Iraq:  Soldier Spends 14 Years With Same Unit

U.S. Army
Sgt. 1st Class David J. Schumacher
Soldier Spends 14 years with Same Unit

   

SSG Jimmy Swanson (left) converses with SFC David J. Schumacher after a patrol on March 7, 2005

  

By U.S. Army Spc. Matthew McLaughlin
10th Mountain Division

   CAMP LIBERTY, Baghdad, March 10, 2005 - In the “here today, deployed tomorrow” world of Fort Drum, N.Y., home of the 10th Mountain Division, there are a few unchanging facts of life: the winters are unbearably cold, deployment tempo is high and “Sergeant Shu” is with 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment.

   Since enlisting April 1991, Sgt. 1st Class David J. Schumacher, a platoon sergeant with B Company, 2-14 Inf., has been with the “Golden Dragons,” one of the most deployed battalions in the most deployed division since 1985. In fact, the last time the unit deployed without Schumacher was 1967 in Vietnam.

   “The fact that he’s been in 2-14 for 14 years, that’s an oddity,” said Sgt. Todd Stoner. “That just doesn’t happen.”
   Schumacher, a native of Easton, Pa., arrived at Fort Drum in April 1991 as part of a cohort unit, meaning a majority of his company from basic training was stationed together at Fort Drum. The years passed and soldiers came and went, but Schumacher remained, even after all his fellow cohort soldiers left.

   “A lot of them got out around the same time,” Schumacher said. “I made a lot of great friends. I kind of had to make whole new friends.”

   The 10th Mountain Division’s history of deployments, or rather the history Schumacher was a part of, initially prevented Schumacher from moving to a new duty station. His first deployment was a humanitarian mission to aid Floridians after Hurricane Andrew in 1991. He returned for a stabilization period only to deploy again in 1992 to Haiti. He deployed again in 1993 to Somalia, where 2-14 Inf. soldiers aided Rangers under assault in the battle made famous by “Blackhawk Down.” His fourth deployment in four years, another trip to Haiti, sealed the deal for him. He was a Golden Dragon for life.

   “It seemed like every time it came time to move, stabilization came up,” Schumacher said. “If we’re not the most deployed unit in the Army, we’re close. The water doesn’t get stale around here.”

   Eventually family life deterred Schumacher from reassignment. He met his wife, Robin Whitmore, a native of Brownville, N.Y. They married in 1993 and have two children, Michael and David. After seven years without a change of duty station, the Schumachers bought a house in Brownville in 1998. Regardless of a possible change of duty station, Schumacher said he will probably retire there.

   “I felt it was a real comfortable place,” he said. “I would like to remain at Fort Drum. Who knows what’s on the horizon?”

   More deployments were on the horizon for Schumacher after Somalia. He deployed to Bosnia in 1997 and Kosovo in 2001. He then deployed to Iraq in March 2003 and again in June 2004. His experiences made him a living historian for younger soldiers and soldiers new to the unit, he said.

   “Lots of people preparing for the boards come up to me and say ‘what year were we in Haiti?’”

   Schumacher said many soldiers told him experiencing only one duty station will hinder his career. He disagrees, crediting his multiple deployments as a strong reason why he will be promoted to master sergeant in April.

   “Being deployed to so many theaters … I have so much experience now,” Schumacher said. “I saw all of it.”

   His knowledge of combat situations isn’t the only benefit he has for his soldiers, Schumacher said. Living at Fort Drum for so long made him a sort of North Country sage.

   “I can tell them which hunting and fishing spots to go to, which bars to go to and stay away from, where not to buy a car,” he said.

   As a platoon sergeant in Iraq, Schumacher’s experience continues to benefit him. Soldiers ask him often how his present deployment measures up to previous deployments.

   “Sometimes a soldier will say ‘hey, Sergeant Schu, does that remind you of Somalia?’” he said. “I said ‘yeah that (rocket propelled grenade) was kind of heart warming.’”

   Of all his deployments, Schumacher said this has been the hardest. He and B Company spent most of the summer quelling insurgency in Sadr City, formerly a highly volatile area in Iraq. B Company lost five soldiers, more than any company in 2nd BCT. Despite the hardships, Schumacher re-enlisted indefinitely in November. He also noted several soldiers from his company re-enlisted during the deployment.

   “As rough as we’ve had it … we had five maybe six re-enlistments,” he said. “That says something for what we’re doing over here.”

   Schumacher deployed more times as a part of the most deployed battalion, in the most deployed division in the Army than any 2-14 Inf. soldier. He spent more time in Iraq in the last two years than with his family and loved ones. Why does he do it?

   “I can’t see myself doing anything else,” he said. “The things I get to do as a platoon sergeant you can’t find in any other job. Who else besides a soldier would understand it?”

 

Soldier Spends 14 Years With Same Unit
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Copyright © 2008 Kirk S. Ramsey
Last modified: December 06, 2021