Last year, NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” L. Williams was floating 250 miles above Earth, indefinitely delayed on the International Space Station after Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft encountered thruster issues. Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 11, she’ll be back on solid ground—specifically, the pavement of Fifth Avenue—leading the 107th annual NYC Veterans Day Parade as its 2026 Grand Marshal.
The nation’s largest Veterans Day event will step off at 12:30 pm from Fifth Avenue and 26th Street. While the parade routinely draws over 20,000 marchers and 280 marching units, this year’s Grand Marshal brings a resume that’s literally out of this world.
From the Navy to NASA: Meet Sunita “Suni” L. Williams
Before she was making headlines for her unexpected nine-month stay aboard the ISS—which finally ended when she returned via a SpaceX Dragon on the Crew-9 mission in March 2025—Williams was a trailblazing U.S. Navy aviator.
Commissioned in 1987, she logged over 4,000 flight hours across more than 40 different aircraft before NASA tapped her for the astronaut program in 1998.
Her shift from Navy test pilot to space explorer resulted in some of the most historic milestones in NASA history. Over her three long-duration space missions, Williams achieved:
- 608 total days in space across Expeditions 14/15, 32/33, and 71/72
- 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalk time, ranking her fourth on NASA’s all-time list and holding the record for the most spacewalk time by a female astronaut
- The first marathon in space (Expedition 14/15)
- The first triathlon in space (Expedition 32/33)
Honoring her roots on Fifth Ave
Williams officially retired from NASA in 2025, making her highly anticipated appearance tomorrow a victory lap for an unparalleled career in public service.
The timing is quite fitting, too, as the announcement of her Grand Marshal status coincided with the 251st anniversary of the United States Navy. Williams stated:
It is an incredible honor to serve as Grand Marshal of the NYC Veterans Day Parade and to march alongside my fellow veterans. My time in the Navy shaped who I am and prepared me for every challenge that followed. I’m proud to join New Yorkers and Americans from around the country in honoring the service, sacrifice, and commitment of veterans from every generation.
As she marches up Fifth Avenue tomorrow in the Veterans Day Parade alongside thousands of military members, vintage vehicles, and youth cadets, spectators will be cheering for a woman who has navigated the depths of space and the skies of the Persian Gulf.
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