ItemCo16527 Posted May 1, 2016 Share #1 Posted May 1, 2016 Good evening, ladies and gentleman. This past week, I had what I can only describe as the greatest find in my nearly 30 years of collecting. It started out, simply enough, with me bored at work and browsing eBay. I had recently "come out of retirement" from the hobby after about six years, and had purchased a couple of uniforms - including one from a fellow forum member (thank you again, Kyle!). Anyway, this particular night, I saw a really nice Army officer's khaki tunic with 12 ribbons sewn onto it. The ribbons included the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, and the EAME ribbon even had a bronze arrowhead device. Aside from the ribbons, the only other piece of insignia on it was a Caribbean Defense Command patch. No combat patch, overseas bars, rank, or collar brass. I added it to my watch list and figured I'd throw a bid in nearer to the end of the auction. The Silver Star and invasion arrowhead really caught my attention, so of course, I ask the seller if the uniform was named. He responded with the name "L.T. Schroeder". "Okay, great," I thought. This would be a good start for research. Being at work, doing research was going to be difficult, so I just went to the Military Times Hall of Valor and plugged in the surname and began looking at Silver Star recipients. Sure enough, after a little digging, I found a Captain Leonard T. Schroeder. Imagine my surprise when I discovered his Silver Star was awarded for D-Day! Unfortunately, the MTHOV only showed his unit as "Company F, 4th Infantry Division". No regiment was listed, but that wasn't the worst news in the world. So, I had to decide: do I let the auction run and put in a bid and hope to win, or do I just go for it and buy it now? After giving it a lot of thought, I finally gave in to temptation and used the buy it now option. I had to put research aside until I got home from work as things were getting kind of busy. Once I got home, I immediately jumped on the computer and started searching the web. The first hit that came up was, surprisingly, a Wikipedia entry for him. I thought this was great. For the first time, I actually owned a uniform that belonged to someone who actually has their own Wikipedia page. Then, I clicked on the link, and my jaw hit the floor. I discovered that this officer not only awarded the Silver Star for D-Day, he was the first American soldier to step onto the Normandy beachhead. I couldn't believe what I was reading, so I kept searching for more information. I found several other sources that showed he was the very first ashore on D-Day, and not only that, aboard his landing craft that day was none other than Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.! I did some more digging. Capt. (later Colonel) Schroeder was badly wounded in his forearm on D-Day. In fact, the doctors weren't even sure if they could save his arm. They did, however, and he wound up serving in the Korean War, retiring in 1971 as a Colonel. Sorry for the wall of text and the fact my writing is kind of all over the place. I am just absolutely thrilled to not only be Col. Schroeder's uniform's new caretaker, but to be able to share it with all of you. Note: as I stated previously, the uniform only had the ribbon bars and Caribbean Defense Command patch on it. I have added the Lieutenant Colonel's oak leaves (his rank at the time the uniform was tailored for him), the U.S. Army and ROK Presidential Unit Citations, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. I don't have the proper collar brass yet, but will add them when I'm able to obtain them. I really hope you enjoy the pictures! Then-Captain Leonard T. Schroeder, Jr. Commanding Officer, Company "F", 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share #2 Posted May 1, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViewfinderGyrene Posted May 1, 2016 Share #3 Posted May 1, 2016 I don't even collect Army anymore but that is unbelievably exquisite. Sincere congratulations! That is one helluva piece of history... VFG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted May 1, 2016 Thank you so much, VFG. I really appreciate it. I should probably go buy some lotto tickets now haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blademan Posted May 1, 2016 Share #5 Posted May 1, 2016 One word: Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted May 1, 2016 Share #6 Posted May 1, 2016 Great uniform. Wow he got a WIKI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_T._Schroeder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted May 1, 2016 Share #7 Posted May 1, 2016 Here's two more of Schroeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dskjl Posted May 1, 2016 Share #8 Posted May 1, 2016 Congratulations on great find, museum material, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted May 1, 2016 Share #9 Posted May 1, 2016 That is an amazing find. To say a find of a lifetime might be an under statement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David D Posted May 1, 2016 Share #10 Posted May 1, 2016 That's one incredible find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share #11 Posted May 2, 2016 Thank you, guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra 6 Actual Posted May 2, 2016 Share #12 Posted May 2, 2016 Great find. A question: for the uniform you have, would he have a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) with a star for his second award of the CIB in Korea? He also later served in Vietnam, so ultimately he may have earned a second star on his CIB for his third award of that esteemed badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIKyle Posted May 2, 2016 Share #13 Posted May 2, 2016 Great find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fstop61 Posted May 2, 2016 Share #14 Posted May 2, 2016 Congratulations! your research really paid off. Great looking coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMariner Posted May 2, 2016 Share #15 Posted May 2, 2016 Congrats that is an excellent find did the person have any idea what they had ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 2, 2016 Share #16 Posted May 2, 2016 Kind of funny...I looked at that several times on eBay and each time, I took a glance at the SSI and moved on. Good finds on the research! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share #17 Posted May 2, 2016 Great find. A question: for the uniform you have, would he have a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) with a star for his second award of the CIB in Korea? He also later served in Vietnam, so ultimately he may have earned a second star on his CIB for his third award of that esteemed badge. I checked the Army Registers, and it looks like he had switched branches to Cavalry in 1947 and then went through the Armored Officers' Advanced Course in 1948. I don't believe he would have earned a second CIB for Korea, unless he was put in command of an Infantry unit while he was there. As for Vietnam, all I've been able to find so far is that he was involved in logistics support - whether that was In Country or Stateside, I don't know yet. I sent away for his file from the NPRC, so hopefully that will clear things up. I would love to know if he did, in fact, receive a CIB 2nd Award or even a 3rd Award. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share #18 Posted May 2, 2016 Congrats that is an excellent find did the person have any idea what they had ? Funny enough, I don't believe they did. I guess I just got really lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share #19 Posted May 2, 2016 Kind of funny...I looked at that several times on eBay and each time, I took a glance at the SSI and moved on. Good finds on the research! Thanks for passing on this one, Dave. You made my collecting life! Seriously, though. I considered passing on it for a minute, too. No combat patch, rank, etc. Just the ribbons and the SSI. But, the combination of the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and the arrowhead on the EAME ribbon got a hold of me and I just had to do a little digging. Boy, am I glad I did! Let this be a lesson to the younger or less-experienced collectors: sometimes a uniform won't look like the greatest thing in the world on the outside, but if you're able to do a little research (God bless the internet), it might pay off big time! It only took me 30 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViewfinderGyrene Posted May 2, 2016 Share #20 Posted May 2, 2016 Thanks for passing on this one, Dave. You made my collecting life! Seriously, though. I considered passing on it for a minute, too. No combat patch, rank, etc. Just the ribbons and the SSI. But, the combination of the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and the arrowhead on the EAME ribbon got a hold of me and I just had to do a little digging. Boy, am I glad I did! Let this be a lesson to the younger or less-experienced collectors: sometimes a uniform won't look like the greatest thing in the world on the outside, but if you're able to do a little research (God bless the internet), it might pay off big time! It only took me 30 years God bless the internet is right man, I know how you feel. Last year I bought a Marine blouse for $50 that ended up being named to Chesty Puller's jeep driver on Guadalcanal who then was WIA at Cape Gloucester! He was exactly my age driving around [arguably] the most famous Marine officer of the war. You and I are proof that deals do indeed still exist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share #21 Posted May 2, 2016 Wow, that is amazing. Imagine the stories he had. If only that uniform could talk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra 6 Actual Posted May 2, 2016 Share #22 Posted May 2, 2016 I checked the Army Registers, and it looks like he had switched branches to Cavalry in 1947 and then went through the Armored Officers' Advanced Course in 1948. I don't believe he would have earned a second CIB for Korea, unless he was put in command of an Infantry unit while he was there. As for Vietnam, all I've been able to find so far is that he was involved in logistics support - whether that was In Country or Stateside, I don't know yet. I sent away for his file from the NPRC, so hopefully that will clear things up. I would love to know if he did, in fact, receive a CIB 2nd Award or even a 3rd Award. Thanks for the clarification! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItemCo16527 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share #23 Posted May 2, 2016 You're welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViewfinderGyrene Posted May 2, 2016 Share #24 Posted May 2, 2016 Wow, that is amazing. Imagine the stories he had. If only that uniform could talk! If only I could find the family member and thank them for putting that priceless info in the vet's obit lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tke507 Posted July 20, 2016 Share #25 Posted July 20, 2016 Incredible uniform....thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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