GREENFIELD — Franklin County residents converged on the county seat on Saturday for the annual Veterans Day parade and ceremony honoring community members who served.

Marching from Greenfield Middle School to Veterans Mall on Main Street were veterans organizations including the Marine Corps League, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Other community groups, such as the Greenfield Middle School and Greenfield High School bands, also participated, with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts handing out flags to the spectators who lined the streets.

Speaking first at the Veterans Mall ceremony was Mayor Roxann Wedegartner.

“We are gathered to honor and to thank all the women and men who are veterans of the armed services, and to acknowledge your sacrifices and those of your families and partners,” she said.

She noted that this year is the 50th anniversary of America having a complete volunteer force with no draft, as well as the 75th anniversary of the integration of women and people of color into the armed forces. After her speech, Wedegartner read a proclamation about Veterans Day written by Gov. Maura Healey.

“Thank you for serving our country to protect our tenuous democracy,” she read. “Today and every day I am grateful for you and your service.”

Northfield resident Martin Mulvihill was this year’s guest speaker.

“Being a veteran is simple. It is about service over self,” Mulvihill said. “It is about standing next to fellow service members knowing that, like me, they took an oath to defend this country and its citizens and constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Mulvihill, who served in the United States Army and National Guard, recently began working as the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp instructor at Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in Orange. He retired from his position in the Army this summer.

Mulvihill said he joined the Army immediately after high school. He comes from a military family, with his father, grandfather and great-grandfather all being veterans. As a child, Mulvihill said, he looked up to those relatives as heroes.

Mulvihill’s speech centered around the camaraderie he felt while serving in the military that only veterans can understand. He said people are often divided along the lines of politics, race and religion, but that is put aside in the service.

“Standing in formation and realizing these people are also my family, knowing no matter what differences you may have … none of that matters when you are in the thick of it,” he said.

Serving in the military, Mulvihill said, is about being willing to step up when no one else will. For him, being in the armed forces was the most rewarding experience of his life.

“You have earned the gratitude of our nation,” Mulvihill told veterans in the crowd, “and you deserve to live in peace and prosperity.”

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.