( CNN ) -- Americans around the world paused Thursday to pay tribute to the country 's military veterans and honor their ongoing sacrifices in Afghanistan , Iraq and elsewhere . Vice President Joe Biden led remembrances at the Veterans Day National Ceremony in Virginia 's Arlington National Cemetery , participating in a wreath-laying ceremony under clear blue skies at the Tomb of the Unknowns . `` I look out at all of you who have served our nation ... and I see the most tested among us , the most tested of all Americans , '' Biden said . The more than 23 million surviving veterans today are `` the heart and soul , the very spine of this nation , '' the vice president added . Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki , a retired U.S. Army general , called it a day for `` promises that returning warriors will not bear their wounds alone . '' They will be `` embraced and cared for by a grateful nation , '' he declared . President Barack Obama , participating in the G-20 economic summit in South Korea , marked the day with a visit to the U.S. Army garrison in Yongsan , near Seoul . In remarks to U.S. military personnel and their families , the president praised both American and South Korean troops who fought during the 1950-53 Korean War . `` Their service , through six decades , is a powerful reminder that security , democracy , and prosperity reinforce each other , '' he said . Other civilian and military leaders also took part in ceremonies honoring veterans . Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was scheduled to assist in a wreath-laying and deliver remarks at the Coast Guard 's World War I Memorial in Arlington . Countless mourners made their way past the Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall . Parades and commemorations -- large and small , boisterous and quiet -- were held in cities and towns across the country . Birmingham , Alabama , was scheduled to hold its 63rd annual Veterans Day parade . Concerts were planned in Durham , North Carolina ; Bath , New York ; and Tucson , Arizona , according to the Department of Veterans Affairs . New Haven , Connecticut , prepared to hold its third annual Veterans Run/Walk . Twenty-five veterans were scheduled to take the oath of citizenship at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery in Texas , the VA noted . Over three million disabled veterans played a prominent role in this year 's remembrances . On Wednesday , ground was broken for a new monument in Washington -- the Americans Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial . The memorial , to be located on 2.4 acres near the U.S. Capitol , will center around a star-shaped reflecting pool with an eternal flame . Roberto `` Bobby '' Barrera , a severely injured Vietnam-era Marine who now heads the Disabled American Veterans , called the groundbreaking `` a direct reflection of all disabled veterans and their journeys that began when they answered the call to duty . '' `` Those journeys continue throughout their honorable service , through the trauma of injuries , and it continues today through their recovery and their renewal of purpose . '' Veterans Day originated as a commemoration of Armistice Day , which marked the conclusion of World War I . President Woodrow Wilson , America 's commander-in-chief during the conflict , called it a day to `` be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country 's service . '' CNN 's Alan Silverleib , Lindy Royce and Paul Courson contributed to this report .
NEW : Ground was broken annual for a new memorial honoring disabled veterans . VP Joe Biden led Veterans Day remembrances at Veterans Day . President Barack Obama marked Arlington National Cemetery at a U.S. military base in U.S. . Parades and ceremonies were scheduled in cities and towns across U.S. .