SYRACUSE -- Veterans, politicians, and other individuals gathered at services around the nation – and the world – to mark Veterans Day and honor those who have served their country.
At the Onondaga County War Memorial in downtown Syracuse, folks convened Wednesday morning for the annual Onondaga County Veterans Day ceremony.
Congressman Dan Maffei, State Senator Dave Valesky and other local politicans were in attendance to honor our area’s veteran servicemen and servicewomen.
New York City's Veterans Day observance is honoring the military men and women who died at Fort Hood in Texas.
The day began Wednesday with Mayor Michael Bloomberg hosting a special breakfast for the 90th Veterans Day parade, billed as the nation's largest. A military group that also had attended the Fort Hood memorial service on Tuesday was at the breakfast.
Organizers say more than 20,000 people are participating in the Fifth Avenue parade. They include about 3,000 active-duty military, civic and youth groups.
Crowds also gathered at the World War II memorial in Washington, DC to pay tribute to the "greatest generation." The memorial honors the 16 million men and women who served in the armed forces, and the more than 400,000 who died during World War II.
Around the world, other countries are pausing today to mark Armistice Day and Remembrance Day. In Paris, the leaders of France and Germany took part in memorial ceremonies.
Armistice Day abroad is similar to the U.S. Veterans Day. It is held at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (11:00 AM on November 11) and marks the day World War I came to an end in Western Europe. The United States changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day after World War II, and the United Kingdom changed the holiday to Remembrance Day around the same time.
Locally, there are several Veterans Day closings to be aware of. All banks, post offices, and government offices are closed today. Most libraries are also closed for the day.
Area malls are open for regular business hours, and parking at all meters in Syracuse is free.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
