Harlem Hellfighters’ First Woman Brigade Commander At NYC Veterans Day Parade 2016

“America’s Parade,” the 97^th annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, begins with a Memorial Ceremony featuring, Mayor Bill de Blasio and other dignitaries on Friday, November 11, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Madison Square Park, 23^rd Street and Fifth Avenue.  Parade begins at 11:11 a.m.

For the first time ever, the United War Veterans Council (UWVC), producers of the parade, has named three Grand Marshals, who represent both post-9/11 military vets and 9/11 First Responders:

• Port Authority Acting COO Stephanie Dawson, the first woman brigade commander of the Harlem Hellfighters and a New York Army National Guard colonel who commanded troops at Ground Zero on 9/11 and later served in Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and in Iraq;
• New York Fire Department Battalion Chief Joseph Duggan, who responded on 9/11 and later served with the Army Reserve in Iraq, helping rebuild the Baghdad Fire Department.
• New York Police Detective Nelson Vergara, who spent months working at Ground Zero and served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq;

America’s Parade — the largest celebration of service in the nation — steps off at 11:11 a.m. at 26^th Street and Fifth Avenue and proceeds up Fifth Avenue to 53^rd Street.

The parade features more than 40,000 participants, including veterans, active military units and high school bands from around the nation.  Sponsors include JP Morgan Chase & Co., Aetna, UWVC Recycling, Cushman & Wakefield and AWEARNESS Kenneth Cole.

Veterans Village Resource Fair, featuring organizations which serve veterans, is at 53^rd Street and Avenue of the Americas.

Friday, November, 11th, 2016, 10 A.M. — Memorial Ceremony Madison Square Park, 23^RD Street And Fifth Avenue

Friday, November, 11th, 2016, 11:11 A.M. — Parade begins, Fifth Avenue, 26^TH – 52^RD Streets