Blog Post

IAVA Celebrates Veterans Day 2011 Coast to Coast
Posted by Michelle McCarthy on November 14 2011

For Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, 11/11/11 was an historic day to honor, celebrate and unite as a community marking a decade of war. From New York City to San Francisco, hundreds of IAVA Member Veterans, their families and supporters gathered this Veterans Day to march in parades and attend ceremonies nationwide honoring all who have served in these wars.

• Check out the parade and ceremony highlights
• Watch the surprise proposal in NYC!
• IAVA in the press and media
• See highlights from the 2011 Heroes Gala

IAVA on the Ground

 Attended one of the parades? Click here to download photos!

Coast to coast IAVA capitalized on this historic date to show the entire nation that veterans are a smart investment in America’s future. Since 9/11, over 2.3 million veterans have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with the skills and experience to lead in business, government and in our local communities -- and now they're seeking opportunities to prove it at home.

In Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York City and San Francisco, IAVA members asked Americans to invest in this New Greatest Generation and help IAVA hold more veteran job fairs like our recent Fleet Week Smart Job Fair in San Francisco. In New York City, more than 400 IAVA Members and their families marched in formation in the country's largest Veterans Day Parade up historic Fifth Avenue. And on the West Coast, IAVA Members lead by veterans David Smith and Anne Weeby marched in San Francisco's flagship Veterans Day parade. Before step off, they met with Mayor Ed Lee, State Senator Mark Leno and other local leaders to talk about boosting California initiatives to support veterans' transitioning from combat to career.

Down in Texas, IAVA Member Keith Glasgow also lead dozens of veterans and supporters in the annual Dallas Veterans Day parade. Meanwhile, up north, IAVA local leader Steve Lulofs and more than 30 IAVA veterans joined Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, Senator Dick Durbin and other officials at Chicago's annual Veterans Day ceremony at Soldier Field. The following day, IAVA closed out an historic Veterans Week down south marching in Atlanta's Veterans Day parade at the direction of IAVA local leader Jamie Bennet and his wife. And carrying the energy over to Sunday football more than 90 local vets helped lead the Atlanta Falcons flag crew for the Falcon's face-off against the New Orleans Saints.

But that wasn't all the action on the ground this year! In a surprise move, Iraq veteran and IAVA Member Tim Hill broke ranks at the New York City Veterans Day parade to get down on one knee and ask his girlfriend Katie one very important question. Watch the video to see how it all went down!

The success of Veterans Week 2011 wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. As we look to 2012, huge thanks is owed to our friends at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), SpikeTV, Miller High Life, Common Ground and Wells Fargo for supporting IAVA with in-kind donations and volunteers across the country this year!

Press & Media

• CNN: Getting Veterans Back to Work | Tom Tarantino
• WABC: Challenges Facing New Veterans | Jonathan Schleifer & Tyler Tannahill
• New York Times: On War and Redemption | Tim Kudo
• Forbes: 11/11/11 - Not Just a Funky Date | Paul Rieckhoff
• VAntage Point: March with Us | Jason Hansman
• NYT At War: With Thoughts of Fellow Soldiers and Country | Chris Hellie
• WNYC: Veterans Day for the Next Generation | Tim Kudo
• Wall Street Journal: Poll: Veterans Looking for Food Help | Matt Gallagher
• Huffington Post: Remembering Our Veterans | Adam Clampitt
• CNN: Don't add benefit cuts to troops' sacrifices | Jonathan Raab
• WCBS: What Veterans Day Means to Veterans | Ramsey Sulayman

Get Involved

Veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan? Join the conversation inside IAVA's Community of Veterans, stay updated on employment opportunities through IAVA’s Combat to Career program or get free rewards like NFL tickets and jcpenney gift certificates from The Rucksack. Sign up today to become a member - it's completely free.

In just the last year, IAVA has connected hundreds of veterans with employers through career fairs, helped over 10,000 veterans go to college on the new GI Bill, and provided mental health support to over 50,000 veterans—all at no cost to Member Veterans. Programs like these are only made possible through your generous support. Fight for those who fought for us and help us keep these resources and benefits completely free for new veterans and their families.

Donate online or text "IAVA" to 20222 to contribute $10 towards our Combat to Career program. Ensure our country supports this newest generation of veterans not just on Veterans Day but every day of the year.

  Share:
 del.icio.us  digg  reddit  facebook  newsvine myspace twitter