President Trump Will Make History As The First Sitting President To Attend a Veterans Day Parade

Here's more from our friends over at the Epoch Times:

President Donald Trump will be opening New York City Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 with a speech, making history as the first time a sitting president has accepted an invitation to attend the annual event.

Trump will open the 100th edition of the parade with a speech addressing veterans and military officials at Madison Square Park in Manhattan on Monday, the White House confirmed on Nov. 6.

After his tribute, Trump will then lay a wreath at the Eternal Light Memorial in the park.

Doug McGowan, chairman of the United War Veterans Council, which hosts the annual parade, made an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday to announce the news.

“I am proud to announce—honored to announce—that the commander-in-chief has accepted our invitation and will be leading the New York City Veterans Day Parade, the centennial, this year,” McGowan said.

READ MORE:  Here's Why President Trump Calls Him Liddle' Adam Schiff

“This is the first time [a sitting president has appeared]… Citizen Donald Trump in the ’80s, the ’90s, and again in the early 2000s has been here for the veteran’s community of New York.”

Veterans have invited the sitting president to attend the event every year for 25 years, and Trump is the first to accept the invitation.

The parade, which begins at noon, is expected to see more than 25,000 parade participants march along Fifth Avenue. Veterans, military groups, and their supporters will be among the participants.

And more from the Military Times:

President Donald Trump will mark Veterans Day this year with a speech at the start of the New York City Veterans Day Parade, which would be the first time a sitting president has attended the event.

In past years, the commander-in-chief has typically attended events and memorial services around Washington, D.C. Organizers of the New York parade to Trump, a native New Yorker, several months ago, and White House officials announced Wednesday that he will attend.

The parade is one of the largest Veterans Day events in the country. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the annual event, and is expected to draw more than 25,000 participants along with tens of thousands of spectators.

The president is asking communities to celebrate and honor veterans throughout the month, not just on Nov. 11.
Organizers said even with the president’s involvement, they hope to keep the parade non-partisan.

“This is a day when we put politics aside to focus on honoring our veterans, and to recommit ourselves as a community to providing them with the services they have earned, the services they deserve and, for many, the services they were denied,” said Doug McGowan, chairman of the United War Veterans Council Board, which hosts the event.

But parade co-producer Bill White said in a statement that organizers will highlight Trump as “a great supporter of our veterans” at the event.

“What he is doing now as President with regard to veterans choice, funding our military, and holding them and their families in the highest regard is truly extraordinary,” he said. “He is loved by our veterans for sure.“

Trump said his travel schedule and official business stopped him from attending.

The event will be the second major national parade for Trump in the last four months. On July 4, the White House hosted a military-themed “Salute to America” on the National Mall in Washington D.C., which drew both praise for its focus and criticism over the costs.

Last year, Trump drew similar controversy when he declined to visit Arlington National Cemetery during the Veterans Day weekend, another unofficial tradition of the commander in chief.