Honoring
Erwin A. Schroder
(1915 - 2000)

 

Erwin enlisted in the Navy a few weeks after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. He attended the US Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School at Columbia University before being commissioned.

Erwin received training as a Gunnery and Destroyer Torpedo Officer and was assigned to duty on the USS Patterson (DD392), which earned 13 battle stars in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. He served on the Patterson until she was decommissioned in November, 1945.

He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve and National Guard until his retirement in 1963.

Erwin's Awards and Medals:

• Philippines Presidential Unit Citation

• American Campaign Medal

• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 silver, 3 bronze stars)

• World War II Victory Medal

• Naval Reserve Medal

• Philippine Liberation Medal (2 bronze stars)

As a tangible memorial for Erwin, I constructed this display case and entered his name in the WWII Memorial Registry.