MONROE — Vietnam War veterans Roger Stauffacher and Gene Dobbins received the red-carpet treatment during Badger Honor Flights to Washington D.C., Stauffacher most recently in May.

“It was the most unbelievable, amazing day of my life,” Stauffacher said.

Stauffacher, Monroe, was an executive officer of the advanced infantry training company in the U.S. Army. He served six years in the military and had a one-year stint at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, where he trained recruits for combat during the Vietnam War.

Dobbins, Monroe, served as a machinist’s mate second class in the Navy for four years. He did two stints in Vietnam on the U.S.S. Vega AF-59, a ship that serviced other ships and aircraft carriers with supplies like food, water and equipment. Both of his stints were near the end of the Vietnam War. His second came during the fall of Saigon in April 1975.

A noticeable difference between Dobbins’ honor flight and the flight returning him to the U.S. from Vietnam decades ago was in the reception. 

“The thing about being a Vietnam veteran is we never got a welcome home,” he said. “(The Badger Honor Flight) was just the culmination of everything we had wanted when we came back from overseas when Vietnam was over. It was just very touching.”

When Dobbins returned to the airport on his way home from Vietnam, he recalls a young girl who looked like she wanted to talk with him. He knelt down to listen to her message.

“She spit in my face,” he said. “That was typical of what was going on. When I was home, I tried not to look military because I was afraid of the reception I would get. (The Badger Honor Flight) was a complete turnaround.”

The Badger Honor Flight was created to ensure World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and terminally ill veterans get the opportunity to see the memorials erected in their names as people who fought during those conflicts. While the trip is free for veterans, the total cost of a flight is roughly $95,000, according to the Badger Honor Flight website. Guardians who tag along have to pay their own $500 trip fee. 

The honor flight provides all amenities to veterans, including transportation, meals and lodging, while they are visiting Washington D.C. The hub in Madison serves veterans from Green, Lafayette, Rock, Columbia, Dane, Iowa, Jefferson, Richland, Sauk and parts of Dodge counties. 

Before flying out of the Dane County Regional Airport, Dobbins said big tanker trucks sprayed water to greet the veterans. Stauffacher recalls the band and about 40 volunteers who assisted veterans from the moment they got to Madison to their flight to D.C.

“You felt appreciated,” Stauffacher said.

The first Badger Honor Flight was in April 2010. By 2016, more than 2,100 veterans from Wisconsin had been on flights to Washington D.C. 

Both Stauffacher and Dobbins recall having traffic held up for the buses of Badger Honor Flight veterans in Washington D.C. as they toured the memorials. Both enjoyed the welcome they received from residents who would salute and honor their service.

Stauffacher graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in agriculture before enlisting in the Army. After completing his service, Stauffacher was offered a $1,500 bonus to remain in the Army.

“That was tempting because $1,500 could buy you a really nice car,” he said. “I knew if I would have stayed, I would have ended up in Vietnam. I guess I made the right decision to go home and farm.”

Stauffacher said the most interesting monument to him was the Korean War memorial with its steel statues dressed in combat gear trudging through terrain meant to look like that in Korea.

“That was how I was trained, with Korean military tactics,” he said. “It really brought back memories. That is a fantastic monument to show a platoon out on patrol.”

Dobbins recalls the special mail he got on the Badger Honor Flight on his way home. A few weeks before his trip, his wife contacted his sister to write him a note he could open on the return flight. He read the note, which came about one week after his sister died.

“It was like getting a message from the grave,” Dobbins said. “She told me how proud she was of me and how glad she was that I was her brother, and I was totally shocked. The most touching note I got was from my sister.”

Stauffacher recalls getting back to Madison late with more than 400 people, a band and honor guard on hand to welcome them home.

“People were just unbelievable with their appreciation of veterans,” Stauffacher said. 

Both Dobbins and Stauffacher recommend veterans take the opportunity to go on the Badger Honor Flight.

“Don’t even think about it, just do it,” Dobbins said. “It’s totally worth it. They will never be sorry they did.”

Stauffacher wants every veteran to get a chance to experience the trip. There is a two-year waiting list, but World War II veterans and those fighting illness and health issues are given top priority.

“I would recommend that all veterans go on an honor flight,” Stauffacher said. “Be sure to get on one. It will be the most amazing experience of your life.”