It's Veteran's Day, New York City.
We should pay our respects to our armed forces every day, but today is the day we need to stop what we're doing, put down our phones and exit out of Netflix, and spend some time honoring the people who died serving our country.
We're lucky that we live in a city where plenty of respectful memorializing is happening today.
We've got beautiful memorials and cemeteries where our veterans' sacrifices are honored. There will also be talks, tours, and ceremonies where the prevailing focus is celebrating the United States' veterans' sacrifices.
Of course, there's the non-partisan, non-political Veteran's Day Parade, that'll be gallivanting down 5th Avenue all day long.
Wondering how to best get out there and pay your respects? Read on to find out.
1. Veteran's Day Parade
uscg Happy Veterans Day to all of the men and women who are serving or have served in the United States Military. Here members of Coast Guard Sector New York are led by Capt. Jeffrey Dixon, the deputy sector commander of Sector New York, during the New York City Veterans Day Parade, November 11, 2014. #uscg #military #militarylife #coastguard #VeteransDay #veteransdayparade #nycveteransdayparade #sailors #newyork #parade #nyc #uscgnyc #salute
The Veteran's Day Parade in NYC is a non-partisan, non-political event. Its sole purpose is to honor the service of our veterans and salute our currently serving military. The parade will stretch from 26th Street to 52nd Street up Fifth Avenue.
This year's Parade commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II, and the 25th Anniversary of Desert Shield.
The United States Navy is this year's featured military branch. There will also be representatives from the Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard as well.
The parade features over 250 groups and more than 20,000 participants, including veterans of all eras, military units, civic and youth groups, businesses, and top high school marching bands from across America.
There will also be floats, military and vintage vehicles adding to the excitement. It'll parade from 11:25 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It's pretty much the iconic way to honor our veterans.
2. Visit the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (Pier 86, West 46th Street and 12th Avenue)
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex is an educational and cultural non-profit institution centered on the aircraft carrier Intrepid.
Their goal is to promote the awareness and understanding of history, science, and service through its collections and exhibitions.
They're also hosting special events to honor the men and women who have served our country. They'll be having a Veteran's Day Ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Pier 86, which is free and open to the public.
There will be various speakers at the Ceremony, including the Museum's President Susan Marenoff-Zausner, Loree Sutton, former brigadier general in the U.S. Army, Cynthia Thebaud, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two, and many more.
There will also be special Tour Guide Talks throughout the day, including Stories from Pearl Harbor, What's in a Name? and One Day in Vietnam: October 9, 1966. Coming to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a phenomenal way to honor our veterans.
3. Visit the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza (55 Water Street)
In NYC, we're lucky to have plenty of beautiful, honorable memorials to commemorate all our loved ones who died for our country.
One such memorial is the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza, which honors the bravery and sacrifice of those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. 1,741 of the veterans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War were residents of NYC.
In 1982, NYC Mayor Edward Koch founded a 100-member commission to create this memorial, with the goal of reflecting the conflicting emotions of the Vietnam War as well as innovating a "living memorial" to assist Vietnam veterans in need of jobs.
There were 3,000 letters, poems and diary entries submitted from across the country, 80 of which were chosen to be a part of the memorial. Mayor Koch dedicated the Memorial on the tenth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, by bursting fireworks into the night sky over the East River.
To this day, people leave cards, pictures, and flowers along the wall's granite shelf to honor those whose lives were lost. You can be one of those donors today.
,4. Visit the Brooklyn War Memorial (195 Cadman Plaza West - Brooklyn)
After World War II, the Brooklyn War Memorial became the only borough-wide monument honoring the casualties of World War II.
On June 6th, 1944, the same day the US forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, Brooklyn Eagle publisher Frank D. Schroth formed a committee of distinguished Brooklynites to judge a design competition.
243 entries were received, and construction of the memorial began just after Japan surrendered in August 1945.
The Brooklyn War Memorial is dedicated to the 327,000 men and women from Brooklyn who served during World War II. It was designed by Stuart Constable, Gilmore D. Clarke, and W. Earle. Today, the memorial serves as a community facility and houses veteran organizations.
Visit it and pay your respects for Veteran's Day.
5. Take the Cypress Hill National Cemetery Walking Tour (625 Jamaica Avenue - Brooklyn)
saskatchewanderer The Musical Ride came back to its origins at the 140th anniversary of Fort Walsh. The horses for the ride were originally bred at the fort #exploresask #fortwalsh #rcmp #musicalride #cypresshills
Cypress Hills was one of the first cemeteries that opened during the Civil War in 1862. Now, it bears the graves of 21,000 veterans who fought in that bloody war.
So, it's a solemn and impactful place to honor our veterans on Veteran's Day. Licensed New York sightseeing guide Kevin Fitzpatrick will lead a Veterans Day tour of the cemetery, pausing at 24 Medal of Honor winners' graves, and soldiers from more than 200 years of American history.
It'll take place at 12 p.m. on November 11th.
6. Salute to Service at the National September 11 Museum & Memorial (180 Greenwich Street)
911memorial In honor of the @marines #240thBirthday, we held a ceremony on the plaza to thank all that have served our country past and present. #SemperFi #HappyBirthday #OohRah
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has been paying tribute to our country's veterans throughout a five day salute. It's been going on from Saturday, November 7th through Wednesday, November 11th.
On the day of Wednesday, November 11th, yellow roses will be placed in the names of those killed on 9/11 who served in the military.
From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. veterans can stop by the Museum to receive a free admission voucher for the museum.
At 12 p.m. the museum's auditorium will feature a talk titled "The Stories They Tell: World Trade Center Steel in Afghanistan," by Dr. Andrew Hammond, Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow.
Also, throughout the day at the Museum a StoryCorps animated short titled "The Last Viewing" will be featured. In fact, it'll play every 30 minutes in the museum's auditorium. In the film, Allen Hoe tells the story of a chance encounter with a stranger who knew his son, Army 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe.
Attending Salute to Service is a great way to pay your respects to our country's veterans.
Check out 7 Places in NYC to Give Back to Your Community This Thanksgiving.
[Feature Image Courtesy New York Daily News]