David Schroeder, Korean War Veteran, U.S. Army
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DAVID SCHROEDER
By Missy Klatt
Korean War Veteran, David Schroeder, was drafted into the United States Army and like many others spent his time in Europe during the conflict. Schroeder who grew up near Downsville, has lived most of his life in rural Downing.
Schroeder was 21 years old when he got drafted and was newly married to Shirley Ludtke when his number came up. “I was married when I went in. We got married in May of (19)51 and in January 1st of (19)52 I was in the service.” He served all of 1952, 1953 and part of 1954.
Basic training for Schroeder was at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Schroeder states that they trained down there with the thought that they were going to Korea. He doesn’t know if it was the fact that he was married but instead of getting shipped over to Korea, Schroeder was sent to Europe. “So I spent my time in Europe, in Germany and Austria.” noted Schroeder.
While in Europe Schroeder was in the 969th Engineer Battalion. He worked mainly in the motor pool taking care of trucks and machinery. He also ran a lot of the equipment, “cats and loaders and trucks.” They were building roads for the newly constructed military camps in Germany and Austria.
Besides maintaining and driving the equipment Schroeder also taught others how to drive the equipment. He explains, “back then those trucks were old, it was back in the fifties, they didn’t have these sink or mesh transmissions like they got now, you had to double clutch and I had to learn a lot of those guys how to drive them.” he chuckles. “I worked with trucks all the time (before going into the service) at the quarry and I knew how to do it, so I had to learn those guys how to drive them d** trucks, they was big trucks.”
“I don’t really brag about being in Korea because I wasn’t there.” During his training in Fort Leonard Wood they learned how to build bridges, the Bailey Bridges that were temporary bridges used when troops needed to cross a river. This is what he thought he’d be doing in Korea until they shipped him to Europe instead.
David Schroeder stands in front of one of the many trucks that he drove during his military service while stationed in Austria.
One of the best things for Schroeder being in the service was that he got to see a lot of the country in Germany and Austria. He tells of going on R and R near Berchtesgaden, they used to go up there on weekends for relaxation. Berchtesgaden was up in the mountains and it is the town near where Adolph Hitler had a big outfit with large barracks and his infamous “Eagle’s Nest”. They were allowed to go up there and stay for a weekend for free.
He also appreciated that fact that he learned so much about the various equipment while in the service which helped when he was discharged. Before he went in the service he drove truck but when he got out he was able to put his shovel loader and bulldozer experience in to play. He worked at the quarry and several other construction outfits over the ensuing years when he first got out of the Army. Schroeder tells of opening up the quarry that is off of County Road W south of Downing. Later Schroeder farmed and milked cows for many years.
The worst thing about being in the service for Schroeder was being away from home for that long and of course missing his wife. “We didn’t have no money to do nothing with really.” He tells of first being in the service and only getting $70 a month, part of which, was automatically sent home to Shirley. “So I never had any money, hardly.” Schroeder couldn’t remember for sure, but he stated that they sent 20 or 30 percent of his pay check home. After he made corporal, Schroeder said that he made a little more money most of which he saved because he didn’t really go anywhere or have anything to spend it on.
When he got out of the service Schroeder explained that they gave him $300 mustering out pay plus if you had any time coming that you didn’t use for vacation, you got paid for that so when Schroeder left the Army he had about $450. “That’s how we bought this farm up here.” (Just north of Downing). “I got a GI loan from the bank at 4 percent and they gave us the $6,500 I needed to buy that.” He said that was for 80 acres and he had to pay back $40 a month.
Schroeder’s two older brothers, Edward and Donald were both in World War II. Edward enlisted in WWII and fought in the Pacific islands, with Okinawa being the last island he was on. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that Donald, who also enlisted, was in Germany.
Schroeder who is 92 years old, remarks, “I’ve had a good life.”