Nearly 50 years after the Vietnam War, veterans in the Rio Grande Valley now have something new to look forward to.

For the first time ever, the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery now has a special monument dedicated to Vietnam War veterans.

"That was a largely thankless, and negatively viewed war by the American population during that time frame, and those veterans that had to answer that call, that had to do their job and volunteer, they went to duty, and they came back facing adversity. They didn't come back to open arms or receiving benefits," Marine Corps veteran Patrick Roberts said.

The long-awaited memorial was donated by Boulder Design and paid for through donation funds.

The cost for monuments like this typically range around $20,000, but to veterans like Roberts, it's priceless.

"The time, the labor, all of that to make this happen is just beautiful, because it just goes to show the community's response to this, and that there are those who still love all of our veterans and want to make sure that they are thanked and recognized for their service," Roberts said.

What makes it even more special is it's the first and only war monument currently standing at the RGV State Veterans Cemetery.

The cemetery will hold a Memorial Day service on Monday, May 27 at 9 a.m. in Mission, and it's open to the community.