QUEENSLINE
Queens native received Medal of Honor for WW II service
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 11-DEC. 17, 2020 13
In conjunction with the
Greater Astoria Historical
Society, TimesLedger Newspapers
presents noteworthy
events in the borough’s history.
Born on Dec. 27, 1918, in
Queens, Joseph E. Schaefer
received the Medal of Honor
while serving in the US
Army in World War II.
In September 1944, Staff
Sgt. Schaefer bravely led a
squad of American soldiers
in fighting off an attack from
a much larger German force
near Stolberg, Germany. He
was awarded the prestigious
medal for valor the following
year. Sgt. Schaefer also
served in the Korean War
and lived in Richmond Hill
for over 40 years.
The Queens native was
drafted into the US Army
in January 1942. After basic
training, he assigned to the
1st Infantry Division, and
his unit fought the Nazis in
North Africa and Sicily. His
battle-hardened division
later stormed the beaches of
Normandy, France on June
6, 1944, before fighting their
way into Germany by September.
When the enemy attacked
Sergeant Schaefer’s platoon
that fateful day, one squad
was soon captured and another
retreated, but the NCO
from Queens and his men
bravely held their ground
until reinforcements came.
Schaefer’s official Medal
of Honor citation reads, in
part: “He was in charge of a
squad of the 2d Platoon in the
vicinity of Stolberg, Germany,
early in the morning of 24
September 1944, when 2 enemy
companies supported by
machineguns 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
machinegun fire, instructed
each individual, and moved
to the building. … S/Sgt.
Schaefer assigned his men
to positions and selected for
himself the most dangerous
one at the door. … S/Sgt.
Schaefer fired rapidly at the
enemy before him … with no
cover whatever… 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 fire, he
overtook the enemy, and liberated
the American squad
captured earlier in the battle.
… S/Sgt. Schaefer’s indomitable
courage and his determination
to hold his position
at all costs were responsible
for stopping an enemy breakthrough.”
After receiving the Medal
of Honor in 1945, the highly
decorated veteran remained
in the US Army and served
during the Korean War. For
his service to the country,
Schaefer received the Silver
Star (with one oak leaf
cluster), the Legion of Merit,
the Bronze Star, the Purple
Heart (with two oak leaf clusters),
the European-African-
Middle Eastern Campaign
Medal, and the World War II
Victory Medal.
When Sgt. Schaefer returned
home to Queens after
World War II, a parade was
held in his honor on Jamaica
Avenue with the hometown
hero sitting in an open car
waving to his neighbors. In
his later years, the veteran
of two wars tended bar in his
neighborhood and was well
known and fondly remembered
by locals. Joe Schaefer
- war hero, Queens native
and proud American passed
away in Richmond Hill in
1987 at age 68.
He is buried in Long Island
National Cemetery in
Farmingdale and memorialized
by the Schaefer Oval in
Forest Park, near his home of
many years.
For further info, call the
Greater Astoria Historical
Society at 718-278-0700 or
www.astorialic.org.
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