Photo By Cpl. Khoa Pelczar | Master Sgt. Jacob Schanz, 39, from Verndale, Minn., communication chief, Combat...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Approximately 20 years ago, he stood in formation at a retirement ceremony and said to himself that it could never be him up there retiring.
Little did Master Sgt. Jacob Schanz know, 20 years has gone by and his journey with the Marine Corps is finally ending here, Feb. 3. Schanz’ final billet in the Marine Corps was acting as the communication chief, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
“I remember standing there 20 years ago just like these young lads and watching an old guy retire,” said Schanz, 39, from Verndale, Minn. “I thought to myself, this old guy is crazy, I could never stay in for that long.”
After graduating high school in the spring of 1991, Schanz, 39, from Verndale, Minn., decided to enlist in the Marine Corps, joining the Delayed Entry Program later that year. He reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in March, 1992.
“At the time, I wanted to get out of Minnesota and do something bigger than myself and for my country, so I joined the Marine Corps,” said Schanz.
For the first four years of his career, Schanz served as a crewman for the Crash Fire Rescue Team with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, Japan, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. During this period, Schanz responded to two Class A mishaps of CH-46 crashes and an AV-8B Harrier crash, both resulted in no loss of life.
In February of 1996, the newly promoted Sgt. Schanz was approved for reenlistment. Schanz decided to change his career path in the Corps and then moved to Small System Data Field, where he worked for the next 16 years.
During his career, Schanz completed three deployments to Iraq and a recent one to Helmand province, Afghanistan. He’s proud of the tasks that they’ve accomplished and overjoyed by his Marines.
“It’s been an amazing journey. I couldn’t be more proud of the Marines I served with. They’ve shown me the true meaning of the band of brothers’ concept,” said Schanz. “When the rounds start flying, you’ll have with you the Marines to your left and right. They’ll take care of you.”
After addressing his Marines, Schanz took a moment in his ceremony to thank his wife and family.
“My wife and I, we’ve been married for 18 years and she’s been supporting me with every step of my career,” said Schanz. “She’s the reason why I was able to deploy at a moment notice without hesitation because I know she had everything in control.”
Schanz said that his family is one of the leading factors that drove him toward retiring.
“They put me first for the past 18 years, so it’s only fair if I put them first now,” Schanz said. “And even though I’m leaving the Corps, I’ll still have all the Marine Corps traits in me wherever I go.”
After Schanz retired, he plans to spend most of his time with his family and start a new career as a construction worker since it’s one of his hobbies to build things. He’s looking forward to swinging a hammer fulltime for a construction company.
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2012 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 84109 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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