#VeteranOfTheDay Army Air Forces Veteran Paul Schiltz

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Air Forces Veteran Paul Schiltz who served in World War II.

Paul Schiltz was born on a farm in North Dakota, 20 miles from the nearest town. He had just recently graduated high school as the valedictorian of his class when he heard that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Like many young men, he was excited to be drafted for the war. However, he failed his medical examination because of an umbilical hernia. So, Paul decided to attend an aviation school, but before he completed his training, Paul was called back for a second medical examination. This time he passed.

During the war, Paul was stationed at various air bases throughout the United States, as well as in Khartoum, Sudan; Cairo, Egypt and Tunis, Tunisia. He served as an airplane mechanic and eventually became an air engineer, working for the Air Transport Command on C-47, B-51 and C-46 planes. Apart from repairing planes on the ground, Paul was also responsible for accompanying the plane and making onsite repairs in the event of mechanical failures, thus ensuring the safe arrival of US troops flying into Sicily and Southern Italy. When the war ended, he separated from the service and returned to farming for a few years and then went into real estate. To hear more about Paul’s story, check out the Veterans History Project at http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.09615!

Thank you for your service, Paul!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

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? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay 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.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Graphic By Lilian Vo: Lilian Vo is an undergraduate senior at George Mason University studying Global Affairs and Intelligence Analysis.