Washington, D.C., May 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Veterans Center is set to host the 14th annual National Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 28th, at 2pm ET along the National Mall in Washington, DC. Retired Navy SEAL Britt K. Slabinski, who yesterday received the Medal of Honor at the White House, will attend the event alongside other veterans, active-duty military personnel, celebrities, and musical performers. The parade will be televised on local network affiliates across the U.S. and broadcast LIVE to our troops serving overseas on the American Forces Network. Hosted by Sage Steele (ESPN), Kyra Phillips (ABC News), and Dean Cain, the broadcast will reach over 100 million households worldwide. A special pre- parade performance by Trace Adkins will begin at 1:30pm at the National Archives. The mini concert will feature four of Trace’s hits, including his tributes to our military, “Arlington” and “Still a Soldier.”
This year’s parade will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Memorial Day, and in addition, it will recognize the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI and the 75th anniversary of the first deployment of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in U.S. military history. Several local surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen will be in attendance. This is the largest Memorial Day parade in the nation. Thousands of DC-area residents and Americans from all over the United States will gather to pay tribute to those who have served and sacrificed.
“While there are many great Memorial Day parades taking place across the country, the National Memorial Day Parade is the largest of them all and it takes place right here in our nation’s capital,” said Tim Holbert, Senior Vice President of American Veterans Center and producer of the parade. “Locals and out-of-towners in the thousands will line the National Mall to commemorate the true spirit of the holiday: paying tribute to our nation’s fallen heroes.”
The Grand Marshals of the parade are Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos (Army National Guard Veteran), and Spencer Stone (U.S. Air Force veteran). They are the heroes who stopped the terrorist attack on the train to Paris in 2015 and who recently portrayed themselves in Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris. Serving as Honorary Grand Marshal is famed actor and veterans’ advocate Gary Sinise. Also joining the parade are Tony-winning actor Joe Mantegna, Miss America 2018 Cara Mund, and celebrity chef & U.K. Royal Navy veteran Robert Irvine, with musical performances by Trace Adkins, Jerrod Niemann, and Cassidy Daniels.
More about the parade
The National Memorial Day Parade will commence at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW. It will proceed west down Constitution Avenue, ending just past The White House and the National World War II Memorial at 17th Street. A ‘moving timeline of American military history’ honoring our fallen, participants will pass by the nation’s monuments, memorials, and museums, and will be greeted by hundreds of thousands of spectators waving flags and cheering for our country’s heroes.
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About the American Veterans Center: The American Veterans Center (AVC) and its subsidiary, the World War II Veterans Committee, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational foundation dedicated to guarding the legacy and honoring the sacrifice of our military personnel from every generation. The National Memorial Day Parade is held annually in Washington D.C. For more information, visit AmericanVeteransCenter.org or NationalMemorialDayParade.com.
The parade is produced by the American Veterans Center, with support from American Airlines, Leidos, Wells Fargo, The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, United States World War One Centennial Commission, Saab North America, Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, Military Times and many other generous sponsors. To learn more about attending the National Memorial Day Parade, or tuning in to the television broadcast, visit: NationalMemorialDayParade.com