BY: Liliana Rocio, Senior Editor for World Liberty TV, @ 25^th Street and 5^th Ave  NYC, Mon ,Nov 11th 2024

Honor Ruck, 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s Salute to Service and Wreath-Laying Ceremony, Honoring Service Members that precede over nation’s largest Veterans Day Parade.

On Mon November 11^th 2024, beginning 12-30pm, the 105th Annual New York City Veterans Day Parade- the nation’s largest commemoration service, marched up Fifth Ave, from East 25^th Street to East 45^th Streets in honor of our nations Veterans.

The parade that is produced every year, by the United War Veterans Council (UWVC), is expected to feature nearly 300 marching and vehicle units and welcome 20,000 participants from across America.

Representing every service branch of the military and every era, thousands of veteran’s military members, service organizations and youth cadets participate with marching bands, floats, motorcycles and vintage vehicles adding to the celebratory atmosphere.

Ahead of this year’s parade, the UWVC and its partners, hosted a series of ramp-up events.

On Sunday, November 10^th, veterans and active military participated in an honor Ruck (fitness march) from the Eternal Light Flagstaff at Madison Square Park to the World Trade Center Reflecting Pools.

The ruck ended with an speaking program, featuring 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s President and CEO, and United States Air Force Veteran Elizabeth L. Hillman, alongside the United States Marines Corps as part of the Museum’s annual salute to service, a tribute that honors those who served in the military , as well as the families and communities that support them.

Right before the parade, the annual wreath laying – ceremony took place, with the wreaths presented by veteran representatives, public officials, foreign allies, and senior military leaders.

Which included: Grand Marshall Dakota Meyer, Honorary Marshalls, Mercedes Elias and John Escalante.

United Veterans War Council, President and Executive director, Mark Otto. Veteran’s and currently serving military personnel.

About Grand Marshal Dakota Meyer:  is a former United States Marine. A veteran of the War in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

Meyer is the second-youngest living Medal of Honor recipient, the third living recipient for either the Iraq War or the War in Afghanistan, and the first living United States Marine in 38 years to be honored.

On November 6, 2010, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, told reporters during a visit to Camp Pendleton, California that a living United States Marine had been nominated for the Medal of Honor. Two days later, Marine Corps Times, an independent newspaper covering Marine Corps operations, reported that the unnamed person was Meyer, citing anonymous sources. CNN confirmed the story independently two days later.

On June 9, 2011, the Marine Corps announced that two other Marines on Meyer’s team in Ganjgal would receive the Navy Cross, the second-highest award for valor a Marine can receive. Capt. Ademola Fabayo and Staff Sgt.

Juan J. Rodriguez-Chavez were recognized for their roles in retrieving the bodies of the fallen Marines and Corpsman. Before Meyer began searching for the missing servicemen on foot, Rodriguez-Chavez drove a gun truck into the kill zone with Fabayo manning the truck’s machine gun.

When President Obama’s staff called Meyer to set up a time for the president to inform him that he would be given the Medal of Honor, they were told Meyer was working at his construction job and were asked to call again during his lunch break. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony on September 15, 2011.

When a White House staffer contacted Meyer to arrange the ceremony, Meyer asked if he could have a beer with the president and President Obama agreed to the request.

He received an invitation to the White House to meet Obama in the afternoon before the ceremony. Meyer also requested that when he was honored, simultaneous commemorative services should be held at other associated locations to honor the memory of his colleagues who died or were mortally wounded during the ambush and his rescue attempts.

About Honorary Grand Marshal Mercedes Elias: Mercedes serves as the Head of Veteran Engagement at AmeriVet Securities, a service-disable veteran owned institutional broker dealer covering debt and equity capital markets, public finance, cash management and investment banking services.

Aside from managing the firm’s involvement with the veteran community, she oversees the veteran hiring initiatives and veteran internship programs.  She regularly interfaces with the firm’s Fortune 500 clients as well large financial institutions to discuss issues and initiatives within the veteran community.

Prior to joining AmeriVet, Mercedes was an active duty officer in the United States Marine Corps for 10 years.

She deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where she was responsible for the coordination of all casualties, oversight of local Afghanistan interpreters assigned to the unit and the re-deployment of personnel for the drawdown from southern Afghanistan.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and obtained her Advanced Business Certification from Columbia University.

She is actively involved with numerous Veteran Service Organizations, such as The Mission Continues, Travis Manion Foundation, Women Marines Association and Team RWB and is the Senior Vice Commander for VFW Post 2348 in Queens, NY which has the youngest amount of combat veterans with the majority of members being Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

About Honorary Grand Marshal John Escalante:  John Escalante served over 30 years as an enlisted Marine, with multiple deployments in support of operation Enduring freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He was a longtime fixture in New York City veteran/military community even before his retirement as a Master Gunnery Sergeant, in 2023.

Today John Continues his work and advocacy on behalf of the veterans and service members with the United War Veterans Council, Travis Manion Foundation, Team Red White and Blue and other organizations.

About United War Veterans Council:  The mission of the United War Veterans Council (UWVC) is to honor and serve America’s veterans.

We are dedicated to ensuring that the public always embraces its commitment to provide all veterans and their families with the care, recognition and opportunities they have rightfully earned.

The United War Veterans Council (UWVC) traces its lineage back to groups founded by veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898). These groups continued activities and traditions established by veterans of the Revolution and the War of 1812.

The modern UWVC was revived in 1985 by a group of Vietnam veterans, initially for the purposes of salvaging the New York City Veterans Day Parade, which was on the verge of extinction.

 

Today, that Parade has grown into the largest Veterans Day event in the nation, drawing tens of thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Going forward, the UWVC is being led by our latest generation of Iraq, Afghanistan and Post-9/11 veterans.

We are building on past successes by focusing our efforts on our Health and Wellness Programs, and Legacy and Education Initiatives. Our goal is to ensure that the UWVC will continue to honor, support, and serve veterans for years to come.

The UWVC Foundation is the 501 (c) (3) arm of the United War Veterans Council. The Foundation supports UWVC’s initiatives to honor and serve our veterans.

It was a very well attended parade thousands of people in attendance from all over the world, to support veterans and military personnel.

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