By Josh Williams and Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Reporter/Producers
MANHATTAN — Red, white and blue flags were drapped across Fifth Avenue on Wednesday as the Manhattan honored the men and women who served the country with a Veterans Day Parade.
The parade, which is the largest of its kind in the country with 20,000 participants, was attended by an estimated 400,000 people.
Many, such as Upper West Side resident Bill Corsair, came to show their support for the active military, still on rotation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I'm showing my respect to the guys to make sure they don't get the welcome home we got," said Corsair, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran.
"We're behind them and we support them."
Ann Corbett, 56, who served in the Marine Corps, attended the parade with her daughter Corine and their dog Lucky.
"Some forget we're still at war," Corbett said. "We got our freedom because they are over in the Middle East."
This year's parade, the 91st held in New York, stepped off at 11 a.m. on 25th Street, then headed up Fifth Avenue to 56th Street.
A 21-gun salute and military flyover were part of the memorial.
This year, the parade honored Women Air Force Service Pilots, the first females to have flown military aircraft during World War II, and a group that has gone unrecognized for many years.
Also part of the parade were Navajo Code Talkers from World War II. The Marines used the Navajo language to transmit secret tactical messages.
The post office, courts, public schools and government offices were closed in observance of the holiday.
