LYNN – City officials, citizens and members of the armed services from World War II to the global war on terror gathered at City Hall Monday to thank and to pledge support to veterans.”We pause today to honor and remember ? but saying thank you is not the extent of our obligation; it is only the beginning,” Michael Sweeney, director of Lynn Veterans Services, said Monday at a ceremony to commemorate Veterans Day. “The fact that caring for veterans may be difficult or even expensive does not excuse us from that obligation.”City officials held the annual Veterans Day Ceremony in Lynn Auditorium at City Hall. The event gathered a wide representation of citizens, demonstrating the effect of veterans and the military on the city.High school students participating in the Lynn English High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps joined World War II veteran and prisoner of war Mitch Ramonas onstage as he led the Pledge of Allegiance.Veterans young and old stood and saluted as the Lynn Public School Band played a medley of service songs.Citizens of all ages stood silent during taps.”It is an honor to stand up before you as a veteran, a resident and as a city councilor,” Ward 6 Councilor Peter Capano said. “Today we stand together as a city and as Americans to honor those who have served.”Speakers all praised the city’s commitment to veterans and those currently serving in the military through providing services and organizing and supporting events for veterans.Sweeney presented certificates to three individuals who helped organize September’s Veterans Appreciation Parade: parade Grand Marshal David Solimine Sr.; John Sacherski, parade committee chairman and commander of VFW Post 1240 in Swampscott; and Amonique Wint, cadet commander of the Lynn English JROTC.Sweeney spoke of Operation Tribute, a new municipal campaign to upgrade city monuments, plaques and memorial squares dedicated to veterans.Speakers also thanked civilians who attended and supported such events.Sacherski spoke of the importance of this community support, recalling how so many Vietnam veterans “hid in closets and hid in barrooms” because they were treated so poorly when returning from duty.”If anybody needs to be celebrated, the vets need to be celebrated,” Sacherski said he decided. So he helped to organize appreciation parades in Swampscott and Lynn that were attended by thousands.”Right now, as we sit here today, young men and women are serving in Afghanistan,” Sweeney reminded attendees. “I think they would be proud with the way veterans and the military have been honored in the city of Lynn.”Suey “Johnny” Hung Mah, a World War II Army veteran, said he was appreciative of the city’s support.”They all say thank you, thank you,” he said of officials and citizens. “It makes me so happy. I love to be here.”Matthew Coppinger, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, said events such as the parade and the ceremony demonstrate how much attitudes to the military and veterans has improved since the Vietnam era.”To hear these guys talk about how they came home and how terrible it was, it’s just a huge change,” Coppinger said.