The 9th annual Veterans Parade takes place in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- All of Philadelphia and those of us here at 6abc proudly saluted our military veterans ahead of Veterans Day.

The city's ninth annual Veterans Parade marched through the streets on Sunday!

Festivities kicked off at noon at Juniper and Market streets and ended at 5th and Market streets.

More than 100 organizations took part in this year's celebration and roughly 4,000 marchers were in the streets.

The event was all to honor the service and sacrifice of those who give so much to this country.

"Uncle Sam wanted me, so I went to serve," recalled Vincent from Northeast Philadelphia, describing his journey to the military.

Vincent, who is 81 years old, joined the military in 1966. It's a time he says he will never forget.

"When I was in the service, we used to change our uniform as soon as we could," he said. "But now people appreciate us. I think that's good."

6abc is a proud sponsor of the Veterans Parade, which was hosted by Alicia Vitarelli and Sharrie Williams this year.

"Being here along the parade route, it's amazing. All the families we meet, the stories we hear, we're so grateful to the service members, the men and women," said Williams.

Williams' grandfather served in the Vietnam War. Like many of us, she felt a very special connection to the event.

"I've had it for quite some time, I thought, I'm going to wear my dad's shirt today," said Diane Malone from Germantown.

Malone is the daughter of a Navy veteran and the wife of an army veteran. She says the parade is something she'll never miss.

"They should all be honored, they protect us," said Malone.

The event is much more than just a parade. There were food trucks, live music, job resources, and more.

"It's just really special to see the old timers, we got 100-year-olds, 103-year-olds, then we got young people. This is truly a spectacular day to bring your kids out and watch what freedom is," commented Chef Robert Irvine, another host at the event.