American Legion Post 220 Commander Joseph Cappella was 10 years old on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Many things have changed since Cappella, who later served in the military, watched his neighbors go off to war.

Technology certainly isn't what it used to be. And Cappella fondly recalls when it cost him 25 cents to go see a movie — "and that was two full-length movies and a cartoon!"

"But one thing that should never change," Cappella told the crowd gathered for Wareham's Veterans Day ceremony on Monday, "is our love and devotion to the veterans who came home, and the ones that didn't."

It was a sentiment echoed by both the town's leaders and the Cappella's fellow veterans.

"Veterans Day recognizes the servicemen of our country who have been fortunate enough to return home to their loved ones," said Vernon Ingraham, a World War II veteran who served as grand marshal of Wareham's Veterans Day parade. But the day also recognizes "the debt we owe to the ones who were not fortunate enough to return home."

Hundreds of people attended the ceremony.

"It's a testimonial to what the people who serve our country have done," State Rep. Susan Williams Gifford (R-Wareham) said in thanking attendees.

Gifford recognized the more than 350,000 veterans living in Massachusetts, and noted that more than 30,000 of them served in Iraq and Afghanistan since the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks.

"They make great efforts to avoid recognition," she said of the nation's newest veterans, adding that they often don't ask for help when they need it. "It is up to us to reach out to them."

Organized by Wareham residents Bob White and Sharon Boyer on behalf of the Wareham Veterans Council, the event began with a parade down Main Street to Town Hall, a ceremony in which the Board of Selectmen presented a Veterans Day proclamation to Ingraham, and ended with a luncheon for veterans and their families.

"It's really important that we recognize our veterans," said Johannes Wagner, a veteran and member of the American Legion Post 220, who served as master of ceremonies. "Obviously, we're still and war, and we're trying to get out of it."

It was truly a community celebration, a goal set — and unequivocally met — by White and Boyer.

Wareham resident Captain Paul Barnett of the U.S. Army National Guard wrote and read the opening prayer and benediction.

The parade was filled with almost every military vehicle that one could imagine, along with the Wareham High School JROTC, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops, and members of various community groups.

Veterans rode in style — in antique vehicles and other fancy cars — illustrating the overarching theme of the day: gratitude.

"We owe a debt of gratitude that we will never repay," Gifford noted. "But I know we will never stop trying."

Check back here for video of the parade!