Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will be taking his moon walk to the streets of New York City for the annual Veterans Day Parade this Saturday.
Aldrin, a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War, was chosen as the grand marshal for the parade by the United War Veterans Council in July. The announcement came during the same week that the nation celebrated the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing on July 20, 1969.
“I’m proud and honored to lead the Veterans Day Parade. I took an oath at the age of 17 at West Point to serve my country and everything I do is in service to our country to this day,” Aldrin said at the time. “I think it’s important to remind the world of the value of service and having pride in one’s military career and the value that veterans bring to society. I’m very proud to be a veteran and proud to stand with our vets to get them the credit and support they deserve.”
Dan McSweeney, president of the United War Veterans Council, which has been managing the parade since the mid-1980s, said Aldrin’s moon walk often eclipses the fact that he’s a veteran.
“A lot of people don’t realize, in addition to being the second man to walk on the moon, he is a veteran of the Korean War,” he said on Wednesday. “Since retiring, he has been active in promoting veterans’ issues.”
The U.S. Air Force, which marks its 70th anniversary this year, is the featured military service for the 2017 parade.
The Veterans Day Parade is the largest commemoration of active service in the nation, Sweeney said. About 40,000 people will march up Fifth Avenue, from 26th to 52nd streets, during the 99th annual parade. A crowd of around 500,000 is expected to cheer on the veterans, active duty military personnel, marching bands and support groups participating in the parade.
“As we prepare for the centennial in 2019, we want to make sure that veterans and their families are seen as unifiers in American society,” Sweeney said, adding that it is important for veterans and their families to know they have the support of their country.
The parade steps off at 11 a.m., but first the United War Veterans Council will host a memorial ceremony, which includes a wreath-laying, flag-raising, 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps,” at 10 a.m. in Madison Square Park near the Eternal Light Flagstaff.
The parade will also be broadcast on WPIX-TV 11 and the American Forces Network from noon to 3 p.m., and will be available to stream online at PIX11.com, TaskandPurpose.com and Military.com.
With Ivan Pereira
