Point Loma is home to the Cabrillo National Monument commemorating the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who sailed his ship the San Salvador in to San Diego Bay in 1542, to become the first European to set foot in California. It’s a remarkable piece of land that overlooks San Diego Bay and the city of San Diego on one side and the boundless Pacific Ocean to the west. We made a trip there a few years ago and today’s holiday and recent news events brought it back to focus.

Point Loma is less well known as the home to the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, a solemn memorial for those who have served our country and a tranquil setting for reflection. It has been used for those who have served since the mid-1800s and the last unclaimed niche at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery was filled in 2014. This has ended an era at one of the nation’s most beautiful and historic burial grounds for veterans which includes at least 23 Medal of Honor winners. Those surviving spouses of veterans buried there and their eligible children may have spots reserved that will still allow them to be interned with their loved ones.

While the Point helps commemorate those who fought and died to preserve our cherished freedoms it also now highlights those that would risk their lives to achieve those same freedoms and opportunities. On May 3rd three migrants died as an overloaded trawler-style boat floundered on the rocks and reefs off the Point, the apparent result of a human smuggling operation gone bad.

The historic lighthouse did little to help the floundering trawler as it must have lost power and/or steerage as it crashed onto the reef around 10 in the morning. Had it been a night attempt the consequences would have been far worse.