Forest Lawn – Veterans Day Event
Forest Lawn’s Veterans Day Event Honors a History of Heroism
Forest Lawn’s historic art and architecture set the backdrop for a meaningful Veterans Day celebration in America’s 250th year
GLENDALE, CA—With the stage set by historical art and architecture from the American Revolutionary period, Forest Lawn’s annual Veterans Day Celebration will honor the history of heroism of veterans of the United States military and America’s 250th year. The in-person event will be held outside the Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 11:00 AM, and will salute members of the American armed forces with a flyover, patriotic music, an invocation and benediction, a color guard, a wreath laying, and more. Guests are also invited to explore the park’s historic art and architecture.
Program highlights include:
– Keynote speech by Major (CA) Veronica L. Braxton, MS Commander, CSG 143rd Military Police Support Detachment
– Presidential proclamation by Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton of Los Angeles Police Department
– Invocation and benediction by Monsignor Frank Hicks of St. Basil’s Catholic Church, Los Angeles
– Posting, salute, and retiring of the colors by the Los Angeles Police Department Honor Guard
– Music performances by the Los Angeles Police Concert Band; Harry Farrar, Pipe Major, Scottish Bagpipes & Drums; Walter Salvari and the St. Patrick’s Catholic School Drum Corps, soloist Heather Catalenal; and pianist Michael Parnell
– Master of ceremonies, Michael Ellington, 35-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department
– Sign-language interpreter for all event speakers and song lyrics
– Parachute jumpers with Chris Carnahan
– Refreshments and commemorative giveaways
“We are honored to recognize the members of the United States military on this and every Veterans Day,” said Rodolfo Saenz, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Forest Lawn. “It is our hope the historic art and architecture of our Hollywood Hills park, along with the meaningful event, will bring the community together for thoughtful reflections and showings of gratitude for veterans.”
Veterans Day Art & Architecture at Forest Lawn Hollywood-Hills:
Forest Lawn’s Veterans Day event will be set against the backdrop of the 162-foot Birth of Liberty mosaic, which depicts scenes from pivotal events in United States history from 1619 to 1787, all drawn from twenty-five significant paintings. Attendees will be able to look to the west to see the Lincoln Terrace, which features a reproduction of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s 16-foot bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln and a panoramic mosaic portraying six essential moments of Lincoln’s life, including the Gettysburg Address.
Forest Lawn’s Old North Church is inspired by Boston’s Christ Church, commonly known as “The Old North Church.” On April 18, 1775, Robert Newman famously hung two lanterns, prompting Paul Revere’s midnight ride and beginning the American Revolutionary War. The church features a bust of George Washington and a replica of the window reputed to be Newman’s escape route, as well as historical rooms exhibiting reproduction pieces depicting American-colonial life in the eighteenth century.
Hollywood Hills also features sculptor Thomas Ball’s 60-foot bronze and marble memorial to George Washington with a sculpture of the general atop a marble base inlaid with busts of generals Lafayettte, Knox, Greene, and Benjamin Lincoln, who served under Washington in the Revolutionary War; as well as sculptor Enzo Pasquini’s bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson.
Forest Lawn’s Veterans Day Celebration will take place on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 11:00 AM, at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068.
