Source: National Cemetery Administration · cem.va.gov · scraped May 2026
History of Miramar National Cemetery
San Diego Bay was the location of the first permanent European settlement on the West Coast of the United States due to its natural advantages as a protected harbor. In 1769, Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish Army soldier, established the Presidio of San Diego; Father Junipero Serra founded the San Diego de Alcala Mission. Both were located in the city's present-day Old Town neighborhood, approximately four miles north of the harbor.
San Diego served as a base of operations for the Spanish to colonize the territory of Alta California. New Spain's most remote territory was the southern terminus of El Camino Real, the trail connecting 21 missions.
San Diego grew slowly. The settlement was far removed from Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821) hostilities, in which Spain lost to the newly independent country. Under Mexican rule, San Diego's population gradually increased as the central government encouraged immigration to frontier lands.
During the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), a handful of small battles were fought in Southern California. On December 6–7, 1846, a combined U.S. force of soldiers, sailors, and marines under the command of General Stephen Kearny engaged a small group of Californios (Mexican colonists) in the Battle of San Pasqual, about 30 miles north of San Diego. Eighteen of Kearny's men fell in the battle, but U.S. forces managed to hold the field and win the war. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February 1848, established the border between the two countries 15 miles south of San Diego. California became a state two years later.
Miramar National Cemetery is located near Scripps Ranch, a neighborhood in northern San Diego located on the historic estate of newspaper publisher Edward W. Scripps. In 1891, Scripps began erecting an Italianate mansion on the property named for and modeled after Miramare Castle in Italy. The moniker eventually became associated with the surrounding mesa; loosely translated, Miramare means "sea view." The 49-room mansion was completed in 1898, and was the home of the Scripps family until 1969, when the property was sold to a real estate developer who demolished the building four years later.
Camp Kearny was established near Scripps Ranch in January 1917 as the United States prepared to enter World War I. During the war, Camp Kearny served as an Army training and mobilization center that could accommodate 32,000 men. After the Armistice, base operations were scaled back, but the government retained the site as a military and civilian air strip. In early 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis on test-flights from the base, in advance of his famous trans-Atlantic flight.
In the 1930s, the Navy and the Marines established operations at Camp Kearny, and it served as a headquarters for multiple air squadron groups during World War II. The facility was re-designated as Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar in 1947 and the Marines moved to Orange County, California.
During the Vietnam War, the Naval Fighters Weapons School popularly known as "TOPGUN" was established at NAS Miramar. The installation served as a Naval Air Station until 1997, when it transitioned into a Marine Corps Aviation unit and was renamed Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar.
A large resident veteran population and limited burial capacity at nearby Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery — so designated in 1934 but associated with an older post cemetery — was the impetus for building a new national cemetery in the area. In 2008, MCAS Miramar leased land in perpetuity to the National Cemetery Administration to develop Miramar National Cemetery. Approximately one-third of this 313-acre property is reserved to protect federally endangered or threatened species — including the San Diego fairy shrimp, California gnatcatcher, Otay mesa-mint and San Diego button-celery.
Miramar National Cemetery was dedicated in January 2010, and the first burial occurred on November 22 that year.
Monuments and Memorials The Liberation, a memorial by sculptor Richard Becker that was dedicated on September 16, 2011, honors the sacrifice of Veterans captured during America's foreign wars. The American Ex-Prisoners of War, San Diego Chapter 1, donated the 15-foot-tall figurative composition of a bronze soldier and POW flag atop a concrete base.
The black granite Vietnam War Memorial Monument was donated in 2022 by the Vietnam Veterans of America, San Diego Chapter. It recognizes the service and sacrifice of those Vietnam War Veterans who have their final resting place at Miramar National Cemetery. It also affords families, friends and visitors an opportunity to reflect on what was the Vietnam War. It is located in the Memorial Walk area across from the Administration Building.
Notable interments
Veterans, public figures, and citizens of note buried at Miramar National Cemetery, listed by section and site as recorded by the National Cemetery Administration.
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.
Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
» Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
Sergeant Charles Schroeter (Indian Wars).
German-born Charles Schroeter immigrated to the United States in 1860 and became a career soldier. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1863 during the Civil War and served in the 1st Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. Private Schroeter reenlisted in the 8th Cavalry in 1866 and his regiment was posted to Camp Whipple, Arizona Territory. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action in the Chiricahua Mountains on October 20, 1869. Discharged from the cavalry in 1871, he then served a five-year tour with the 1st U.S. Infantry before joining the Marine Corps (1876–1881) and attaining the rank of corporal. The unmarried Sergeant Schroeter retired in 1894. He moved to Buffalo, NY, operating a tobacco and candy store, then to San Diego, CA, where he died in 1921. The masonic lodge there held a memorial service for him, but Schroeter's remains were unclaimed for ninety-four years. He was buried on July 9, 2015, in Section 3, Site 1052.
Other Burials Helen-Louise Brooks (1918–2013) was born in Lowell, MA.
After high school she worked for the National Health Service until old enough to join the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps in 1944 for the end of World War II. She remained in the Reserves and earned a B.A. in nursing from Boston University. She returned to active duty for the Korean War and served as the operating room supervisor aboard USS Consolation (AH 15). After Korea she earned an M.A. from Columbia University. From 1968–1969 of the Vietnam War she was chief nurse, Naval Support Activity Hospital Danang, and earned the Legion of Merit with combat "V." She ended her Navy career in 1971 as a captain. Before retiring to San Diego, she directed health bureau nursing services in the Canal Zone. Brooks died April 26, 2013 and is interred at Miramar National Cemetery .
Section 12, Site 628
Kathleen Bruyere (Vietnam, Persian Gulf).
Bruyere was born in Norfolk, VA in 1944 to an Army family. She graduated from Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania in 1966 and joined the U.S. Navy. She broke precedent and remained on active duty in 1968 after marrying a fellow Navy officer. By 1975 she held the rank of lieutenant commander and was the first female officer to serve as a flag secretary to an Admiral commanding an operational staff. She was named to Time magazine's person of the year in 1975 and featured on the cover. Bruyere was one of six female officers to sue the Navy and Secretary of Defense in 1977 arguing that the 1948 Women's Armed Service's Integration Act prohibiting women to serve at sea on ships limited their prospects for promotion. The law was ruled unconstitutional in 1978. This cleared the way for women to serve at sea. Bruyere never served on a combatant ship, but was promoted to captain and served as the special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations for women's policy and worked to continually improve career opportunities for women in the Navy. In 1991 she took command of the Naval Training Center in Orlando. She retired from the Navy in 1994. In retirement she cared for her second husband who had Parkinson's disease, and volunteered many years at Miramar National Cemetery.
CDR Randall H.
Cunningham (Vietnam). "Duke" Cunningham (1941–2025) was born in Los Angeles one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1967 and served in Vietnam, where he and his navigator became the only Navy aces of the entire war. After he returned from Vietnam in 1972, Cunningham became an instructor at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) at Naval Air Station Miramar. He retired at the rank of Commander in 1987. A member of the Republican Party, Cunningham represented three California districts in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2005. Section T, Row 4, Site 247.
Lee R.
Scherer, Jr., received a commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1942 and in World War II flew aircraft carrier-based fighter planes. He first worked with NASA in the 1960s while on active duty with the U.S. Navy. He retired from military service with the rank of captain in 1964. Trained as an aeronautical engineer, Scherer was director of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in 1971–1975, and subsequently became director of the Kennedy Space Center. He managed the unmanned Lunar Orbiter Program from inception to completion in 1967, and the scientific aspects of lunar explorations during the Apollo Program, 1968–1972. Scherer died May 7, 2011 .
Section 7, Site 186
Dave Severance was born in Milwaukee, WI, in 1919 and died 102 years later in La Jolla, CA.
In between those two events he served in three wars as a Marine Corps officer. Severance was most famous for his service as commander of Easy Co., 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines on Iwo Jima. During that battle, Captain Severance ordered his 3rd Platoon and 12 Marines from the Weapons Platoon up the slopes of Mount Suribachi to seize the crest. There, on February 23, 1944, they raised the first flag at the summit, followed shortly thereafter by the raising of a second, larger, flag. It was this second flag raising which was recorded by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal and which became the most iconic photo of the U.S. war in the Pacific. Severance earned the Silver Star for his heroism on Iwo Jima. He served in the occupation of Japan after the war and attended flight training. During the Korean War he flew 69 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 4 Air Medals. Severance also served during the Vietnam War before retiring in 1968.
MGYSGT Juan Jose Valdez (Vietnam).
Valdez (1937–2026) was born in San Antonio, Texas, to second-generation Mexican immigrants. Standing at over six feet tall, Juan was a skilled athlete who played high school football. After graduation, he went on to join the U.S. Marine Corps, completing his MOS training in 1956 and serving a tour in Vietnam from 1965–1967. In 1974, Valdez was sent to Saigon to serve as the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Embassy Marine Corps detachment. On April 29, 1975, Operation Frequent Wind, the military effort to evacuate Saigon, began. During this operation, Valdez worked for nearly 20 hours without sleep, managing crowds of desperate South Vietnamese citizens and ensuring that the embassy staff were moved to safety. Over 50,000 people were evacuated due to the efforts of Valdez and his fellow servicemembers. Master Gunnery Sergeant Valdez was likely the last American to leave Vietnam. Valdez retired from the Marine Corps in 1987, and his awards include the Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal.
Section 13, Site 1232
Private Leon Lawson Williams (World War II).
Williams (1922–2025) was an Army veteran who later rose to be a pioneering civic leader in San Diego. Born in Oklahoma, the oldest of fifteen children, Williams moved to San Diego in 1941 and joined the Army Corps of Engineers. He used his G.I. Bill education benefits to earn a degree in psychology from what is now San Diego State University. He also married and went on to have ten children. When Williams decided to enter San Diego politics, he sought to play a role in ending the racial discrimination that he had grown up with. Among his many accomplishments, Williams became the first Black member of the San Diego City Council in 1969, the first Black man elected to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 1982 and was the President of the California Associations of Counties in 1993. His life story was captured in the 2015 book Together We Can Do More: The Leon Williams Story. He now rests in Section 2, Site 498.
Eligibility for burial at Miramar National Cemetery
Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.
Request eligibility status for:
Veteran or servicemember Spouse Dependent family member Apply online »
Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Directions
From the north: Take I-805 South to Miramar Road/La Jolla Village Drive exit. Turn left on Miramar Road. Take a right on Nobel Drive. Turn left into the the cemetery or take I-15 South to Miramar Road, turning to the right. Drive approximately 3-4 miles, then take a left on Nobel Drive. Turn left into the cemetery.
From the south: Take I-805 North to Nobel Drive, turning to the right. Take a right into the cemetery.
Floral and grounds policy
Fresh cut flowers may be placed on graves and in the gravel areas surrounding the Columbarium, Memorial Walls or Memorial Monuments at any time.
Cemetery furnished temporary flower containers are available and located throughout the cemetery in specially marked containers.
Weapons policy
VA regulations 38 CFR 1.218 prohibit the carrying of firearms (either openly or concealed), explosives or other dangerous or deadly weapons while on VA property, except for official purposes, such as military funeral honors.
Possession of firearms on any property under the charge and control of VA is prohibited. Offenders may be subject to a fine, removal from the premises, or arrest.
Education and visiting programs
We are developing educational content for this national cemetery, and will post new materials as they become available. Visit the Veterans Legacy Program and NCA History Program for additional information. Thank you for your interest.
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Nearest cemeteries
The three closest veteran cemeteries to Miramar National Cemetery (by straight-line distance):
- Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery — San Diego, CA (14 mi · closed)
- Riverside National Cemetery — Riverside, CA (70 mi · open)
- Los Angeles National Cemetery — Los Angeles, CA (110 mi · closed)
Nearby veteran-friendly funeral homes
The following funeral homes within a 50-mile radius of Miramar National Cemetery have demonstrated a commitment to serving veterans through specialized services, VA benefits coordination, or dedicated honors details.
El Camino Memorial Park is a premier funeral home located at 5600 Carroll Canyon Road in San Diego, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including flexible event space, celebration of life center, and veterans cemetery section. Professional offerings include celebration of life, funeral service video production, and catered events, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. For families preferring a traditional approach, basic burial services begin at $4,595, while direct cremation is available from $2,690. The staff is experienced in coordinating with various faith traditions, specifically Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and Protestant. The firm's dedication to service is reflected in their 4.5-star Google rating across 347 reviews.
Bravo Family Mortuary is a premier funeral home located at 4427 Rainier Avenue in San Diego, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including large chapels, small chapels, and on-site banquet room with fireplace. Professional offerings include traditional burial, green burial, and flame cremation, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. General services start at $1,505. For families preferring a traditional approach, basic burial services begin at $2,390, while direct cremation is available from $1,505. The staff is experienced in coordinating with various faith traditions, specifically Catholic and All Faiths (Non-Denominational). The firm's dedication to service is reflected in their 4.9-star Google rating across 130 reviews.
Beardsley-Mitchell Funeral Home is a premier funeral home located at 1818 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including flexible event space, flexible chapel space, and chapel. Professional offerings include cremation, funeral service, and celebration of life, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. General services start at $810. For families preferring a traditional approach, basic burial services begin at $3,495, while direct cremation is available from $1,045. The staff is experienced in coordinating with various faith traditions, specifically Asian traditions, Buddhist, Catholic, Hispanic traditions, Hindu, Muslim, Christian (Protestant), Jewish, and Black traditions.
Poway-Bernardo Mortuary is a premier funeral home located at 13243 Poway Rd. in Poway, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including chapel. Professional offerings include cremation, burial, and celebrations of life, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. General services start at $1,595. For families preferring a traditional approach, basic burial services begin at $3,650, while direct cremation is available from $2,055. The staff is experienced in coordinating with various faith traditions, specifically Christian (Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Non-Denominational), Jewish (Conservative, Chabad), and Latter-day Saint.
Legacy Funeral & Cremation Care is a premier funeral home located at 7043 University Avenue in La Mesa, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including intimate chapel, private viewing areas, and private gathering spaces. Professional offerings include cremation services, funeral & memorial services, and funeral preplanning, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. General services start at $1,235. For families preferring a traditional approach, basic burial services begin at $1,850, while direct cremation is available from $1,235. The standard basic services fee for the funeral director and staff is $1,160. Additional typical expenses include embalming ($430) and use of facilities for viewing ($495).
Anderson-Ragsdale Mortuary is a premier funeral home located at 5050 Federal Boulevard in San Diego, CA. With deep roots in the community, they provide a peaceful and accommodating environment to honor the memory of loved ones. Direct cremation services are provided starting at $1,495.
Bonham Bros & Stewart Mortuary and Cremation Service is a premier funeral home located at 321 12Th Street in Ramona, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including funeral home and chapel. Professional offerings include funeral services, cremation, and veterans services, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. Direct cremation services are provided starting at $1,575. The staff is experienced in coordinating with various faith traditions, specifically Catholic, Congregationalist, Protestant (general), and Latter-day Saint.
Berry-Bell & Hall Mortuary is a premier funeral home located at 333 North Vine St. in Fallbrook, CA. The property features well-appointed spaces including arrangement office, casket selection room, and chapel. Professional offerings include direct cremation, complete funeral service with cremation, and viewing or visitation with cremation, handled with the utmost care by their licensed directors. General services start at $1,695. For families preferring a traditional approach, basic burial services begin at $1,595, while direct cremation is available from $1,395. The staff is experienced in coordinating with various faith traditions, specifically Catholic and All Faiths.