Badger Honor Flight now accepts applications from veterans who served between Dec. 7, 1941, and July 31, 1991, regardless of whether they served overseas or saw combat. Newly eligible veterans are expected to begin flying in 2027, and applications are already being accepted through the organization's website.

The expansion addresses a long-standing concern among volunteers: many veterans assume they do not qualify because they never served in a war zone. Cathy Andrews, a Navy veteran who served aboard a hospital ship during the Vietnam War, said she frequently encounters that misconception.

"I've talked to people and they say, I didn't go abroad, I wasn't in Nam, I wasn't in the war zone," Andrews said. "The way the military works, everybody has a job that's contributing to the cause, no matter where you are."

Andrews took her own Honor Flight in 2024, more than five decades after her service. She recalled caring for a wounded Marine who, despite his injuries, managed a joke.

"He said, ma'am, you better step away because you might get sprayed. And his whole chest was just holes, shrapnel," she said.

Even during her Honor Flight, Andrews said, someone questioned whether she belonged among veterans—pointing to the red shirt reserved for those who have served.

"The fellow behind me said, you're wearing red. That's for veterans. And I said to him, I am a veteran," she recalled. "So, it carried over to 2024 that women were not there. So, I'm a rarity."

The trip, she said, gave her a chance to reconnect with her military experience and share stories with her daughter, who accompanied her and learned details of her mother's service she had never known. Andrews now volunteers with Badger Honor Flight and hopes more veterans will receive the same recognition.

Phil Ingwell, who served in the Army and Air National Guard for more than two decades and has volunteered with the organization for years, initially hesitated to apply himself.

"I wasn't going to because of the non-war, but a friend of mine on Facebook who I joined the military with 48 years ago has signed up," Ingwell said. "So, we're going to try to get on the same flight and experience this together."

Through his volunteer work, Ingwell has witnessed emotional homecomings, particularly for Vietnam veterans who received little recognition when they first returned. He recalled a letter describing one such welcome.

"One person said 64 years of anger disappeared after being welcomed home," Ingwell said.

For veterans still unsure whether their service merits the trip, Andrews offered a direct answer.

"My answer would be, you were important, just like they are. Everybody had a job to do. You did your job. And this is a thank you that you do deserve," she said.

Veterans can learn more and apply at badgerhonorflight.org.