The two things Colt Romberger and his father, Clifford Romberger, had most in common, the ones that made them best friends as well as father and son, were a deep affection for horses and an equally deep pride in having served their country in times of war. So, when Clifford, a Vietnam War veteran and onetime wrangler of horses on Hollywood film sets, died in 2015 of a brain disease doctors attributed to his exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange, his son knew there was but one way to honor him: He would saddle up his horse and ride it from the Pacific Ocean to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC.

Staff Sergeant Clifford Romberger was born March 18, 1947 and grew up in Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. Clifford’s early days were spent around horses and cattle while working the family ranch. In 1967, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, but instead he enlisted in the Air Force and served at Da Nang AB, Vietnam for one year ending November 1971. In addition to his primary role as an air craft analyst, he performed a myriad of duties including perimeter guard duty, helicopter door gunner on downed pilot recovery missions, delivering payroll to off-site base camps, etc. During his tour in Vietnam is where Clifford was exposed to Agent Orange.

After returning home from Vietnam, Clifford trained horses for movies and television productions. He was extensively involved in numerous films, TV shows, documentaries and reenactment events such as Civil War battles, etc. It’s safe to say that Clifford’s life-long experiences had a lasting and positive impact on his son, Colt. While Colt attended high school, he and Clifford, due to their special horse-riding abilities, were hired to work on Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Patriot”. They both appeared in numerous scenes with Colt having a small speaking role. This unique experience inspired Colt to attended the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood graduating in 2005 and later joining the U.S. Air Force in May 2007, volunteering for deployment in Bagdad, Iraq in 2009.

In 2011, Clifford had a car accident and that’s when he admitted something was very wrong. Colt’s family took him to the VA Hospital in Pennsylvania, and it was discovered that Clifford had a brain disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Sadly, it took the VA one year to diagnose his disease and that it was caused by Agent Orange. On Father’s Day 2012, Clifford had a major episode resulting in losing his ability to walk and was placed in an assisted living facility. These types of facilities across the country, including Veterans’ homes, were not always able to provide frequent off-site activities due to a shortage of personnel. Clifford missed being around his horses so Colt and his sister took him for the last time to be with horses again before he passed away in September, 2015.

It was during the last year of Clifford’s life that the idea for Colt to ride his horse across America, a dream his father always wanted to do, was realized. Colt dubbed Expedition Orange in memory of his father and all Vietnam veterans who suffer from Agent Orange associated afflictions. In 2017, Colt devoted every ounce of energy to his new mission, starting with establishing a tax deductible 501 (c) 3 organization, seeking contributions, meeting with key Veteran organizations such as Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, etc. including creating a documentary, with all surplus funds going to support Veterans who suffer from toxic exposure related disorders in Veteran homes.