Caty Jermann, left, and Carolyn Payne, holding her daughter Sierra, pay their respects to Cpl. David Schaefer Jr., 27, of Belleville, Ill., on Thursday at the Ledward Chapel in Schweinfurt. Schaefer died May 16 in Baghdad of wounds received when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit. (Dan Blottenberger / Stars and Stripes)
SCHWEINFURT, Germany — Cpl. David A. Schaefer, Jr., who was known as "Schaf" by his friends, was remembered during a ceremony Thursday as a family man who lived by the motto "love life, love my job, love the Army."
"I don’t even think I can ever count the times he said that," his friend, Spc. Brandon Goodell, said during a ceremony for Schaefer in Baghdad last week. Goodell’s remarks were read Thursday at the ceremony at Ledward Chapel in Germany.
"He used it to motivate himself, to pick himself up when he was put down, or just to aggravate me after a long day," Goodell said.
Schaefer, 27, of Belleville, Ill., died May 16 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit, according to a Defense Department release. Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, he was posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal.
Goodell was quoted as saying that if you didn’t know Schaefer, then there was only one thing you needed to know about him: his heart.
"He had the largest heart that I have ever seen in anyone," Goodell said. "He put his heart into everything that he did."
The thing that most touched Schaefer’s heart was his family.
Schaefer is survived by his wife of eight years, Shelly, his two sons, Jason and Logan, and his daughter, Savannah.
"The boys want nothing more than to be Mr. Army someday," Goodell said.
His sons showed how much they looked up to their father during his recent mid-tour return from Iraq.
"His oldest just shaved his long, lengthy hair to a nice high-and-tight after Schaf went home on [Rest and Recuperation leave]," Goodell wrote. "His youngest boy read the FM 7-8 and did push-ups next to Schaf when he was home," Goodell wrote. FM-7-8 refers to a section of the Army field manual discussing infantry battle tactics.
Goodell went on to talk about Schaefer’s daughter, who resembled him the most.
"His little girl has got his heart and his looks. She has his big blue eyes and crooked smile, but it looks better on her," Goodell joked.
Following the emotional service, Spc. Miguel Sanchez, who was serving his second deployment with Schaefer and had recently returned from Iraq to attend Ranger school, shared his memories of his friend.
"You could count on Schaf for anything and he loved his family so much," Sanchez said. "We are all sorry for their loss. Schaf will always be on are hearts and minds. He will always be remembered for what he was and what he represents."
