Legion celebrating Veterans Day coast to coast

The American Legion family will play a big role in Veterans Day activities across the nation this weekend, headlined by National Commander Denise Rohan’s trip to New York City.

Rohan will take part in Saturday’s New York City Veterans Day Parade, the nation’s largest such parade. She’ll be joined by dozens of other Legion family members in the parade, which features more than 300 units and 10,000-plus marchers.

Sandwiched around the parade will be a pair of Legion Family Dinners that Rohan will attend in New York City. The two dinners are among the dozens that will take place across the nation, as Legion family members will open up their doors to their communities while honoring those who have worn the nation’s uniform.

Legion family members posting about their events on social media are encouraged to use the hashtag #LegionFamilyDinner in all posts. And please remember to share stories and photos from Legion Veterans Day events at www.legiontown.org.

In the nation’s capital, American Legion National Vice Commander Larry Marcouillier will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and later lay a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

In addition to the New York City Veterans Day Parade, several other cities will have sizeable parades to honor the nation’s veterans.

• Birmingham is the home of Raymond Weeks, one of the individuals credited with the creation of Veterans Day. More than 80,000 turn out to watch the city’s annual National Veterans Day Parade.

• Auburn, Wash., hosts one the nation’s largest Veterans Day parades, with more than 200 units and nearly 6,000 participants.

• The Jacksonville, Fla., Veterans Day Parade features more than 4,000 participants; parade-goers who line up to watch are encouraged to wear red, white and blue, and bring homemade signs to hold up for those marching to show their appreciation.

For other cool Veterans Day happenings across the country, click here.

And don’t forget that several restaurants, attractions and recreational companies are offering Veterans Day discounts to both veterans and active-duty military. Check those out here.