Staff Sergeant Michael Wayne Schafer: He Was a Hero, ‘He Was My Son’
On May 31, around 150 people gathered before VFW Post #10209 located on Edward R. Noll Dr. in Spring Hill, Florida, to honor a man they call a hero. His name was Staff Sergeant Michael Wayne Schafer, but to Karen Barr “he was my son.”
Schafer was born to Karen and Mark Schafer in Spring Hill, Florida on Aug. 16, 1979. A year after graduating from Springstead High School in 1998, Shafer enlisted in the United States Army. After completing basic training and airborne school in Fort Benning, Georgia, Schafer joined the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Veterans Speak About Memorial Day: ‘It’s Not About Us’
On Monday, May 31, Americans from sea to shining sea will observe Memorial Day. However, veterans are quick to remind you: “It’s not about us.”
“Monday is not about us,” Sergeant J.O. Batten, Commander of VFW Post 8713 in Brooksville, Florida told The Epoch Times. “It’s about the men on that wall out there. A lot of people don’t realize that.”
Batten, a United States Marine, served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.
“The wall” is a granite monument, which stands guard at the front door of VFW. It bears the names of a group of men known as “The Brooksville Eight,” men who were killed in action during the Vietnam War.