Retired Navy Capt. Sunita “Suni” Williams leads the 107th NYC Veterans Day Parade as Grand Marshal on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, with Navy veteran Vicki Bello marching as Honorary Marshal. The parade steps off at 12:30 p.m. from Fifth Avenue at 26th Street, with the Navy as this year’s featured service.
Key Takeaways
- Suni Williams, a retired Navy captain, retired from NASA effective December 27, 2025, after 27 years with the agency.
- Vicki Bello, a native New Yorker, enlisted in the Navy in 1985, served as a Radioman, and later served in the Naval Reserve at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx.
- The Navy is the parade’s featured service for 2026, and both marshals are Navy veterans.
- Williams was one of three grand marshals in 2025 and leads the parade alone this year.
- Bello manages community and veterans programs at the Theatre Development Fund, whose veterans program serves about 1,600 veterans a year.
- The Wreath-Laying Ceremony begins at 10:55 a.m. in Madison Square Park, and WABC-TV carries the parade live from 12:30 p.m.
The Navy Takes the Front of the 107th NYC Veterans Day Parade
The United War Veterans Council, which produces the NYC Veterans Day Parade each year, chose the Navy as its featured service for 2026 and filled both marshal roles with Navy veterans. The council has also framed this year’s parade around the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Mark Otto, President and Executive Director of the United War Veterans Council and a Marine Corps veteran, said the council is “incredibly proud to welcome Suni as Grand Marshal” on the nation’s 250th birthday, adding that her dedication and service “embody the values we honor each Veterans Day.” Williams called the role “an incredible honor” and said she looks forward to marching alongside her fellow veterans.
Suni Williams Built a Navy Flying Career Before NASA
Suni Williams’s first career was in naval aviation. According to her NASA biography, she was commissioned an Ensign from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 1987 and was designated a Naval Aviator in July 1989. After training on the H-46 Sea Knight helicopter, she joined Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8 in Norfolk, Virginia, and deployed to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf in support of Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort.
In September 1992, Williams led an H-46 detachment sent to Miami for Hurricane Andrew relief operations aboard USS Sylvania. She entered the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in January 1993, flew test flights across a range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, and returned to the school in December 1995 as an instructor. She was deployed aboard USS Saipan as Aircraft Handler and Assistant Air Boss when NASA selected her in 1998. NASA credits her with more than 4,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.
Suni Williams Comes to Fifth Avenue After a 27-Year NASA Career
NASA announced on January 20, 2026, that Suni Williams had retired from the agency effective December 27, 2025. Over three missions aboard the International Space Station, she logged 608 days in space, which NASA ranks second among its astronauts for cumulative time in orbit. She also completed nine spacewalks totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes, which NASA lists as the most spacewalk time by a woman. She commanded the station twice, during Expeditions 33 and 72.
Her final mission launched in June 2024 and ended in March 2025, months longer than originally planned. In her last NASA assignment, she helped establish a helicopter training platform to prepare astronauts for future Moon landings, which drew directly on her Navy background. “Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be,” Williams said when NASA announced her retirement.
From Co-Grand Marshal in 2025 to Grand Marshal in 2026
This is not Suni Williams’s first turn at the front of the NYC Veterans Day Parade. In 2025, she was one of three grand marshals, alongside Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha and Marine Corps veteran Stephen Peck, when the parade marked the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. This year she leads the parade on her own.
Vicki Bello Brings a Bronx Navy Connection to the Front of the Parade
Honorary Marshal Vicki Bello’s service connects to the city directly. A native New Yorker, Bello enlisted in the Navy in 1985 and served on active duty as a Radioman at commands that included Adak, Alaska, and Ford Island, Hawaii. After her active duty ended in 1989, she served two more years in the Naval Reserve at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx before receiving an honorable discharge.
Bello called the appointment “an incredible honor” and said she looks forward to marching “alongside the men and women who have served our country as we celebrate their service, sacrifice, and contributions to our communities.”
Vicki Bello’s Work Keeps Veterans Connected to New York Theater
Vicki Bello manages community and veterans programs at the Theatre Development Fund, the nonprofit behind the TKTS discount booths. The Theatre Development Fund launched its Veterans Theatregoing Program in 2017 for veterans based in New York City. It works with veteran organizations across the five boroughs to offer free tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, holds post-performance talkbacks when possible, and gives participating veterans complimentary memberships so they can keep seeing shows at reduced prices.
The Theatre Development Fund reports that the program reaches about 1,600 veterans each year through 40 partner organizations and 18 shows. Veterans and active-duty service members can also use the Fast Pass lane at TKTS Times Square by showing a VA ID, military ID, DD214, or a driver’s license with a veteran designation. Bello’s role as Honorary Marshal gives that year-round work public recognition on the day the city sets aside for veterans.
Where to See the Marshals on Parade Day
The NYC Veterans Day Parade begins with the annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony at 10:55 a.m. in Madison Square Park. Williams leads the march when it steps off at 12:30 p.m. from Fifth Avenue at 26th Street, heading north into Midtown. Viewers at home can watch on WABC-TV (Channel 7) and its streaming platforms starting at 12:30 p.m.
FAQs
Who is the grand marshal of the 2026 NYC Veterans Day Parade?
Retired Navy Capt. Sunita “Suni” Williams is the Grand Marshal. The United War Veterans Council selected her for the 107th parade on November 11, 2026.
Is Suni Williams still a NASA astronaut?
No. Williams retired from NASA effective December 27, 2025, after 27 years with the agency. She is also a retired Navy captain.
Who is the honorary marshal of the NYC Veterans Day Parade?
Navy veteran Vicki Bello is the Honorary Marshal. She manages community and veterans programs at the Theatre Development Fund.
What time does the NYC Veterans Day Parade start?
The parade steps off at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from Fifth Avenue at 26th Street. The Wreath-Laying Ceremony in Madison Square Park begins at 10:55 a.m.
