MAY 22, 2026 – Soldiers, Families and community leaders united to honor the 407 Soldiers who died in combat while deployed from Fort Carson at the 22nd annual Mountain Post Warrior Memorial ceremony May 21, 2026.
Since 2004, Fort Carson has commemorated Soldiers from the Mountain Post who have lost their lives fighting in support of overseas contingency operations with a ceremony on the Thursday prior to Memorial Day.
“Today, we honor the fallen, from the earliest battles of our history to the ongoing missions around the world,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Ellis, commanding general of 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson. “We honor every Soldier who gave their last measure of devotion in those battles. Their sacrifice remains a beacon, one that continues to guide our formation today.”
Mayor of Colorado Springs Yemi Mobolade welcomed attendees to the ceremony.
“Today is more than just a ceremony. Today is remembrance. Today is gratitude,” said Mobolade. “Today, we remember the Soldiers who kissed their Families goodbye and never returned home. As a mayor of a proud military community, I am reminded every day that the freedom that we have is never free.”
Mobolade announced a mayoral proclamation claiming May 25, 2026, Memorial Day in Colorado Springs, “to honor those who never made it home, the empty seats at family tables, the folded flags, the dreams interrupted by war and service, the courage of those who answered the call to serve to know the cost could be everything.”
As the ceremony closed Ellis, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson Command Sgt. Maj. Waylon D. Petty, Mobolade, and 1st Sgt. Caleb Long, 1st Space Brigade, laid a memorial wreath in honor of the fallen.
The wreath holds 22 carnations, one for each year the 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson has held a remembrance for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Fort Carson has several memorials that pay tribute to fallen comrades.
At Manhart Field memorials honor those who gave their lives in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Located outside Gate 1 is the 9/11 Memorial with steel beams from the World Trade Center. In the same area is the Global War of Terrorism Fallen Soldier Memorial with 407 names etched into the stones. The last time names were added to the memorial was in 2023.
Story by Jordyn McCulley
Fort Carson Public Affairs Office