Madison VA Inducts Vietnam Pilot Henry Detering

Retired Marine pilot Lt. Col. Henry Detering joins the Madison VA Hall of Heroes, honored for his service and wartime bravery.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Military

Quiet civic hall interior with an empty polished wooden display rail, bare framed niches, and a folded American flag on a stand under soft window light. — The Madison VA inducted retired Marine Lt. Col. Henry Detering, a Vietnam pilot who flew 250 missions, into its Hall of Heroes on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The Madison VA inducted Lt. Col. Henry Detering into its Hall of Heroes on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Detering, a Marine Corps pilot who flew 250 missions during the Vietnam War, is the 24th veteran so honored.

Why it matters

The induction recognizes a veteran whose service included surviving a helicopter crash in Vietnam and saving his co-pilot's life. It also highlights the Madison VA's annual tradition of honoring two veterans each year.

Detering flew 250 missions and earned 18 medals, including a Purple Heart, over 20 years in the Marine Corps. He is the 24th veteran inducted into the Madison VA Hall of Heroes, which adds two inductees each year.

The players

Madison VA

The Madison VA is the Veterans Affairs medical and benefits facility in Madison, Wisconsin, which runs the Hall of Heroes honoring veterans.

Henry Detering

Henry Detering is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War pilot who later became a school administrator in Pennsylvania.

The details

Detering's son, also named Henry Detering, spoke at the ceremony on his father's behalf because progressive supranuclear palsy has left Detering nonverbal. After retiring from the Marine Corps in 1985, Detering became a biology teacher, then an assistant principal, then a principal in a Pennsylvania school district.

1985: Detering retires after 20 years of military service.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026: Detering is inducted into the Madison VA Hall of Heroes.

Roadmap

The induction continues the Madison VA Hall of Heroes program, which has honored two veterans annually and now counts 24 inductees. Detering's selection extends that record of recognizing Vietnam-era service members who served in combat roles.

Veterans in the Madison area can look to the Hall of Heroes as an example of how their service may be formally recognized. The program's annual two-inductee process gives local families a clear model for honoring the service of loved ones.

The takeaway

Honors like the Hall of Heroes preserve individual service stories that might otherwise fade. Detering's account shows how one veteran's courage can continue to inspire years after the events themselves.