Canyon of Heroes Parade For Post-9/11 Veterans Set For Next Summer

NEW YORK CITY — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced that the city will host a sticker tape parade celebrating the service of post-9/11 service members and veterans next year up the Canyon of Heroes.

On July 6, 2026, the city will host “Homecoming of Heroes: A Ticker Tape Parade Honoring Our Post-9/11 Combat Veterans and Their Families,” a historic tribute recognizing the extraordinary service, sacrifice, and resilience of a generation that bore the weight of America’s longest war, officials said.

“The ‘Homecoming of Heroes’ parade is not merely a celebration — it is a historic moment in which a major city unites to solemnly honor the extraordinary service, sacrifice, and resilience of our post-9/11 combat veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Adams said. “Our veterans and their families matter to us — not just during the wartime they fought in, but in the peacetime they achieved. This parade marks a small seed of our gratitude for all those who watered the tree of liberty so that we can sit under its shade. It is because of these brave men and women that we can cherish the most precious gift we have: our freedom.”

The Global War on Terror began after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. More than 2.9 million service members served during this era, with 1.9 million deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than 7,000 were killed in action, 53,000 wounded, and more than 31,000 post-9/11 veterans died by suicide, according to the city’s Department of Veterans Services.

The long-term impact of these wars continues to ripple through the lives of those who served. An estimated 36 percent of post-9/11 veterans live with post-traumatic stress disorder, and over 520,000 cancer diagnoses have been recorded in this population — many linked to toxic exposures, officials said.

"This is more than a parade — it’s a moment of national reflection and a promise kept,” DVS Commissioner James Hendon said. “For the post-9/11 generation of combat veterans and their families, this march down Broadway is a symbol of belonging, of closure, and of collective pride. We served through two decades of war. Now, together, we write the next chapter — one of unity, recognition, and possibility.”

The event will take place around the 250th birthdays of the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps; the 400th birthday of New York City; and the return of the International Naval Review 250, bringing allied fleets from around the world to New York Harbor in a rare show of global maritime unity and respect.