In downtown Raleigh, generations of veterans were honored at the 23rd annual Wake County Veterans Day Parade.
Thousands of spectators turned out to see 72 units march and roll down the 1-mile parade route.
More than 250 veterans participated in the parade down Salisbury Street.
A ceremony at the Veterans Monument on Capitol Square included a flyover by F-15 fighters from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, a speech by Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., adjutant general of the N.C. National Guard and a concert by the Enloe High School band.
A replica of the Vietnam Wall will be erected on the Capitol grounds, and an exhibit from "Camp Flintlock" on 18th century military life will be on display.
Members of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at North Carolina State University marked the day with several events, including an 11-hour vigil at NCSU's
Memorial Bell Tower
that concluded with a wreath-laying ceremony.
"The 11 hours signifies Veterans Day, which was formed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918," said Alex MacPhail of the Air Force ROTC.
ROTC members kept vigil over a single flame and POW/MIA flag reminding them of those who have served before.
"It is to remember the POWs and the MIAs as well as all of the veterans. The flag is often symbolic of veterans in general, so we use it for that reason," MacPhail said.
Before sunrise, 400 cadets ran down Hillsborough Street in the annual Warrior Run.
"It's just to say thank you to the 48 million men and women who over the past 227 years have fought for this county," MacPhail said.
NCSU's monument serves as a memorial to 34 alumni killed during World War I.
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