Schueler, Victor A.

VICTOR A. SCHUELER

PRIVATE 1st CLASS
U.S. ARMY

Victor Schueler was born on January 23, 1924 in Preble, Indiana and baptized at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on February 2, 1924. His parents’ names were Adolf and Marie, and he had four siblings: Marcus, Lester, Olga, and Mildred. As a boy, he attended elementary school at Christian Day School, which was part of his church (St. Paul's). At age 14, he would be confirmed within the Lutheran Church on April 10, 1938. After two years of high school, he dropped out to work on the family farm but in 1944 Victor was drafted into the war with the U.S. Army. 

The unit he was assigned to was the Upon the completion of basic training at Camp Hood (later renamed Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos)) in Texas, he received advanced training at Camp Hale in Colorado. The mission at camp Hale was: "To be able to operate for extended periods over primitive terrain where road nets are scare or non-existent, in deep snow and extreme cold". Upon completion of his training, he was assigned to the 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division who were preparing to fight in the mountains of Northern Italy. The 85th Mountain Division went on to make great strides against the axis powers in Northern Italy.

 The division left for Europe on January 4th, 1945 and arrived on January 13th and within a few weeks were executing successful raids on towns. Their first action was seen on January 26, when they killed one German and lost one man in their division, but they took two Germans and two Italians prisoner. Another attack was at the Berro al Fosso which on February 10, they killed one German and took eleven prisoners. One of the largest attacks they participated in was at a heavily defended fortress at Mte Belvedore and Mte Gorgolesco in early February. The 85th was considered the spearhead of the aggression, and somehow got it done with very limited equipment; they used unloaded rifles and grenades. This significant attack really laid the groundwork for the final victory in Italy, but the 85th suffered with 109 killed and 338 wounded. 

PFC Schueler was able to get through all of these battles, until April 14th which was when the 85th participated in their last offensive. Once again, the 85th was the spearhead of the attack, and then they would shift to watch the left flank and offer suppression fire. Victor was shot in the leg in this battle but was able to recover from it. Because of his combat wounds, Victor was awarded the Purple Heart. PFC Schueler fully recovered from his wound on May 30th and he was scheduled to go home. On June 18th, however, he had an acute kidney infection and had to return back to the hospital. According to his nephew Jim Schueler, "Victor was said to be in a good and jolly mood in the hospital, staying up as late as midnight talking to his ward mates and his nurse". Victor’s kidney, though, would ultimately be the reason for his death, passing in his sleep around two in the morning when his nurse came to check on him. He was temporarily buried in Italy and was later moved to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Preble, Indiana. A service was held November 23, 1948 when his remains were returned to the United States. He was the twenty-third death that this church had encountered as a result of the war. 

Victor was a very religious man who loved God and always acted incredibly humbled. In one of the letters he wrote home to his pastor and said, “We really have something to be thankful for on this Easter Morning to be able to be here and to worship our dear Lord after what we have experienced during the last two weeks. I find that when the going gets rough, there is nothing that helps me more than a prayer to my Lord”. 

For his service and sacrifice, Private First Class Victor Schueler was awarded the American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal, and WWII Victory Medal. For his combat injuries PFC Schueler earned the Purple Heart. For participation in combat, Victor Schueler would also be awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge. 

Information collected and researched by Kevin Schueler, 2016. 

SOURCES

"10th. Mountain Division, 85th. Regiment." 10th. Mountain Division, 85th. Regiment. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2016. http://patches01033.tripod.com/10thmtn.html.

Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.

"Jim Schueler." Telephone interview. Nov. 2016.

“PFC Victor Schueler (1924-1945) - Find a Grave...” Www.findagrave.com, www.findagrave.com/memorial/18766714/victor-schueler. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.

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