By Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com, news-photos-features.com
The annual New York City Veterans Day Parade was a reminder that even before the 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain, there were those who were fighting for independence. Floats and banners paid homage to the 1775-2025 legacy as onlookers cheered and shouted their support for all those who served. The 106th annual parade, hosted by the United War Veterans Council, the largest Veterans Day Parade in the country, celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military, with grand marshals representing the Army, Marine Corps and Navy.
Produced by the UWVC, the Parade included some 300 marching and vehicle units, 20,000 participants from across America representing every service branch of the military and every era since the earliest founding, as thousands of well wishers, veterans among them, who lined the route from 23rd to 47th street on Fifth Avenue cheered them on.
To mark the 250th Anniversaries of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Navy, former SSG and Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha, Marine veteran and homeless veterans’ advocate Stephen Peck, and NASA Astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain Sunita “Suni” Williams will lead this year’s parade as Grand Marshals.
“With more than a decade of Army service and another decade providing support to returning veterans, I have devoted myself to defending the nation, standing up for our rights and values, and uplifting men and women who serve,” said former Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, Medal of Honor recipient and spokesperson for American Warrior Partnership.I am incredibly grateful to lead this year’s NYC Veterans Day Parade as a Grand Marshal, especially for the 250-year anniversary of the U.S. Army, and march alongside thousands of other brave servicemembers.”
“It is a tremendous honor to serve as a Grand Marshal for the NYC Veterans Day parade and take part in the long tradition of commemorating service, remembering the incredible debt we owe those who have served our nation and appreciating the challenges many of them face long after service has ended,” said Stephen Peck, a former Marine Corps officer who served in the Vietnam War and now retired president and CEO of U.S.VETS, the largest nonprofit providing supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. “I join my fellow honorees in expressing our gratitude and recognizing that the freedoms we enjoy today have come at a cost borne by those who have bravely defended this nation. In celebration of Veterans Day, let’s recommit ourselves to supporting veterans in tangible ways not just today but every day, whether through hiring veterans, giving to organizations that help veterans or simply saying ‘thank you for your service.'”
“I look forward to honoring the service and sacrifices of our brave veterans alongside my fellow Grand Marshals at this year’s Parade,” said Sunita L. Williams, NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy veteran. “I truly understand the sacrifices that veterans and their families make every day to protect our rights, freedoms, and way of life as Americans. I am grateful for the chance to help recognize their enormous contributions as one of this year’s Grand Marshals.”
The parade was established in 1919 following the armistice agreement that was signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918, that ended hostilities during WWI.
Here are highlights:
The United War Veterans Council, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that honors and serves veterans. The UWVC supports and promotes a wide range of initiatives that provide vital services to our veterans community (including health, wellness and education); raises positive awareness and increases public understanding of the needs of our veterans community through major public events and promotional activities; and brings together veterans groups, community organizations, government agencies, businesses of all sizes and the general public. For more information, visit uwvc.org
______________________________
© 2025 News & Photo Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles,Inc. All rights reserved. For editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news-photos-features.com,email editor@news-photos-features.com.Blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/NewsPhotosFeatures