EL PASO, Texas -- Every year on Nov. 11, we honor our heroes for all they did and continue to do for our country, but more than four decades ago one group of servicemen and women never got the homecoming they had hoped for.

Veteran J.R. Dawson recalls what it was like fighting in the Vietnam War. "It was a 60- pound ruck sack that I carried every day of my life,” Dawson said. “I was in the field for three to seven weeks at a time." Dawson said he enjoyed being in the field with other infantry soldiers.

He knew joining the Army in 1956 came with several responsibilities, but only one he embraced on his own.

"Nobody ever printed it up and handed it to me but as far as I was concerned my job was to get the kids back home,” added Dawson.

Not everyone appreciated Vietnam veterans in the 1960s and 1970s, but despite the hostility, Dawson, who was a platoon sergeant, continued fighting with his head held high. "The year went by pretty quick. I personally believe I had the best job in the United States Army in Vietnam."

Unlike the homecomings our heroes receive now, for Dawson and his comrades there was resentment. "One of the big things we didn't have from Vietnam was -- 'we're glad you're back.' There were no parades."

That's why now, he along with other Veterans actively involved with the Vietnam Veterans of America organization (VVA), their slogan, "never again will one generation of veterans ignore another," Dawson said with confidence.

The organization dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans attends homecomings and deployments. The El Paso VVA group also remembers those missing in action and the POW's from the Vietnam conflict through a table ceremony.

"Each thing on the table has some sort of significance,” said Dawson. "The glass is inverted indicating that he's not there. There's a slice of lemon on the plate indicating the bitterness of their fate." Salt sprinkled on the plate indicates the tears endured by the thousands who never made it back home and their families who seek answers.

Nearly 60,000 servicemen and women died in the Vietnam War or are missing in action.