Reuben Schaetzel’s exemplary World War II service has been documented in several articles and a book. Recently the Shawano resident was honored on the 70th anniversary of helping to liberate the city of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.
“I told my daughters if I would die tomorrow, I would be a happy man,” Schaetzel said about the trip he took with his daughters.
Schaetzel was drafted into the Army in February 1943. After basic training, he was assigned to the military police and sent overseas. After a short time, Schaetzel was reassigned to the 701st Sherman Tank Battalion.
He was part of the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach and, after surviving that, went through many towns in Europe. He was in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945.
In April 1945, he was part of the unit that liberated Pilsen from Nazi Germany. The war officially ended Sept. 2, 1945.
Schaetzel and the other soldiers assisted people whose homes were destroyed and had lost all of their belongings.
“They were very thankful for our participation,” he said.
Schaetzel, 92, was invited to the Pilsen anniversary celebration from May 1-6 by Lee and Kathy Anderson, of De Pere, a couple who visited there last year after seeing a documentary about the celebration on TV. They found Schaetzel through a third party and invited him and his family when they heard he was part of the liberation.
It was a busy week for Schaetzel and the other 14 veterans who were there, including one who is 99 years old.
“We had gatherings with Czech people,” Schaetzel said. “One day, there was a huge gathering at City Hall with about 3,000 people. It was very heartwarming.”
The people of Pilsen showed their gratitude over and over again. The town has a monument thanking America.
“People would take our picture and get an autograph,” Schaetzel said. “Before you knew it, there were 100 people. They were all so gracious and polite. They approached us with reverence. I never imagined such a scale.”
He said a little, old lady hugged him.
“She was crying and I was crying, too,” he said.
In a parade each veteran had a jeep with his name on it. Schaetzel and his daughters rode together through crowds lining the street waving American flags while children threw flowers.
“My girls will never forget,” Schaetzel said. “That was the thrill of a lifetime. They said now we know a little of what you’ve been talking about.”
He said a lot of planning went into the event — and the beer was very good, too.
