The New York City Veterans Day Parade, organized by the United War Veterans Council (UWVC), featured over 20,000 participants, including veterans of all eras, active duty military, reserve and national guard contingents, ROTC and JROTC units, civic and youth group, all accompanied by some of the nations' best high school marching bands, including bands from as far away as California and Ohio.

As a naval reserve veteran of 20 years service (1981-2001) I was proud to don my old uniform (yes it still fit! --barely) and cover the parade for TimesSquare.com. The only non-standard item of clothing I wore were my black sneakers, which came in handy as I twice walked the Fifth Avenue parade route from 23rd to 52nd Streets.

Although the number of spectators on the sidewalk were not the size of St. Patricks or Hispanic Day crowds, usually not more than two-deep depending on the neighborhood, they were very enthusiastic with many waving homemade signs supporting the troops or calling out "Thank you!" to the uniformed contingents and to the elderly veterans, including those who served in World War 2, Korea and Vietnam.

The opening ceremony took place at the Eternal Light Monument in Madison Square Park at 23rd Street and featured remarks by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and music by the Navy Band Northeast.

As the parade passed such iconic landmarks as the Empire State Building and the New York Public Library, floats, military and vintage vehicles and other special contingents added to the spectacle and excitement of the parade, which was estimated by UWVC to be viewed, perhaps a bit optimistically, by "nearly one million" spectators.

The theme of the 2011 parade was "Never Forget" and commemorated the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which took place only two miles south of Madison Square Park.

The featured service this year was (drum roll) the United States Navy. Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, USN, Chief of Naval Operations, served as Lead Honorary Grand Marshal.

Other Honorary Grand Marshals included General David Petraeus, USA (Ret), Director of Central Intelligence; Arnold Fisher, Intrepid Museum Foundation; Georgette Mosbacher, President/CEO, Borghese; Larry Silverstein, President/CEO, Silverstein Properties; and Ron Zuccotti, Chairman, Brookfield Properties (owners of Zuccotti Park, former site of Occupy Wall Street.)

The parade was broadcast to our troops serving overseas by the Armed Forces Radio & Television Service and locally by FOX5 (WYNY), co-hosted by Lieutenant Colonel Greg Kelly, USMCR, a former AV8-B Harrier pilot with 158 aircraft carrier landings over nine years.

A street fair on 53rd Street from Madison to Sixth Avenues was held in conjunction with the parade from 9 am- 6 pm.

Two hours after the parade ended the Lesbian Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center proudly hosted its first ever "Celebration of Service," an evening reception recognizing the first Veterans Day in which lesbian, gay, and bisexual servicemembers can serve openly in the United States Armed Forces. The event highlighted the journey traveled by the LBGT community which led to the eventual and groundbreaking repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)." It also showcased individuals and their stories – servicemembers, partners and families, all of whom had something to celebrate and commemorate.

Speakers for the event included: First Lieutenant Josh Seefried, a finance officer in the United States Air Force. Under the pseudonym "JD Smith," Seefried co-founded OutServe, the organization of actively serving LGBT servicemembers.

Sue Fulton, a 1980 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy , West Point, has served in the US Army Signal Corps in Germany as a platoon leader, staff officer, and company commander. Fulton is the current Executive Director of Knights Out, the organization for West Point LGBT alumni, faculty and staff.

Fulton had the crowd laughing when she recalled a flamboyantly gay corporal who served in her command in Germany. The young man's behavior made her feel both rather uneasy and joyful at the same time!

Denny Meyer, a son of a World War II Holocaust refugees and an activist for over 50 years. Meyer first marched with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at the age of 13. He served for ten years in two branches: both the Navy and Army Reserve. Meyer is the national Public Affairs and Veterans Affairs officer for American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) and Media Director of Transgender American Veterans Association.

Meyer gave an outstanding speech, both dramatic and amusing, and he brought the crowd to its feet when he declared that the end of DADT was "only the beginning of the fight for full equality for LBGT servicemembers," and that the next battle will be the fight to repeal the Defense of Marraige Act (DOMA). 

I was honored, as the only veteran present in uniform, to serve as part of a three-person Honor Guard during the opening ceremony which featured the Pledge of Allegiance and "America the Beautiful" performed by the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.

For me, that was the second highlight of an amazing day which also included my being interviewed by two US Navy "Mass Communication Specialists" during the parade (we just called them "Journalists" in my day.)

The LBGT Center co-sponsored the event with American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA), OutServe, Knights Out, Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and Military Partners and Families Coalition (MPFC). 

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