Veteran’s journey to ‘Vietnam Wall’ hits roadblock over Real ID
Shay Lawson
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Robert Leon Wendler, a Vietnam veteran, is facing trouble in his efforts to attend an Honor Flight to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or ‘Vietnam Wall’ in September.
“When I first came home from Vietnam, we weren’t welcomed home,” Wendler said. “It was a very difficult thing for most of us Vietnam vets. Because of that, there are organizations out there that make it right by honoring Vietnam veterans and taking them free of charge to the Vietnam Wall.”
But Wendler can’t fly. He said he doesn’t have a REAL ID, now required for domestic air travel under Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines that took effect May 7, 2025.
“According to the rules, I have to have a REAL ID. I cannot get a REAL ID without my birth certificate,” Wendler said. “My birth certificate is under Robert Leon Jones. I can’t even get a copy of that because I can’t prove that that’s who I was.”
Wendler said he was born in Orange, California in 1950 as Robert Leon Jones. After his mother remarried in the 1960s, he began using the last name Wendler — the name he used to enlist in the military and for nearly every document since.
He said he was never legally adopted.
“The irony is, is that they didn’t ask me for a REAL ID when they put me on an airplane and sent me to Vietnam,” Wendler said.
Now to get his original birth certificate, he said he’s been told he must legally change his name back to Jones — and then begin the process again to return to Wendler.
“It’s a very time consuming and relatively expensive process,” Wendler said.
He said he’s reached out to local congressional offices and the DMV, but said help has been limited.
Beyond the Honor Flight, Wendler said his inability to fly is affecting his job.
He is the west coast regional director at Custom Canines, a nonprofit that places service dogs with veterans, over 400 in the past 15 years.
“If somebody is in a crisis, I need to be able to get to them,” Wendler said. “Right now, the government that I served is not helping me take care of my brothers and sisters.”
According to the California DMV, those who need a REAL ID must present a certified U.S. birth certificate or valid U.S. passport. If names don’t match, a legal name change document is required.
News Channel 3 has reached out to the DMV to find out if it can expedite a Real ID application and is waiting for a response.
Wendler said he understands there’s a process — but time is running out.
“I need to go to pay my respects,” Wendler said. “Then they fly me back home. But when you come home, there’s generally anywhere from 200 to 500 people waiting there for you to give you the welcome home that we never got.”
Wendler can be contacted directly at bob@customcanines.org
Stay with News Channel 3 for the full story at 10 and 11 p.m.