To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

George Raboni was 17 years old when he went to war in Vietnam. When he returned home three years later, Raboni like so many of the veterans who gathered Saturday for a celebration to mark their service, thought he would get a hero's welcome but that was not the case.

There was a lot of turbulence going on in the country," Raboni recalled.

The thank yous were slow to come because the war was unpopular, but on Saturday area veterans were recognized for their service at the Inaugural Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day.

"We had pride in ourselves and what we did to serve this country but now it is greatly appreciated that the country has come to recognize the service," Raboni said.

"This is the first day that officially by the city government and state government that they are honoring the Vietnam veterans -- long overdue," Patrick Gualtieri of United War Veterans.

For many, the event at Veteran's Plaza in Downtown Manhattan was bittersweet.

"It feels good in the sense that we are being recognized, but it has its downside of how long it always takes before we do get recognized," said Vietnam veteran Pat Toro Jr.

While those who made it home from the war were being honored, people who were killed were not forgotten. The names of the 1,741 New Yorkers who died in Vietnam were read aloud.

"It's important for me to hear the names that people do remember," said Joseph Graham of Vietnam Veterans of America.

Veterans also say they want people to remember that most of them still suffer from the scars of war.

"I left the military in '79 and to this day I still deal with the trauma of being in the military, and we are in 2010. It's a daily battle to overcome some of that trauma and it's a continuous daily battle," said Vietnam veteran Fritz Fils-Aime.

As a result, many are trying to make sure that all veterans receive the support they need while being recognized for the contributions. As part of the ceremony, men and women fighting the war on terror were also honored.

"I think we've changed the structure so that people today understand how to separate the war from the warriors and that the veterans coming home, the men and women we see coming out of the military today are hopefully going to get treatments and programs that they need," said Vietnam Veterans of America President John Rowan.