NEW YORK, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people marched in the annual traditional Veterans Day Parade on Sunday in New York City to honor those who served the country and mark the centenary of the end of World War I (WWI).

Reportedly the largest Veterans Day event in the country, Sunday's parade featured marchers from more than 300 units of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans of different eras wearing colorful military uniforms. They were joined by civic and youth groups, marching through Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in high spirits and amid cheerful band music.

The grand marshal of the parade was retired U.S. Army Captain Florent Groberg, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2015 by then U.S. President Barack Obama for his service in Afghanistan.

"Today it's about each other. It's about the character of this nation. It's about saying 'Thank You' ," said Groberg.

The Veterans Day is a U.S. public holiday that falls each year on Nov. 11, the day when the First World War came to an end in 1918. In other countries the day was also commemorated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, to keep memories alive about the devastating four-year war in Europe that killed an estimated 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians.

The United States joined the war on April 6, 1917 as a member of the Allied Powers with over 4 million troops, more than 116,000 of whom didn't make their way home.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday joined dozens of other world leaders in Paris, France for a series of commemorative activities marking the 100th anniversary of WWI's end.