Mayor Adams marched with military veterans down Fifth Avenue Saturday in the city’s 104th annual Veterans Day Parade, the largest of its kind in the nation.
“We respect you. We love you. We adore you,” the mayor told the estimated 20,000 vets and volunteers who trooped through Midtown Manhattan from 26th to 47th Streets.
“We sit under the flag and the tree of freedom because you ordered it with your blood commitment and dedication,” Adams said in a patriotism-drenched speech that quoted liberally from “The Star-Spangled Banner” and praised the American dream.
“People do not line our borders to leave America, they line our borders to come to America,” he said — touching on the migrant crisis that continues to roil the city.
“I am proud to walk down Fifth Avenue with you and state that we are who we are because of who you are,” Adams said. “This country owes you a debt of gratitude.”
“We respect you. We love you. We adore you,” the mayor said to the marchers. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
An estimated 20,000 marchers participated in New York’s 104th annual Veterans Day Parade. Daniel William McKnight
The mayor gives a thumbs up while marching in the parade. Getty ImagesTwo dozen floats, over 150 vehicles, and 280 marching units took part in the celebration, with about 800 spectators lining the route.
