during World War I, World War II, and the Korean conflict. The first memorial walls were built in 2000, and the black granite plaques are the same type of granite used for the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. These plaques tell the stories of veterans who have served the nation honorably throughout its history. After years of litigation over the presence of a cross on public land, the case was resolved in 2015 when the land around the memorial was purchased by the Mount Soledad Memorial Association and the memorial became private property. Since the association's founding in 1952, all funding, including the purchase of the land, has come from private donations, and the association continues its mission of honoring military veterans with plaques supported by family members, supporters, and other donors.
