‘All Who Served’ Means All: WeHo’s Veterans Day Puts Inclusion Front and Center

West Hollywood’s annual Veterans Day ceremony takes place Tuesday, November 11, at 11 a.m. at the Sal Guarriello Veterans’ Memorial on Santa Monica Boulevard at Holloway Drive.

The city uses the day to recognize all who have served, not to be confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who lost their lives in service. 

This year, the focus will include trans veterans, a group that continues to face uncertainty and discrimination under the Trump administration’s reinstated ban on transgender service members. That policy, first introduced during Trump’s earlier term, forced trans troops out of the military or kept them from serving openly.  West Hollywood officials say acknowledging their service now is more important than ever.  When asked what this day means to West Hollywood, both in honoring veterans and in highlighting the service of trans and LGBTQ+ troops, Mayor Chelsea Byers told WEHOOnline, “The City of West Hollywood proudly honors the courage, sacrifice, and service of our nation’s veterans. Their dedication to protecting freedom and democracy reflects the very values our city holds dear — equality, inclusion, and community.  On Veterans Day we come together to express our deepest gratitude to those who have served, to their families, and to all who continue to uphold the promise of a more just world.”

The ceremony will feature the Pledge of Allegiance, a bugler performing Taps, a moment of silence, and the National Anthem sung by members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.  The Sal Guarriello Veterans’ Memorial will be lined with wreaths and American flags, and residents are encouraged to stop by and pay their respects.

For those newer to West Hollywood, Sal Guarriello was a decorated World War II veteran and one of the city’s early councilmembers.  The memorial that bears his name was dedicated in 2003 in his honor, recognizing both his military service and his decades of civic leadership.  Sal was known for his advocacy for seniors, veterans, and renters, and helped shape West Hollywood’s progressive and service-oriented reputation.  Steve Martin, a former City Council member who worked alongside Sal for many years, told WEHOonline, “Sal served as a medic in WWII and was awarded a purple heart after being hit by shrapnel while carrying a wounded soldier off an Italian battlefield.  He was a genuine hero.  As a City Council member he was a great advocate for tenants and common sense solutions at City Hall.  His honest and often brutally blunt assessments during City Council meetings were often resented by his colleagues, but delighted the public.  He was very much a man of the people, the salt of the earth.”

For more information, contact the City of West Hollywood’s Recreation Services Division at (323) 848-6534 or email recreation@weho.org.