President to Address Veterans at Opening Ceremony of 100th Annual New York City Veterans Day Parade

Contact:

Media inquiries for this story should be referred to Pat Smith (212-843-8026 / psmith@rubenstein.com) or JohnAnthony DiMaria (212-843-9277 / jdimaria@rubenstein.com).

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President Donald J. Trump will offer a tribute to the men and women who have served our nation during the Opening Ceremony of this year’s Centennial New York City Veterans Day Parade, United War Veterans Council (UWVC) Chairman Douglas McGowan announced today.

While the Commander in Chief has historically always been invited to the New York City Veterans Day Parade, President Trump is the first known to personally accept the invitation, McGowan noted, and will be accompanied by the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David H. Berger.

“On behalf of all the men and women who have served our nation, and who continue to serve, the United War Veterans Council is honored that our Commander in Chief, President Donald J. Trump, has agreed to join our 100th annual tribute,” McGowan said.  “This is a day when we put politics aside to focus on honoring our veterans, and to re-commit ourselves as a community to providing them with the services they have earned, the services they deserve and, for many, the services they were denied.

“We thank and commend President Trump for leading that effort on this Centennial, and we acknowledge his historic support for our activities here in New York City.”

The largest commemoration of service in the nation, the New York City Veterans Day Parade begins with an Opening Ceremony in Madison Square Park, starting at 10:30 a.m.  The armistice ending World War I, “the war to end wars,” took effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. 

More than 25,000 participants, including veterans and active duty military personnel and veterans supporters, high school and college bands and floats, will march past thousands of spectators along Fifth Avenue and millions tuning in to their TVs and mobile devices.

This year’s parade is led by five grand marshals, spanning the generations of service from World War II to our current campaigns:

Herschel “Woody” Williams, awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Marine Corps in World War II;

Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the U.S. Army in the Korean War;

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey awarded the Medal of Honor for his service with the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War;

Eddie Ray, awarded the Navy Cross for his service with the Marine Corps in the Gulf War;

Zachary Iscol, a decorated Marine Corps Infantry Officer who served two tours in Iraq, fought in the second battle of Fallujah, and who founded three unique organizations dedicated to serving veterans.

The U.S. Marine Corps, 244 years old this year, is the featured service for the 100th annual Veterans Day Parade.

McGowan noted that as a private citizen, Donald Trump made a substantial donation in the mid 1990’s to help the New York City Veterans Day Parade recover from years of neglect  and rebuild into the institution it is today.  Trump also made substantial donations to the creation of New York City’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, McGowan noted, in the mid 1980’s and again, in the early 2000’s.

The parade is broadcast live from noon to 3 p.m. on WABC-TV 7, and the American Forces Network. 

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About the United War Veterans Council


The United War Veterans Council, Inc. (UWVC) is a 501-(c) (19) non-profit organization that honors and supports veterans and their families through advocacy, services, and sustainability programs. We produce the NYC Veterans Day Parade, the largest commemoration of service in the nation.  Since our inception, the UWVC has been a non-political, non-partisan organization, with no agenda or purpose other than convening and mobilizing diverse communities to ensure government, the private sector, and the general public expand their support for veterans and their families.  We represent the mosaic of the veterans’ community, encompassing veterans of all eras and backgrounds. www.uwvc.orgInstagramFacebook / Twitter

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Contact:

Media inquiries for this story should be referred to Pat Smith (212-843-8026 / psmith@rubenstein.com) or JohnAnthony DiMaria (212-843-9277 / jdimaria@rubenstein.com).