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BORN: 16 AUGUST 1979 - DIED: 25 JULY 2005

Chosen Company 2d Battalion (AIRBORNE), 503d Infantry
173d Airborne Brigade


SSG Michael Schafer was born on 16 August 1979 in Illinois. He enlisted in the US Army on 19 January 1999. He attended and graduated Basic Airborne School on 30 May, 1999, joining the ranks of Airborne Infantry with assigned service in the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Once completing his first assignment in the 82nd, he was reassigned to Vicenza, Italy on 16 September 2002. He immediately found his home among the soldiers of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment. On 26 March 2003, he conducted a combat parachute jump into Iraq. During his year serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, SSG Schafer distinguished himself as a true professional, and as a great leader. In April of 2005, he again deployed with his comrades to Afghanistan.

SSG Schafer’s awards include the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and Parachutist Badge with Combat Jump Star.

SSG Michael Schafer is survived by his loving wife, Danielle Lynn Schafer. His parents, Mark Schafer and Karen Barr, his two brothers, and his sister.


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