CONTACT: Lt. Col. Richard Goldenberg, 518-727-7314,

FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009

ON SITE: Lt. Col. Richard Goldenberg, 518-727-7314,

WHO:

New York Army National Guard Soldiers will join with Army Reservists and other military service members.

WHAT:

NEW YORK (11/09/2009)(readMedia)-- More than 1,500 Citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the New York National Guard will take to the streets of Manhattan this Wednesday as the National Guard participates in the 90th Anniversary of the New York City Veteran's Day Parade. New York City's Veteran's Day Parade marks 90 years of honoring our nation's veterans. Many of the historic Army National Guard formations present in 2009 were part of the original 1919 march in Manhattan.

WHEN:

The eternal light ceremony begins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11. The parade begins at 11 a.m., marking the armisitice that ended World War I at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918

WHERE:

Madison Park, at 5th Avenue & 24th Street. The parade will march up 5th Avenue with a reviewing stand at 41st Street.

Today's New York Army National Guard is one of the most experienced military forces in the modern history of the Empire State. Thousands of men and women of the Army National Guard have served overseas for contingency operations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom. The 2009 Veteran's Day parade will note the support of a multitiude of New York City National Guard forces, including the historic 369th Sustainment Brigade, the modern legacy of the original Harlem Hellfighters and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York's own "Fighting 69th." The parade will also include Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, a unit with origins dating back to the Revolutionary War when Guardsmen then provided a military escort for then-President Washington's inaugural in New York City. More than 1,500 Soldiers will participate from across the five boroughs, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley to mark the 90th anniversary of the New York City Veteran's Day Parade. The formation of troops will also include representatives of the National Guard's family support groups, with family members marching as a group within the New York National Guard formation. Media Opportunities: Soldiers will be available for interviews as they prepare to attend the Eternal LIght Ceremony in Madison Park or prior to beginning the parade route up 5th Avenue. Troops will include both combat veterans and the National Guard's newest members.

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