NORTHAMPTON — Stanley Fil was born in 1921 in Hadley, the town he has lived in all his life, to parents who originally immigrated from Poland in 1909. Eight years after Fil’s birth, Northampton named a one-acre park in its central downtown Pulaski Park in honor of Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman who served in George Washington’s Continental Army.

Now Fil, 103, was in Pulaski Park on Monday after serving as grand marshal for Northampton’s 35th annual Pulaski Parade, celebrating Hampshire County residents of Polish heritage and the memory of Pulaski as an early Polish-American hero. The event was organized by the Polish Heritage Committee of Northampton, a group Fil has been affiliated with since its inception.

“It’s a big surprise,” said Fil on being named this year’s grand marshal. “I never thought it would be me.”

The parade left from the St. Valentine’s Polish National Catholic Church on King Street following a morning Mass and made its way to Pulaski Park in a 30-minute procession. Women outfitted in traditional Polish dress and bands dressed in American Revolutionary War costumes lent color to the festivities of the day, capped by a wreath-laying to a monument to Pulaski in the park named after him, with Nick Simmons of Hadley in costume as the Polish brigadier general.

Richard Pinkos, a former high school teacher in Ludlow who currently works as a financial adviser and vice chair for the board of directors at the Polish Center for Discovery and Learning in Chicopee, served as the keynote speaker for the post-parade event. Pinkos spoke about the life of Pulaski, and how he, a Polish nobleman in his 20s, came to serve the cause for American independence and become known as the “Father of the American Cavalry.”

“Pulaski’s father led a movement opposing Russian control of Poland. Casimir and his two brothers sharpened their military skills as they actively participated in the resistance movement,” Pinkos said. “Unfortunately Casimir Pulaski, in large part due to his temper, was never fully accepted or trusted by the leaders of the Polish resistance. Pulaski left Poland in 1772, never to return, and went to France, where he was introduced to Benjamin Franklin.”

Pulaski served in the army under George Washington and is believed to have saved Washington’s life during the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania. Pulaski was later given his own cavalry legion of troops and fought against the British in the southern United States, but was killed by a grapeshot wound while fighting in Savannah, Georgia, in 1779.

In 2009, then-U.S. President Barack Obama posthumously granted Pulaski honorary American citizenship. That honor has only been given to eight other people in history, including Pulaski’s fellow Revolutionary War soldiers Bernardo de Galvez and the Marquis de Lafayette.

“Pulaski is remembered as being recklessly brave and fanatically dedicated to causes for which he fought,” Pinkos said. “He was, no doubt, a great inspirational leader and truly worthy of the title ‘Father of the American Cavalry.’”

Easthampton City Councilor J.P. Kwiecinski, who emceed the speaking portion of the event, told those gathered that the best way they could honor Pulaski’s memory was to cast their votes in the November election.

“Casimir Pulaski fought, believed and died for our freedom,” Kwiecinski said. “Democracy is what it’s all about, everyone. Please take that honor very seriously and go vote.”

Also on hand for Monday’s parade was Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, Hampshire County Sheriff Patrick Cahillane, Northampton Police Chief John Cartledge and state Sen. Jo Comerford, who presented a citation signed by her and Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka recognizing the Polish Heritage Committee of Northampton for its 35 years of service. Kwiecinski also read a proclamation from Gov. Maura Healey marking the celebration of Pulaski’s life.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.