20 FEBRUARY 25, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Medal of Honor-winning war hero has fi tting Richmond Hill tribute
The Sergeant Joseph E. Schaefer Memorial at Forest Park in Richmond Hill. Photo by Robert Pozarycki
BY THE OLD TIMER
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
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Hidden just steps away from the
most prominent war memorial
in Richmond Hill, amid a quiet
green oval of Forest Park, is a humble
yet proud tribute to a local hero who
served his community and nation with
pride.
The Sergeant Joseph E. Schaefer
Oval is located only a short walk
from the Buddy Memorial, the
World War I tribute that towers
over the corner of Myrtle Avenue
and Memorial Drive, which is also
known as the Richmond Hill gate of
Forest Park.
Far newer than the Buddy Memorial,
the Schaefer Oval was originally
dedicated in the spring of 1987,
mere weeks after the World War II
hero and recipient of the Congressional
Medal of Honor died at the
age of 68.
A lone artillery shell sits atop
granite at the heart of the monument,
located within an octagon composed
of stone. Details about Schaefer’s life
are inscribed at the top of the octagon,
along with the insignia of the Medal of
Honor — the highest award an American
soldier can receive.
While the Medal of Honor is usually
awarded posthumously, Schaefer lived
to receive the award for his heroic
eff orts in stopping a Nazi advance in
Germany in September 1944 — nearly
four months aft er the D-Day invasion,
as the Allied Forces pushed Nazi Germany
back across the continent en
route to victory the following May.
Schaefer spent most of his life in
Richmond Hill and lived in the neighborhood
when he joined the Army during
World War II. He rose the ranks to
become a staff sergeant by the time he
and his battalion found himself defending
an outnumbered squadron against
an advancing Nazi infantry near the
German town of Stolberg, only a few
miles to the east of the Belgian border,
on Sept. 24, 1944.
The citation on the Medal of Honor
captures the daunting challenges
Schaefer faced that day, and the incredible
risks he took to defend his men in
battle and stop the advance:
“He was in charge of a squad of the
2nd Platoon in the vicinity of Stolberg,
Germany, early in the morning of 24 September
1944, when 2 enemy companies
supported by machine guns launched
an attack to seize control of an important
crossroads which was defended by
his platoon. One American squad was
forced back, another captured, leaving
only SSG Schaefer’s men to defend the
position.
“To shift his squad into a house which
would afford better protection, he
crawled about under heavy small-arms
and machine gun fi re, instructed each
individual, and moved to the building. A
heavy concentration of enemy artillery
fi re scored hits on his strong point. S/Sgt.
Schaefer assigned his men to positions
and selected for himself the most dangerous
one at the door.
“With his M1 rifl e, he broke the fi rst
wave of infantry thrown toward the
house. The Germans attacked again
with grenades and fl ame-throwers but
were thrown back a second time, S/Sgt.
Schaefer killing and wounding several.
“Regrouped for a fi nal assault, the
Germans approached from 2 directions.
One force drove at the house from the
front, while a second group advanced
stealthily along a hedgerow. Recognizing
the threat, S/Sgt. Schaefer fi red rapidly at
the enemy before him, killing or wounding
all 6; then, with no cover whatever,
dashed to the hedgerow and poured
deadly accurate shots into the second
group, killing 5, wounding 2 others, and
forcing the enemy to withdraw.
“He scoured the area near his battered
stronghold and captured 10 prisoners.
By this time the rest of his company
had begun a counterattack; he moved
forward to assist another platoon to
regain its position. Remaining in the
lead, crawling and running in the face
of heavy fi re, he overtook the enemy, and
liberated the American squad captured
earlier in the battle.
“In all, single-handed and armed
only with his rifl e, he killed between 15
and 20 Germans, wounded at least as
many more, and took 10 prisoners. S/Sgt.
Schaefer’s indomitable courage and his
determination to hold his position at all
costs were responsible for stopping an
enemy breakthrough.”
Schaefer’s heroics earned him the
Congressional Medal of Honor, which
he received on Aug. 22, 1945. To date,
only about 10 percent of the 3,473
Americans who received this nation’s
highest award for valor were alive to
have the medal placed around their
neck.
Even aft er his valorous service to
our country during World War II,
Schaefer returned to combat a few
years later during the Korean War,
serving a tour of duty in the Army.
Schaefer then returned to Richmond
Hill for the remainder of his life. Despite
his heroism, according to the New
York Daily News, he lived a relatively
quiet life. He was known for tending
bar in the community but spoke little
of his war life.
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