'America's Parade' part of NYC Veterans Week

Leaders of the New York City veterans community have announced details for the fourth annual Veterans Week NYC 2015, an ambitious schedule of events honoring veterans. On Nov. 11 the week’s marquee event takes place - “America’s Parade,” the 96th annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, the largest celebration of service in the nation, with participants from more than 30 states marching up Fifth Avenue.

The featured military branch of this year's parade is the Navy.

“Every year Veterans Week NYC serves as the perfect buildup to Veterans Day and America’s Parade,” said Vince McGowan, founding president of the United War Veterans Council (UWVC), producers of the parade. “The amazing lineup of events celebrates and honors, deservingly, the brave men and women, past and present, who serve in the U.S. military.”

Veterans Week NYC 2015 activities include:

• Eternal Light Monument cleaning: Scouts and children from the community will clean the Eternal Light Monument in Madison Square Park on Saturday, Nov. 7.

• Veterans Mass: Active-duty personnel, veterans, and their families and friends will celebrate Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday, Nov. 8.

• USS New York: The Navy ship, whose hull includes steel from the World Trade Center, will arrive on Sunday, Nov. 8. The captain and crew of the ship, which recently returned from deployment in the Middle East, will participate in the parade and other events throughout the week, departing on Nov. 13.

• Launch of Prosper Labs: An incubator for veteran-owned businesses will open at 20 Jay Street in Brooklyn on Monday, Nov. 9.

• Band of Pride Concert: Hundreds of high-school students from marching bands nationwide, as well as the U.S. Navy Band, will perform in Times Square on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

• Marine Corps Birthday Dinner: The gala will mark the 240th anniversary of the founding of the Corps on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

• America’s Parade: The 96th annual New York City Veterans Day Parade will march up Fifth Avenue on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

• Veterans Village: A resource and street fair will follow the parade, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

• Veterans Unity Reception: A gathering of major post-9/11 veteran support organizations and volunteers will reinforce camaraderie, coordination and collaboration among a new generation of advocates, and honor the organizations that came before, on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

• Women in Service: A reception will honor the essential role and contributions of women in military service on the anniversary of the first woman veteran in U.S. history - Margaret Corbin, who was wounded in action during the Battle of Harlem Heights during the American Revolution - on Monday, Nov. 16.

For a full and updated calendar of Veterans Week NYC 2015 events, click here. 

More than 25,000 participants, including active-duty servicemembers, veterans of every U.S. war since World War II and marching bands from across the nation, will march up Fifth Avenue on Nov. 11. It will be broadcast live on WPIX-TV 11 from noon until 3 p.m. and streamed live on PIX11.com and military.com, and will also be broadcast to military bases around the world and VA hospitals across the country. Vietnam War Army Medal of Honor recipient and Veterans Advantage Advisory Board member Paul Bucha will provide on-air commentary. Sponsors include Chase, HBO, the History Channel, Cushman & Wakefield and UWVC Recycling.

For more information, visit www.americasparade.org or call 877-PARADE3. Join the conversation @AmericasParade on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Local American Legion posts want as many Legion family members as possible to participate. For more information, email parade@americanlegion.com. Visit the website of New York City's 9-11 Memorial Post 2001 or the America's Parade website for more information on the event.