Five World War II veterans will serve as grand marshals of this year's San Diego Veterans Day Parade Tuesday, organizers said.
This year's parade features an emphasis on World War II, marking 80 years since the war's end. The veterans range in age from 98 to 103.
The parade will include almost 80 participants, bands, floats and local veterans, military and civic groups.
Veterans Day this year comes amid a weeks-long federal government shutdown that led to some local events being scaled-back or canceled.
Veterans Day ceremonies at Miramar National Cemetery are canceled due to the shutdown. Fleet Week San Diego canceled its Veterans Day Boat Parade and, while not a Veterans Day-specific event, was forced to scale-back its Broadway Pier activities after the Navy and Marine Corps said they would no longer participate.
Other San Diego Veterans Day observances will continue as planned including the annual Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial ceremony and a parade and festival in Escondido.
Several cities will hold their own observances including Chula Vista, El Cajon and Oceanside, among others.
The San Diego Veterans Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday with the route running south down Harbor Drive from the County Administration Center to the USS Midway Museum.
