“Proud … honored … thankful.”
Rancho Santa Margarita resident and Vietnam veteran Dudley Lane Goss expressed those sentiments following the dedication and unveiling of a new veterans monument on Sunday at the Civic Plaza in Rancho Santa Margarita.
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A new veterans monument is unveiled in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Photo by William Liang, Contributing Photographer)
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A new veterans monument is unveiled in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Photo by William Liang, Contributing Photographer)
A gathering of about about150 community members, several who were veterans, along with city officials and other dignitaries, turned out for the ceremony, which featured an honor guard presentation by members of VFW Post 6024 and participation from the El Toro Battalion Sea Cadets and scouting groups.
“It touches my heart,” Gross, who served in the Navy from 1968 to 1972, said of seeing the community’s veterans recognized.
The 15-foot-long, 4-foot-tall monument stands below three flag poles in the plaza adjacent to City Hall and Central Park. It features the emblems of each branch of the U.S. military on one side and a military honor wall on the side facing the park.
Each of the inaugural 26 service plaques on the honor wall at this unveiling — they are 8 inches each — is engraved with the name, rank, service branch and years of service of a veteran in the community. Families can sponsor the personalized commemorative plaques.
Dedicated, integrated lighting illuminates the monument during evening and nighttime hours.
“Tonight, it’s not truly about the monument,” said Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Tony Beall, who presided over the ceremony. “It’s about those people, the people whose story it represents. It’s about the young men and women who left their homes and families to defend the freedoms that many enjoy every day.”
The City Council, city staff, local veterans, design professionals and the Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation, a master homeowners association, and its landscape and facilities enhancement committee collaborated on the $70,000 project, Beall said.
He said the final location chosen preserves the community park and its trees while providing a prominent location for the monument.
A plaque positioned in the center of the military branch emblems is partially inscribed with the words: “May each visitor find peace and comfort in the liberties afforded us through the sacrifices of these brave men and women of the Ranch Santa Margarita community.”
Following the dedication, local veterans and their families posed for photos at the monument. And then, in recognition of Flag Day, which was Sunday, the annual Rancho Santa Margarita U.S. Flag retirement ceremony took place.
“As a 20-year United States Navy veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices made by those answering the call to serve,” said James Clements, who served in the Navy from 1979 to 1999. “It is entirely fitting that it stands right here, positioned proudly below our city flags. May the space forever be a sanctuary of reflection, gratitude and remembrance to all who served.”