HEROES

USMC sends Schaefer to San Diego, Hawaii

Vietnam era veteran operates Fairfax recycling business, serves on city council

FAIRFAX -- John W. Schaefer signed up to join the U.S. Marine Corps at 17 before high school graduation.

He talked about why he joined and what boot camp was like.

"It was time to do something, get out of town," he said. "It seemed everybody else was going to college, tech school or what­ever. I saw a Marine Corps ad and liked it so I decided to join. Boot camp was the toughest thing I ever did in my life. It was hell, tougher than baling hay in 100-degree weather."

Schaefer said the movie "Full Metal Jacket" was "pretty close" to how boot camp was.

"I was in boot camp in San Diego with guys that had the option from a judge of going to jail or joining the Marine Corps," he said. "Some guys said they should have gone to jail. It would have been easier. We trained hard, up early, lots of screaming and hol­lering. The Vietnam War was still going on in the fall of 1972. We trained like we were going to go, so we had to be ready and know what we were going to do."

Schaefer said he was told to work hard on his Marine Corps tests to avoid going into the infantry.

"I worked hard on the tests and got into artillery, a step higher than infantry," he said. "We trained on Howitzer 105 mm (artillery pieces) in San Diego, which was a breeze compared to boot camp. After that we went to 29 Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in the desert."

While at home on leave, he got a Marine Corps letter that he was ordered to report to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

"I thought that was pretty cool," Schaefer said. "I rode a few Navy ships out of Hawaii. I later worked a desk job for battalion supply in Hawaii. I drilled with artillery too, doing amphibious assaults from ships, but the sup­ply job was the best job I ever had there. Lots of guys got seasick on those little boats that rocked like crazy."

Schaefer said he had a range of experiences traveling in uniform in the early 1970s.

"Some people in airports spat on veterans in uniform. One time, a stewardess saw me in uniform and guided me to a first-class seating area on the airplane," he said.

Even after serving 18 months in Hawaii, he said he got his discharge and came home.

"Looking back, it wasn't that bad, but I was ready to come back home and farm," he said.

Schaefer said he keeps busy now operating a recy­cling business on the family farm. He collected vehi­cles, appliances and other household items that were sold to New Ulm Steel & Recycling for 30 years.

"It was good, year-round work," he said. "My wife Dee (Haun of Hector) and our kids recycled and farmed for many years," he said. "The kids did it until they graduated from high school."

Schaefer is in his third Fairfax City Council term. He also served on the Fairfax Fire Department and on the Cairo Township Cemetery Board which included deco­rating veterans graves for the Fairfax American Legion.

He also enjoys deer hunting with family near the family farm.

"We have 13 grandchildren so we went to lots of ball games too," said Schaefer.