New York Local News

NEW YORK (CBS) ― President Bush's last Veterans Day in office was spent aboard the USS Intrepid in Manhattan, where he thanked thousands of active duty troops along with the nation's veterans for their service.

With his days in office winding down, Bush said the significance of the day exemplified what he'll miss most about being President.

"I will miss being Commander-In-Chief of such a fabulous group of men and women, those who wear the uniform of the United States military," he said on a sunny, yet chilly Tuesday afternoon.

The president also laid a wreath at the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum, exactly 90 years to the day World War I ended.

"Today we send a clear message to all who have worn the uniform: Thank you for your courage, thank you for your sacrifice, and thank you for standing up when your nation needed you most," he said.

The newly-renovated and rededicated Intrepid is the most battle-scarred warship in U.S. history. It survived seven kamikaze attacks, and stood as the sacred ground where survival stories about the veterans were retold and remembered.

World War II vet Murray Gaile still has the scars from the combat he saw in Italy so many decades ago.

"I was blow into a tree by a 500 pound bomb. The hospital was four miles from the front line and the Germans bombed the hospital," he told CBS 2.

And there are, of course, new wounds to heal. More than 33,000 troops have been injured fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush said the government has doubled the amount it spends on those who've served.

"We have a moral obligation to support our families and a moral obligation to support our veterans," he said.

In the sea of faces remembering what was given and how much was lost, support was everywhere.

"The public loves the veterans in this country and they appreciate what we've done, and we love the public and that's why we've saved the country time and time again," said Sydney Siller, a World War II vet.

That same eternal gratitude especially appreciated in this time of war was amplified during the city's Veterans Day Parade held after the Intrepid ceremony.

Veterans' groups from across the country traveled to the city to participate in the parade, which stretched from 23rd Street to 56th Street on the city's east side.

The parade was first organized in 1929, and there were more than 20,000 participants this year, making it not only the oldest, but the largest parade honoring those men and women who served our country.

This year the parade's theme was "Legacy of Honor."

"To march up Fifth in front of everybody, to hear everybody say thank you especially Vietnam vets, hey, it's an honor knowing that I helped defend my country," said Vietnam veteran John Rinaldi.

Scott Winkler, who suffered a spinal cord injury in Iraq, attended the parade. He was recently named to the U.S. Paralympics.

"The biggest thing I get out of this is you're seeing our country come together, with military and civilians to honor us in one great day, and this is the greatest day of all," he told CBS 2.

And even Harold Dinzes, a 92-year-old veteran who fought in both World War II and the Korean War, took part in the parade and remembered all those not there.

"It's in honor of those who never made it back, and those few of us who are left of World War II, and all the rest that are serving at the present time," Dinzes said. "How much more can you do to honor them than being here?" 

CBS 2's Josh Landis and Magee Hickey contributed to this report.

 

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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