NYC to salute post-9/11 combat veterans with ticker-tape parade in 2026, Mayor Adams announces
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- In 2026, New York City will host the first ticker-tape parade to commemorate the service of post-9/11 veterans, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) Commissioner James Hendon announced on Thursday.
The announcement coincided with the 37th annual Fleet Week and Parade of Ships and comes ahead of Memorial Day weekend as the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps celebrate their 250th birthdays.
"For the post-9/11 generation of combat veterans and their families, this march down Broadway is a symbol of belonging, of closure, and of collective pride. We served through two decades of war," Hendon said, calling the parade "a moment of national reflection and a promise kept."
The parade aims to honor nearly two million Americans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as those who fought Al-Qaeda and ISIS from locations across the world in the wake of terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
"Rather than wait for eulogies to honor their service - and the sacrifice of all the 9/11 survivors - let us take this moment to celebrate their legacy of valor while they can be present to participate in it," former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who advocated for the celebration, said in 2019.
The "Homecoming of Heroes: A Ticker Tape Parade Honoring Our Post-9/11 Combat Veterans and Their Families" is slated for July 6, 2026, and will travel up Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes.
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