SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The City of Springfield held its annual Veterans Day Parade on Monday. Local and state leaders gathered to recognize local veterans. Springfield Mayor Sarno was not in attendance, because he was receiving treatment for his recent cancer diagnosis. His office says he is extremely thankful for them and their ultimate sacrifice. Among those veterans was the City of Springfield Veteran of the Year. "To be honored for doing simple things is a blessing. I've been out of the service for a long time but I continue to stay connected says Toni Hendrix, City of Springfield Veteran of the Year. She is the 4th female to be named Veteran of the Year in the City of Springfield. The parade kicked off at Springfield Technical Community College, made its way to city hall, and then ended with a wreath laying at one of the veteran's memorials. Local News Headlines Shoppers stock up early for Thanksgiving dinner City of Springfield Hosts Annual Veterans Day Parade 2 Veterans honored at parade in West Springfield Massachusetts politician react to control of congress still up in the air WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.