Yonkers residents gathered Saturday morning to pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the Vietnam War, 44 years after the war’s end.

The event was made possible by the combined efforts of Mayor Mike Spano and the Department of Veteran Affairs.

City officials, veterans and their family members were invited to the Yonkers Vietnam Monument on McLean Avenue at the entrance of Coyne Park for a memorial service.

“Recognizing our veterans shouldn't be held to just one day a year,” says Spano. “It should be a year-round event. The freedoms that we practice here today even just looking at our flag is because of the sacrifices that they made."

Thirty-two names of Yonkers residents who sacrificed their lives in the war can be seen etched into the memorial stone.

The Air Force Honor Guard opened the ceremony with a march followed by the national anthem. The stone, unveiled in 2018, is dedicated to those who died in Vietnam and serves as a "Welcome Home" to all of the city's Vietnam veterans.