The United War Veterans Council has named Sunita “Suni” L. Williams, a retired U.S. Navy captain and former NASA astronaut, as grand marshal of the NYC Veterans Day Parade, the march down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan that steps off Wednesday, November 11. The council announced the selection Tuesday, on the 251st anniversary of the U.S. Navy.
Williams was previously named one of three grand marshals for last year’s parade but could not attend because of the 2025 government shutdown.
This year’s parade steps off from Fifth Avenue at 26th Street at 12:30 p.m. on November 11, Abc7ny reported. The 2026 march falls on the 250th birthday of the United States.
“It is an incredible honor to serve as Grand Marshal of the NYC Veterans Day Parade and to march alongside my fellow veterans,” Williams said. “My time in the Navy shaped who I am and prepared me for every challenge that followed. I’m proud to join New Yorkers and Americans from around the country in honoring the service, sacrifice, and commitment of veterans from every generation.”
Mark Otto, president and executive director of the United War Veterans Council and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said the council was “incredibly proud to welcome Suni as Grand Marshal of this year’s NYC Veterans Day Parade on the 250th birthday of the United States of America.” Otto added, “Her dedication and service embody the values we honor each Veterans Day.”
NASA selected Williams as an astronaut in 1998, and she retired last year after flying three space missions. She logged a total of 608 days in space and 62 hours and six minutes of spacewalk time, the most of any female astronaut and fourth on NASA’s all-time list.
On Expeditions 14 and 15 in 2006 and 2007, Williams completed four spacewalks and ran the first marathon in space. On Expedition 32/33 in 2012, she became the second woman to command the International Space Station and completed the first triathlon in space. On Expedition 71/72 in 2024 and 2025, she spent more than nine months aboard the station and again served as its commander.
Before NASA, Williams was a Navy aviator. She was commissioned as an ensign after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987, trained as a rotary-wing aviator, and deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort. In September 1992 she supported Hurricane Andrew relief operations as officer-in-charge of an aviation detachment aboard the USS Sylvania. She was later selected for the United States Naval Test Pilot School and logged more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft. A native of Needham, Massachusetts, Williams is of Indian and Slovenian descent, and her husband, Michael, is also a former Navy aviator.
The United War Veterans Council produces the parade each year, drawing participants from every branch of the military along with thousands of veterans, service members and youth cadets, as well as marching bands, floats, motorcycles and vintage vehicles. The parade was first held in 1919 to commemorate the armistice that ended World War I one year earlier, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
The United War Veterans Council, a nonprofit that honors and serves veterans, posts information about the parade at uwvc.org.
Featured image: Left: Benny Polatseck / Mayoral Photography Office. Right: NASA
