There lies a fallen soldier. No, there lies my son.
There lies a fallen sailor. No, there lies my daughter.
There lies a fallen Marine. No, there lies my brother.
There lies a fallen airman. No, there lies my…
By Alex Berger
The Last Full Measure of Devotion
There lies a fallen soldier. No, there lies my son.
There lies a fallen sailor. No, there lies my daughter.
There lies a fallen Marine. No, there lies my brother.
There lies a fallen airman. No, there lies my sister.
There lies a fallen reservist. No, there lies my husband.
There lies a fallen National Guards man. No, there lies my father.
There lies a fallen peacekeeper. No, there lies my mother.
They all are someone’s loved one – and not just a uniform. – Wilmont Brady
On May 31 we celebrate another Memorial Day to honor our war dead who died fighting in America’s wars.
According to Department of Defense records, there were approximately 4,000 deaths during the Revolutionary War; 2,000 in the War of 1812; 13,000 in the Mexican War; 1,000 in the Indian Wars; 497,821 in the Civil War; 11,000 in the Spanish-American War; 116,000 in World War I; 406,000 in World War II; 55,000 in the Korean conflict; 109,000 in the Vietnam era; and 4,354 in the first Gulf War.
These figures do not include the number of war dead from smaller skirmishes such as those in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Bosnia and the current war in Iraq, which has topped the 610 mark.
We should remember the supreme sacrifices they made and give thanks to all these soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and others who gave their lives in defense of this nation and the principals on which it stands. We should also pay special homage to the members of our military who fought in many wars, on many battlefields, were honorably discharged and lived out their lives as civilians and subsequently passed on.
One such hero was Little Neck’s Gary Schiller. When he died, one of his obituaries simply read: “S. Gary Schiller, 82, died on March 25, 1999 at Long Island Jewish Hospital. He was a resident of Little Neck.”
This brief narrative shortchanged Schiller, who was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II. He was also a community, religious and Boy Scout leader, a true inspiration to all who knew him.
When I first began my “Berger’s Burg” column several years ago I was assigned to interview Schiller, who had been chosen the grand marshal of a Douglaston Memorial Day Parade. I was very impressed by this man with the many medals dangling from his chest.
He asked that I join him in the parade when he learned I was also a veteran of the Korean War. When the marching was over, Schiller requested that I march with him in future parades, and quite often I did.
Who was this Schiller? I learned that he was born in Brooklyn on Jan. 26, 1917. During the Great Depression he quit school to help support his family. He went on to become a successful salesman. When World War II broke out, Schiller was drafted into the Army and became a highly decorated combat soldier.
He participated in the initial Normandy invasion of France and was wounded six days later. Schiller spent six painful months in the hospital after removal of shrapnel pieces from his back and was sent back to the United States for further recuperation.
Following his medical discharge, Schiller never forgot his fellow veteran. He visited the sick and wounded in VA hospitals throughout New York City and attended their funerals, where he stood in final salute.
He marched in veterans’ parades, spoke out for them and championed veterans’ rights. He wore his uniform proudly. During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American invasion of Normandy, France in 1994, Schiller was invited to participate and meet former President Bill Clinton.
As per his wish to be with the soldiers he loved, he characteristically died four days after spending a weekend in New Paltz, N.Y., visiting handicapped veterans. A tribute for him was held at the Douglaston Manor. The Boy Scouts held another award ceremony in his honor. All well deserving to a man who served his country and community so well.
(Post script: In 1980, 35 years after he dropped out of school, Schiller decided to return to school and enrolled at Queens College. He received a bachelor’s degree 2 1/2 years later, graduating cum laude.
During the last four years of his life, Schiller had also been a substitute teacher at IS 67 in Little Neck.)
In his farewell address at West Point in the early ’60s, Gen. Douglas MacArthur spoke of three sacred responsibilities of a soldier: duty, honor and country. Schiller fulfilled all three willingly, selflessly and admirably.
Sleep well, S. Gary Schiller and all the other veterans who preceded and followed him, as well as the young heroes who perished fighting in Iraq. Let’s not forget them.
As former President Calvin Coolidge once said, “The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.”
Don’t you agree that everyday should be Memorial Day in our hearts?
Reach columnist Alex Berger by e-mail at timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 140.
