SAN DIEGO — March 29 marks 51 years since the United States pulled troops out of the Vietnam War and now the date is nationally designated as Vietnam War Veterans Day.
More than 58,000 US military personnel died in the unpopular war and the men who came home did not get the homecoming they deserved.
In the first flight in the Honor Flight Network, Honor Flight San Diego is planning a historic trip by sending Vietnam-era U.S. Naval Special Warfare operators to Washington DC.
“These are the boots that I wore during training,” said Captain Bob Rohrbach, retired U.S. Navy SEAL.
As he picked the heavy steel-toed black combat boots, he showed us the hole in the back of the boot where he had a skin graft during Hell Week.
“The bond is the Hell Week. There’s nothing quite like that one year,” said Rohrbach. “We did it together. We’re a team and we’ll be teammates forever.”
SEALs were called Frogmen during World War II but during the Vietnam War, the military formed the first US Navy SEAL Team 1 and 2.
“At 12, I decided that I wanted to be a Frogman,” said Rohrbach.
He was 25 when he enlisted and served in the Underwater Demolition Team or UDT 11 in Vietnam in 1970.
“Much of it was involved, blowing turnarounds for the Riverine Force in the rivers of Vietnam or we brought explosives in and blew up the sides so that boats could turn around,” said Rohrbach.
More than 50 years later, Vietnam-era US Naval Special Warfare SEALs will be reunited for Honor Flight San Diego’s historic flight to Washington DC in April.
“It is a tall order but an honorable order,” said Holly Shaffner, Honor Flight San Diego's director of Public Relations.
This will be the first in the Honor Flight Network where 90 combat veterans will be on board, two are from the Korea War and 88 served during Vietnam. CBS 8 will follow along as the veterans visit their memorials around the nation's capitol.
“These Naval Special Warfare Operators, they did exactly what their country asked them to protect our freedoms. And we could not be more honored to take an entire flight of Naval Special Warfare Operators,” said Shaffner.
The horrors of the war erupted in the US with anti-war protests. When the troops came home, they didn’t get the homecoming they deserved.
“I really didn’t expect it. Of course, it’s always nice to have someone welcoming you. The closest I came to that was on the Apollo recoveries,” said Rohrbach.
He doesn’t talk much about the clandestine missions in Vietnam but he lights up when he talks about recovering Apollo 11, the one that put the first man on the moon and Apollo 14.
As Rohrbach shares the memories from his service, you notice he isn’t the only SEAL on the wall.
“I always thought I was never influenced. But I look back and see pictures of us in our old Sammy the SEAL and ‘Free the Frog’ t-shirts,” said Christopher Rohrabach.
Bob’s son, Captain Christopher Rohrbach, is retired now but he was one of the first SEAL teams in Iraq after 9-11.
“My dad taught me to never quit. I was trying my hardest. That you can achieve more than you think you can by focusing,” said Rohrbach.
That mentality carried on to his younger brother Captain Ed Rohrbach who served on SEAL Team 5 while in combat.
The brothers even commanded sister platoons during the Iraq war.
“I have never looked at the obstacle course as an obstacle course. It’s always a playground,” said Ed Rohrbach, Commanding Officer Navy Reserve Center, North Island.
The Rohrbach men are the first family of three captains to serve in the US Navy SEALs.
“Like most SEALs we’re ordinary guys being put into extraordinary circumstances. And we use our training to excel,” said Christopher Rohrbach.
They will join their father and the Naval Special Warfare veterans for the historic Honor Flight.
“We built the generation of Naval Special Warfare today on the shoulders of my father’s generation,” said Ed Rohrbach. “We’re constantly, standing on the shoulders of these great, courageous and amazing humans that came before us.”
There may be generational gaps among the veterans and active duty Naval Special Warfare Operators but the bond between a Navy SEAL is never broken.
“The best part is, you know, someone always has your back,” said Bob Rohrbach.
The veterans will fly to Washington D.C. on Friday April 26 and return on Sunday April 28. The public is invited to welcome the veterans in an emotional and unforgettable homecoming in the afternoon. Please track Alaska Charter Flight # 9677 arriving from Baltimore (BWI) into Terminal Two at the San Diego International Airport an arrive at least 45 minutes early.
Honor Flight San Diego is a non-profit that is fully funded by donations. Through donations the trip is no cost to the veteran. Each flight costs about $250,000. To learn more click here.
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