1 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Retired Gen. Ann Dunwoody calls out to New Yorkers as she leads the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City on 5th Avenue. She was selected as the grand marshal as part of the city's salute to women who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno delivers the Oath of Enlistment to more than 50 recruits, during the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. (Photo Credit: Master Sgt. Dean Welch, OCPANE)VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –More than 50 recruits receive the Oath of Enlistment from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, during the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. The recruits marched in the parade with recruiters from the New York City Recruiting Battalion. (Photo Credit: Master Sgt. Dean Welch, OCPANE)VIEW ORIGINAL4 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –The U.S. Military Academy Band provides patriotic music as they march up 5th Avenue, during the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. Thousands of New Yorkers lined the street to watch the parade. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL5 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Korean War veterans ride in the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. Veterans from World War II to today marched in the parade. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL6 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Soldiers from the 77th Sustainment Brigade sing cadence as they march in the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL7 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Boy Scouts carry portraits of veterans from New York during the 2013 Veterans Parade in New York City. More than 20,000 people and 200 organizations participated in the parade. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL8 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Soldiers march in the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL9 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Attendees of the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City show their support as veterans march past. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL10 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Service members stand watch over the wreathes honoring veterans during a ceremony in New York City on Veterans Day. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL11 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told veterans from all of the services that they were the true VIPs for the day, during a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the service and sacrifice of all veterans, Nov. 11, 2013. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL12 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Veterans and service members salute as the National Anthem plays during a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony in New York City. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL13 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –The U.S. Military Academy Band plays the "Service Medley" following a wreath-laying ceremony in New York City, to kick off the 2013 Veterans Day Parade in New York City. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL14 / 14Show Caption +Hide Caption –Retired Maj. John Kwang-Nam Lee, a Vietnam War veteran, talks with Navy Korean War veteran Edward Bergendahl prior to a wreath-laying ceremony in New York City. (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Piper, ARNEWS)VIEW ORIGINAL
NEW YORK (Army News Service, Nov. 11, 2013) -- The people of New York city honored the men and women who served the nation as they lined 5th Ave during "America's Parade" to celebrate Veterans Day.
"The true VIPs here today are the veterans, and I want to thank all of the veterans here who represent us from all the different services," Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno said during a ceremony prior to the start of the parade.
The 2013 Veterans Day parade in New York, N.Y., honored all veterans, with a special salute to past and present women who have served in the military. To highlight this, retired Gen. Ann Dunwoody was selected as the grand marshal of the parade. Odierno represented the featured service branch, the Army, as honorary grand marshal.
There are still more than 70,000 Soldiers deployed and thousands of Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen protecting the nation around the world, Odierno said.
"They stand on the shoulders of those who came before them. Those who (have) served this country from the very beginning," he continued. "They served because they have a love our country, the freedoms we enjoy, and the liberties we have. The reason they were willing to go anywhere in the world was to protect those freedoms and those liberties so their children could grow up in a better place."
Former Sgt. Gerald Brown, who served in Vietnam, from 1966 to 1967, with the 11th Cavalry Regiment, said they faced a different welcome home and were almost ashamed to put on the uniform.
"Now everywhere you go people say 'thank you' for your service," he said. "I love this because you have the new guy who is coming home from Afghanistan and places like that, and they are getting a whole lot of respect. People respect their servicemen more and they should because we have given so much."
An estimated 20,000 people, representing more than 200 groups, marched in the parade. Units from all of the services marched in the parade as well as veterans, first responders and youth groups. Thousands of New Yorkers lined 5th Avenue as the parade traveled from 23rd Street to 52nd Street.
The greatest treasure the people of the United States have are the freedoms they should not take for granted, Dunwoody said.
"It is so important to remember that our freedom is not free. It was won with the service and sacrifice of military and its veterans and it is being preserved by our military and veterans," she said.
"Everything that we enjoy in America the veteran fought for and stands for," Brown agreed.
"When we leave here today after we celebrated, remembered and honored the service and sacrifice of our veterans let us remember the current and next generation's service and sacrifice to guarantee the freedom we in America hold so dear," Dunwoody said.
Dunwoody left the audience with a challenge.
"When these brave men and women return from their demanding deployments, I encourage all of you to continue to support and embrace this new generation of veterans so that we can guarantee them a quality of life equal to their quality of service."
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