Crowds gathered at the Port of Rochester on Veterans Day for a final gathering of a special ceremony. 

Since the mid-'90s, people have gathered at the beach for the Battle of the Bulge ceremony. It honors veterans who served under General George S. Patton's Third Army as it broke through the German army in France toward the end of World War II. Those heroes withstood subzero arctic chill for six weeks in France and liberated the survivors of Hitler's concentration camps.

When the tribute began, there were 99 men and women who would stand and salute. Some years later, only four men remain and stood for a final time to be recognized for their service.

The veteran who was one of those to start the annual event says nature has taken its course.

"It's been very self-satisfying, I guess. It gives them a little recognition of what they did some 75 years ago. Recognition is something everybody likes, I guess," said Jack Foy. 

"They're heroes, these men. The conditions they had to fight in and what they went through, to me it's always been amazing," said Robert Lapone of Hilton. I've heard so many stories, about my uncle, a man I never met, but him and five brothers, my father included, went to World War II together. He's the only one who didn't come home."

The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge was one of the longest continuously held ceremonies for veterans of World War II in the area.