There are a few things you can count on in this world. Death, taxes and San Jose’s Veterans Day celebration.
For 108 years, the city has honored its veterans on Nov. 11 — the day of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918 — despite COVID-19 (a virtual celebration was held in 2020) and financial difficulties (a last-minute fundraising drive led by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan saved the 2024 event).
Joesph Ouellette, a 100-year-old veteran Navy officer and commander from WWII, has his picture taken with Randy Torres, a veteran Army military police officer and now San Jose police officer, during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Brian Adams, Vice President at Bellarmine College Preparatory, walks with “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive”, a non-profit initiative that preserves the legacy of the WWII generations, during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Firefights participate in San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
A WW2 era Light Tank drives past the American Flag during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
A WW2 era Light Tank drives past The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Lorenzo Galvan, left, Marine veteran from San Jose, shakes hands with Grand Marshal and Sunnyvale native U.S. Marine combat veteran A.J. Pasciuti, right, during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
(Left to right) Sons of Union Veterans of the Cilvil War Jose Silva, of Pescadero, Frank Avila, of San Jose, and Randy Hawkinson, of Salinas, do a ceremonial firing during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Boy Scouts walk in San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Military balloons are carried by Boy Scouts during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Boy Scouts walk in San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Patrick Zamora, of San Jose, carries a photograph of a World War II veteran while carrying his daughter Ava Zamora while volunteering for the second year for “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive” during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
John Albert Garcia, of San Jose and retired Army 1st infantry who served in Vietnam, salutes during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Richard Hyson, of San Jose who served in the Army in 1955, holds a flower given to him during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
People watch San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Donald Dvorak, left, of Santa Clara who served at the Navy Air Station in Alameda and now volunteers at the Moffett Field Air Museum, shows his first Navy ID card during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
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Joesph Ouellette, a 100-year-old veteran Navy officer and commander from WWII, has his picture taken with Randy Torres, a veteran Army military police officer and now San Jose police officer, during San Jose’s 107th annual Veterans Day parade in downtown San Jose in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
It’ll be no different this Wednesday when the parade — widely considered the largest Veterans Day celebration on the West Coast — rolls through the streets of downtown San Jose. The 80-plus units will include military vehicles, veterans organizations, service groups, scouts and elected officials. The San Jose State Marching Band will be participating for the first time in recent memory, and there’ll be a flyover by the 129th Rescue Squadron, which had to stand down last year because of the federal government shutdown at the time.
This year’s parade is putting a special emphasis on honoring Vietnam War veterans, though it will pay tribute to members of the armed forces from the Revolutionary War through Afghanistan. The grand marshal is retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jody Merritt, formerly with U.S. Space Command, who now runs her own Sunnyvale company, JM Astris Advisors, which consults on space and robotics-based ventures.
The Veterans Day event will begin with a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Market Street in front of the Tech Interactive. The parade will begin at noon, leaving from Barack Obama Boulevard and Santa Clara Street in front of SAP Center. Get more information at sjveteransparade.org.