European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 06, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Back from Vietnam and a lost foot by j. King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau Nineteen year old Bob Schroeder had t had much of a War when he left most of his left foot behind in Vietnam. The Geneva Ohio native had been in the Field Only eight Day before his life was dramatically altered on May 14, 1969. Schroeder an infantryman with the army s 25th div was assigned to a fire base near cd Chi North West of Saigon. -"1 Don t think i Ever heard the name of the fire base. I was 4 there that Long Schroeder says As veterans Day approaches and he looks Back from his latest Home Aviano a Italy. Things were pretty quiet we would go but looking for the pc and Nova during the Day and set up ambushes at night. I never saw the enemy but on patrols we shot More Trees and killed More Bushes than a tree sur Geon Schroeder recalls. Things had t gone Well for his outfit on the morn ing of May 14. One patrolling Soldier had stepped on a mine and a medic going to his assistance had set off a Booby trap. Each eventually lost a leg. That afternoon Schroeder a outfit was Helicon tired into another area to Root out the elusive foe. There were Abou Juso Otus about 10 Yards apart firing while advancing in line. Next thing i knew i was flying through the air. I landed on my face. Be cause i d heard a Boom my thought was that some one had thrown a grenade. I Felt pain at the end of my leg and realized something was wrong. I rolled Over and looked Down at my left leg. The Boot was gone and Only my Little toe was left. That s a visual you will never forget Schroeder says. My first thought was what s my Girlfriend going to think of me my worst fear about going to Nam was t dying it was losing a limb. My worst fear had come v. " a chopper zipped Schroeder to a Field Hospital at cd Chi where surgery was performed. Besides his badly mangled left foot the i had a severely injured right wrist and Shrap Neun his right leg. _ when 1 awakened after the surgery the doctor said Well or. Schroeder we had to Cut your foot off those were the words i d never wanted to hear " but they had no meaning because i was so drugged up. Fine with me i thought and went Back to sleep. I Felt bad about losing the foot but never freaked but about it. 1 never Felt like it was a big loss. To this Day i Don t understand Why i Felt that Way. I never thought about the loss being my ticket Home i was just thinking about being alive Schroeder says. The wounded Soldier remained at cd Chi for Sev eral Days before being flown to Okinawa for More complicated surgery. I Don t know exactly what they did but they v stitched me up with wire sutures. When i woke up after the operation licit like a Schroeder says that during his 30-Day stay in the Okinawa Hospital he never thought about what he might not be Able to do in the future. There was a Guy in the bed next to me who had lost his right Arm. He had wanted to be a Snake Han Dler. I said that s great you la be better off with a _ one Day i saw a Guy on a Gurney taking on the phone to his mom. The Guy had no legs and Only one Arm but he kept his spirits up. I thought i be Only lost a foot a after Okinawa Schroeder spent several months in hospitals Back in the states ending up in a veterans administration Hospital in Cleveland about 50 Miles from his Hometown. He lived on the paraplegic Ward and while he Sis j. King Cruz Ltd Bob Schroeder at Aviano a Italy 25 years after he became a casualty during the Vietnam War. Found the experience depressing at least he could go Home on weekends. _ t i had a big cast on my left foot the elephant s foot i called it. For months i clamped around with a Cane and that elephant s foot leaving Little holes in the meanwhile his stump healed properly and he was outfitted with an artificial foot plus a spare one. The always had a spare. If your foot Breaks you re Down you re like a Flat on sept. 26, 1970, Schroeder was discharged As a private first class. I must be one of the oldest pfc s around. You should see the looks i get at the air terminal when they Call out pfc. Robert Schroeder chuckles the 45-year-old. Schroeder opted to take a rather than army retire mint because the a plan was a better Deal for a Low ranking Soldier i got $500 a month from the was Good Money then. I did t do anything for about a year except hang out with my buddies drink Beer and break Schroeder had joined the army after graduating from High school because he was too poor to afford. College. I thought Togo to Nam come Back and get a Job in a local factory he says. That s just what he did do after his year of bum Ming around. The factory where he toiled As a la Borer made Garden tools and shafts for Golf clubs. During the 18 months he worked there he married his High school sweetheart. Schroeder knew he could do better than his factory Job. He dreamed of becoming a helicopter Pilot. With that career in mind he went to the spartan school of aeronautics in Tulsa okla. The plan was for him to first train As a chopper Mechanic and then to get 11 License to Fly helicopters. With a assist Ance he obtained his air Frame arid Power Plant licenses but came to realize that Pilot training would be too expensive. I answered an and and went to Alaska to go turn wrenches on helicopters. Talk about an adventure i flew All Over the place. Lived on the pipeline for two months. Spent most of the time living in the Field. It would get Down to 35 below Zero with 40 knot winds. But it got Boring waiting All Day for the helicopter to return and turning wrenches All by myself at night Schroeder says. ./-."r.,./ Schroeder and his wife who had remained in Tulsa eventually divorced after haying a son Robert h. ,. Buoyed by his Success at the Tulsa school and on the pipeline Schroeder set his sights higher apply ing to enter a degree program at Embry Riddle aeronautical University. Even though Schroeder arrived in 1977 at Embry Riddle s main Campus in Daytona Beach fla., he did t earn his Bachelor of science degree in aviation maintenance management until 1982. Too much Beach there. College and Beach. Cok lege and Beach. That s Why it took so Long plus i still had my pension and some Money left from Alaska where i d been making about $28,000 a year Schroeder says. For the rest of the decade Schroeder sold Auto parts in Florida worked in Philadelphia for an air Craft engine manufacturer and then returned to Florida to work in the construction business. Along came the persian Gulf War and a Chance to work As a helicopter Mechanic for an american con tractor in saudi Arabia. I d Long had the goal of seeing War from the civil Ian Side because i never got the Chance to see the War in Vietnam. The experience of doing something were other people did t want to go was Worth after 11 months in the Middle East Schroeder transferred to Heidelberg Germany and then to Aviano a where he spent 13 months maintaining . Army ch-47 Chinook helicopters. When that Contact ended Schroeder elected to stay at Aviano on a kind of personal sabbatical. For nine months he just kicked Back taking trips and Riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle v that got old after a while says Schroeder by Way of explaining Why he went to work at Aviano teaching aircraft maintenance for Embry Riddle. For the time being Schroeder plans on staying with Embry Riddle at Aviano a place he now Calls Home but plans to eventually go Back to the states to get an Advance degree. In the Short run he d like to learn to ski. _ i now with veterans Day at hand what Are Schroeder s thoughts about that afternoon in Viet Nam that so changed his life it losing the foot was the Best thing that Ever happened to me because it opened up a lot of ave Nues. Otherwise i would have come Back from Viet Nam and i d still be making Golf shafts in that factory says Schroeder jokingly adding i can do 99 percent of the things i did before except count to 20 on my fingers and november 6,1994 sunday Page 9
