With parades, wreath-layings and other ceremonies, New Yorkers paid their respects on Memorial Day to those who have died serving their country.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined veterans and active service members on Monday at the annual ceremony held aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier that is now the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
Memorial Day was also the last full day of Fleet Week New York, which brings several thousand sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members to the city to interact with the public. The ships were scheduled to leave Tuesday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo marked the solemn day by taking part in parades in Nassau and Westchester counties. He was joined at the Chappaqua parade by Hillary and Bill Clinton, who live there. The parade, which winds through the Westchester town of New Castle, drew impressive crowds along the one-mile route, even when the rain got steady.
"It's for respect for our veterans, and those who have safeguarded our freedom over these years," said Pamela Thorntown, director at the Chappaqua Library.
"Memorial Day is the day you come out," said Chuck Schroedel, a Korean War veteran. "You say 'thank you, I'm here.' And you think of people that weren't."
