America marks Veterans Day with parades, freebies

NEW YORK -- Americans marked Veterans Day on Tuesday with parades, speeches and military discounts, while in Europe the holiday known as Armistice Day held special meaning in the centennial year of the start of World War I.

Thousands of veterans and their supporters marched up Fifth Avenue in New York, home to the nation's oldest Veterans Day parade.

At 11 a.m. - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - a solemn hush fell over Manhattan's Madison Square Park as veterans laid wreaths under the Eternal Light Monument to honor the fallen.

Former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who was a Marine lieutenant, served as grand marshal.

"I learned everything I know about leadership from my military service," Kelly said.

The parade featured a float carrying rapper Ice-T, who is an Army veteran, plus six military dogs and their handlers, all of whom have served in the U.S. armed forces.

Maylee Borg, 40, of Staten Island, said she brought her two daughters to show them "that we should support our veterans, because they supported us."

Her 13-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn Borg, made a sign that read, "Land of the free, thanks to the brave."

Here is how the holiday was celebrated elsewhere around the country and overseas.