Honoring Veterans: Army Veteran George H. Schwartz. Jr.

George H. Schwartz Jr. was born in June 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Growing up near an Olney firehouse with four sisters during the Great Depression, he dreamed of becoming a firefighter. However, when World War II broke out, 17-year-old Schwartz convinced his parents to let him join the Army without even finishing high school so he could serve his country.

Schwartz enlisted as an Army Engineer in February 1942, hoping for a firefighter position. After basic training in Fort Meade, Maryland, he trained in Claiborne, Louisiana, before deploying as a combat engineer. In Plymouth, England, his platoon members were invited as guests for a Thanksgiving dinner and as participants in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Following amphibious training on a Navy ship in North Africa, Schwartz’s combat engineers supported the Fifth Army’s 344th Infantry Regiment through five battles across North Africa and Europe. His first mission was guarding a platoon bridge crossing at Monte Cassino, Italy, in 1943.

After going ashore in southern France in 1944, the combat engineers cleared obstacles, often using TNT, continuing up into Germany. They released Nazi concentration camp survivors by breaking open one of the gates of the recently-liberated Dachau. After Germany surrendered, Schwartz ended his three-year service in 1945.

Fulfilling his lifelong dream, Schwartz graduated from the Philadelphia Fire Academy in 1950. He steered the back end of a long fire engine in the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) as Ladder 5 tiller man. That position included the responsibility of breaking through roofs to vent fires.

In 1956, Schwartz married his wife, Elizabeth, and they had four children. Schwartz retired from the PFD after proudly serving 24 years, which ended on Engine 64 in Lawndale, Philadelphia. He then spent 10 years as a state forest fire warden in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Leading a crew fighting wildfires, he searched for deep-wood forest fires from a plane and directed a youth conservation group that did work like cleaning up forest roads.

In his free time, Schwartz worked in carpentry, making gifts and even completely remodeling his family’s 100-year-old farm home. In 1987, he retired from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry to live with his wife in New Jersey. He enjoyed spending time with family, including his seven grandchildren.

Inspired by seeing six different countries during his Army service, Schwartz took trips to Germany and Ireland with his wife before her death in 2004, then with his son and namesake. Schwartz was proud that all of his children graduated from college, and he was thrilled to pin the Army brigadier general star on his son, George.

Schwartz was a member of American Legion Post 686, VFW Post 9462 and the St. Bernadette Senior Citizens Club. He also remained an honorary member of the fire company in Rockledge, Pennsylvania. He died in November 2016 at age 92.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for Honoring Veterans

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Michelle A. Shade

Editors: Tayler Rairigh, Lillian Williams

Researcher: Raphael Romea

Graphic Designer: Kiki Kelley