Even a half-century after the end of the Vietnam War, Stephen Rosedale still remembers what it felt like trudging through rice paddies with his fellow U.S. soldiers in oppressive heat and humidity, slogging through thigh-high mud as leeches crawled up their legs.

Nearly 400 people — most of whom were Vietnam veterans — gathered on the 50th anniversary of the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam War.

Veterans and officials gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to honor those who served during the Vietnam War.