[Interview Begins]
BOWERS HEALEY: All right. Today is July 31st, 2023. And this is an interview with Kathy Schuette, who served in the United States Army from roughly March 1977 till July 1977. And we'll correct those dates if need be, in just a bit. This is an interview is being conducted by Ellen Healey at Kiel, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Program. No one else is present for this interview. All right, Kathy, let me start off by having you state your full name, including your middle name, as well as your maiden name.
SCHUETTE: Kathleen Marie Lammers Schuette.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And you go by, Kathy most of the time. Is that correct?
SCHUETTE: Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And tell me a little bit, Kathy, about where you grew up.
SCHUETTE: Well, I grew up in a small town called Cedarburg, Wisconsin. It's no longer a small town. It's a pretty big tourist attraction. But when I grew up in the 60s, there.
SCHUETTE: It.
Speaker 3 Was still considered a.
SCHUETTE: Small town.
BOWERS HEALEY: And is that where you were born?
Speaker 3 That I was.
SCHUETTE: Actually born at home. And my father.
Speaker 3 Delivered me because they couldn't.
SCHUETTE: Get me, my mom, to the hospital in time, and we were farmers.
Speaker 3 So, I was.
SCHUETTE: Born on Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 Day.
SCHUETTE: My mom made the meal. Everybody sat down and ate. She went into.
Speaker 3 Labor, I was delivered, she got up and.
SCHUETTE: Went out and did the.
Speaker 3 Chores. And, she was a tough lady, but.
SCHUETTE: She was an awesome lady.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And we're both your parents, born here in Wisconsin or not?
SCHUETTE: No. My father was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His.
Speaker 3 Father was a police officer.
SCHUETTE: And his mother was essentially a mom, but.
Speaker 3 Also a washer.
SCHUETTE: Woman to take in extra money.
Speaker 3 Was quite a large family.
SCHUETTE: My mom was born in McGregor, Iowa. She.
Speaker 3 Was the.
SCHUETTE: Second.
Speaker 3 Oldest, in a farm family.
SCHUETTE: Her.
Speaker 3 Dad.
SCHUETTE: Came from Germany, and her.
Speaker 3 Mother, was here, but.
SCHUETTE: Her ancestry.
Speaker 3 Was.
SCHUETTE: Danish.
Speaker 3 And so.
BOWERS HEALEY: And how many siblings were in your family?
Speaker 3 I have two brothers. Philip.
SCHUETTE: He's ten years older than I am, and Larry is nine years older than I am. And I have a sister, Linda.
Speaker 3 Who is six years older.
SCHUETTE: Than I am.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: My my parents.
Speaker 3 Divorced.
SCHUETTE: When I was 11. During that time period.
Speaker 3 We were Catholic.
SCHUETTE: And that was.
Speaker 3 Like a mortal sin.
SCHUETTE: But my mom was having some health issues. And, my dad.
Speaker 3 Essentially moved out with.
SCHUETTE: Another woman, and.
Speaker 3 Kind of left us. But by that time.
SCHUETTE: Both of my brothers.
Speaker 3 Had become adults. And so they were.
SCHUETTE: Out on their own. And my.
Speaker 3 Sister, at the age of 15, left home, essentially ran.
SCHUETTE: Away from home and.
Speaker 3 Later.
SCHUETTE: Went on to marry the next.
Speaker 3 Door.
SCHUETTE: Married man.
Speaker 3 So, in effect, I was kind of labeled the wrong side of the tracks growing up, but.
BOWERS HEALEY: And, when your parents separated, did you and your mother stay in the house that you were living in, or did you move?
SCHUETTE: No, we stayed in the house. My parents had an 80 acre farm, so that was.
Speaker 3 Divided.
SCHUETTE: My.
Speaker 3 Dad got 40 acres of the.
SCHUETTE: Property, and my mom got the.
Speaker 3 Property with the house, which was.
SCHUETTE: Not much to.
Speaker 3 Speak of. We.
SCHUETTE: Had an outdoor.
Speaker 3 Privy, and we had cold running water, which still existed.
SCHUETTE: In the.
Speaker 3 60s.
SCHUETTE: In.
Speaker 3 Countryside. I guess you'd call it.
BOWERS HEALEY: And where did you go to school?
SCHUETTE: Well, kind of all over.
Speaker 3 We lived on the.
SCHUETTE: Dividing line between.
Speaker 3 The.
SCHUETTE: Grafton.
Speaker 3 Cedarburg and Sackville school districts. Because we were also a Catholic family. I did some parochial school, to get.
SCHUETTE: Confirmed and to get my first communion done. That.
Speaker 3 Parochial school abruptly.
SCHUETTE: Ended.
Speaker 3 After the divorce. But I graduated from Cedarburg High.
SCHUETTE: School in January of 1977.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And, what, did you have any jobs while you were in, high school or after high school?
Speaker 3 Oh, yes.
SCHUETTE: My.
Speaker 3 Mother was.
SCHUETTE: Pretty much.
Speaker 3 Disabled, so she received a pittance.
SCHUETTE: Of an alimony.
Speaker 3 Support.
SCHUETTE: And I.
Speaker 3 Worked for four part time jobs. I worked in the youth work.
SCHUETTE: Program, which.
Speaker 3 Was a government program for.
SCHUETTE: Low income families. And that was in the.
Speaker 3 Library at the Webster Transitional School in Cedarburg. Monday through Friday after school for a couple of hours.
SCHUETTE: And then it was.
Speaker 3 Every vacation was an eight hour day. So, except for Thanksgiving, however, Christmas break I worked and, spring break, I.
SCHUETTE: Worked, and then I worked all summer long. And that was six miles from my home, which I rode my.
Speaker 3 Bicycle back and forth to because.
SCHUETTE: We couldn't afford the.
Speaker 3 Gas. I also worked at, was then Jerry's restaurant. From.
SCHUETTE: About 11 at night till four in the morning.
Speaker 3 As a waitress.
SCHUETTE: On the weekends. And then I.
Speaker 3 Worked at Villa Park Country Club.
SCHUETTE: In Mequon.
Speaker 3 Friday.
SCHUETTE: Night.
Speaker 3 If there was a.
SCHUETTE: Banquet.
Speaker 3 Saturday buffet.
SCHUETTE: And Sunday.
Speaker 3 Buffet.
SCHUETTE: And those.
Speaker 3 Were long days.
BOWERS HEALEY: And you did all that while you were in high school or after high school?
SCHUETTE: No, no, I was in high school, and then I had another.
Speaker 3 Part time job working with the Cedarburg Art center for a couple of hours.
SCHUETTE: On Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 3 Before I went to will depart to wait tables. So, yeah.
SCHUETTE: And I did.
Speaker 3 Graduate with honors.
BOWERS HEALEY: And when did you graduate?
SCHUETTE: January of 1977.
Speaker 3 So I, I was a very busy lady, but.
SCHUETTE: I did not.
Speaker 3 Have.
SCHUETTE: Much time to spend with.
Speaker 3 Peers. And my social contacts were pretty limited. So I knew work ethics.
SCHUETTE: I knew how to.
Speaker 3 Study, but I was very gullible.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And, what you do after you graduated from high school in January of 77.
SCHUETTE: I joined the Army. And I had enlisted.
Speaker 3 Prior to that.
SCHUETTE: On a delayed entry program.
Speaker 3 So I was doing some.
SCHUETTE: I don't know, different events and training opportunities.
Speaker 3 Prior to actually, going to boot camp.
SCHUETTE: Which gave me my.
Speaker 3 E-2 rating before I actually.
SCHUETTE: Entered into.
Speaker 3 A paid system.
BOWERS HEALEY: How old were you when you joined the delayed entry?
SCHUETTE: 18. I had.
Speaker 3 Just.
SCHUETTE: Turned 18. My birthdates in November. Obviously, I was born on Thanksgiving Day. And.
Speaker 3 So, like, the day after I turned.
SCHUETTE: 18, we signed the.
Speaker 3 Paperwork for me.
SCHUETTE: And then I left.
Speaker 3 For boot camp.
BOWERS HEALEY: What did your mom think about you joining the service?
Speaker 3 Well. Like I said, she had a lot of issues going on.
SCHUETTE: She wasn't against.
Speaker 3 It. She did.
SCHUETTE: Cosign the.
Speaker 3 Paperwork.
SCHUETTE: And I think she thought.
Speaker 3 It was probably the best option for me.
BOWERS HEALEY: I actually did or did not cosign.
Speaker 3 She did. She she did.
BOWERS HEALEY: So you were 17 when you signed or not?
Speaker 3 No, I had just turned 18. I was, but she was she was very supportive, I guess, of all of it, as best as she could be at that time.
BOWERS HEALEY: How'd you find out about the Army enlistment?
SCHUETTE: Well.
Speaker 3 I had really.
SCHUETTE: Wanted to go on to.
Speaker 3 College, and that was very.
SCHUETTE: Clearly not an opportunity.
Speaker 3 I could have gotten scholarships, but I wouldn't have had.
SCHUETTE: Any money to help support my mother.
Speaker 3 Back home. So the guidance counselor kind of hooked me up with a couple of recruiters.
SCHUETTE: And the.
Speaker 3 Army recruiter was.
SCHUETTE: The one that.
Speaker 3 Showed up. So that's how I got to the Army.
BOWERS HEALEY: To the Army recruiter actually come to your home?
Speaker 3 Only for signing the paperwork.
SCHUETTE: Everything else was done.
Speaker 3 At school.
SCHUETTE: And a meeting room. And I think I only met him, like.
Speaker 3 Twice before.
SCHUETTE: I signed.
BOWERS HEALEY: And, when did you actually go on active duty? When did you leave for basic training?
SCHUETTE: March 24th, 1977.
BOWERS HEALEY: And where did you go for basic training?
Speaker 3 Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
BOWERS HEALEY: All right. How did you get there?
SCHUETTE: Flight out of Milwaukee. I was sworn in in Milwaukee. And my.
Speaker 3 Recruiter took.
SCHUETTE: Me down. And.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. Did you remember who your recruiter was?
Speaker 3 Sergeant Gaul.
SCHUETTE: Don't ask me the first name. I don't remember that.
Speaker 3 But, yeah, he took me down, for the Asvab, which.
SCHUETTE: Ironically, I scored 99% on the.
Speaker 3 Asvab, which was pretty much opened me up.
SCHUETTE: To any MOS I wanted.
Speaker 3 But the day that I actually cleared, because you have to do the physical.
SCHUETTE: And I'm trying to remember.
Speaker 3 How all of that work, but you had to do the physical too.
SCHUETTE: So when I finally.
Speaker 3 Got the go ahead to pick.
SCHUETTE: An MOS. The only MOS.
Speaker 3 That was open to leave ASAP was Automotive Repair Man. And it was kind of humorous because I had wanted to do an auto repair class.
SCHUETTE: In high school, being essentially a single teenager. So I knew how to add oil and that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 And I couldn't do it because I was a woman.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: They wouldn't let me take it.
BOWERS HEALEY: All right. Tell me what your. Well, what is this your first time? On an airplane?
Speaker 3 Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
Speaker 3 Yes.
SCHUETTE: It was my first time on an airplane. It.
Speaker 3 Was my first flight. It was essentially the first time, I had really traveled to any distance.
SCHUETTE: On my own.
Speaker 3 My dad moved to.
SCHUETTE: Illinois.
Speaker 3 Suburb of Chicago with his, new wife.
SCHUETTE: The woman he'd been living with, and.
Speaker 3 I did drive down from Cedarburg to see him before I left. And say goodbye.
BOWERS HEALEY: All righty. Tell me your first impression of when you arrived at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Speaker 3 Well, I guess I wasn't ready for it to be warm.
SCHUETTE: In March, it was. Captain. You're still wearing.
Speaker 3 Flannels. And we had about 4 or 5.
SCHUETTE: Maybe a week, even.
Speaker 3 Before the whole.
SCHUETTE: Unit that I.
Speaker 3 Was with formed. So we were.
SCHUETTE: In civilian.
Speaker 3 Clothes yet? And they were just starting to take us through. Kind of a military routine where we had to.
SCHUETTE: You know, get in line and.
Speaker 3 Yeah, very simple things.
SCHUETTE: And then, I.
Speaker 3 Think.
SCHUETTE: According to my yearbook.
Speaker 3 It said April 1st was my first day of.
SCHUETTE: Training, and, you know, then you get. Well, I'd had my hair cut.
Speaker 3 Really short before I left because I had really.
SCHUETTE: Long hair, and I was.
Speaker 3 Like, we're going to do this before I leave.
SCHUETTE: And so I didn't have.
Speaker 3 To go through the haircut, but you go through the.
SCHUETTE: Line and you get measured and you get your uniforms, and you.
Speaker 3 Pick up your boots and your.
SCHUETTE: Shoes in your purse, in your hats and.
Speaker 3 Your different collar.
SCHUETTE: Insignia and your name and all.
Speaker 3 Of that.
SCHUETTE: And then you.
Speaker 3 Start.
SCHUETTE: Training.
BOWERS HEALEY: And when you arrived, were you an E2 or did you get that when.
SCHUETTE: You know, I was in E2 when I arrived?
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And tell me a little bit about the uniform, this uniform or uniforms that you were issued.
Speaker 3 Well, we were.
SCHUETTE: A unique.
Speaker 3 Class. The Women's Army Corps.
SCHUETTE: Had been.
Speaker 3 Abolished or ended. So the very class that graduated before our class was the last class.
SCHUETTE: Of Women's.
Speaker 3 Army Corps. And so we were the first class of army corps, just the army. So we trained certain.
SCHUETTE: Things with the men.
Speaker 3 We didn't it.
SCHUETTE: With the men.
Speaker 3 I think they do that on floors now. But we didn't do that then. But we were issued.
SCHUETTE: Green fatigues and the army boots.
Speaker 3 And the, the low heeled dress shoes. The summer weight dress.
SCHUETTE: Uniform.
Speaker 3 Was called cords. That didn't fit me really good. But the dress?
SCHUETTE: Green.
Speaker 3 Jacket and.
SCHUETTE: The dress green.
Speaker 3 Skirt. And the white blouse with the little black trim.
SCHUETTE: A collar.
Speaker 3 That. I looked really good on that.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay, now, you said you did some training with me. On what? What part of the training did you do with males?
SCHUETTE: Some of the.
Speaker 3 Firing squad or the firing range?
SCHUETTE: We.
Speaker 3 Did some.
SCHUETTE: Of the marching.
Speaker 3 For the.
SCHUETTE: Long haul marching, you know, where you're.
Speaker 3 Out for 3 to.
SCHUETTE: 5 miles?
Speaker 3 We did.
SCHUETTE: We did not.
Speaker 3 Bivouac.
SCHUETTE: We didn't do.
Speaker 3 The.
SCHUETTE: Overnight camping trip.
Speaker 3 Specifically with.
SCHUETTE: The males.
Speaker 3 We were separate.
SCHUETTE: From them, but, night fire.
Speaker 3 And and that their group was, like, right.
SCHUETTE: Next.
Speaker 3 To ours.
BOWERS HEALEY: Did you find the physical aspect of the training easy or challenging, or how would you describe it?
Speaker 3 Well, I was.
SCHUETTE: Never an athlete. And it was my biggest.
Speaker 3 Concern.
SCHUETTE: Going in that I wouldn't make it.
Speaker 3 So I was really proud.
SCHUETTE: When testing came, and I finally managed to.
Speaker 3 Pass all of it. But one thing that basic training.
SCHUETTE: Did for me is it made me part of a family. It made me.
Speaker 3 Part of a group.
SCHUETTE: And one of the.
Speaker 3 Gals that.
SCHUETTE: Was in our unit was on.
Speaker 3 Profile for a bad foot, and.
SCHUETTE: I don't remember.
Speaker 3 If it was broken or what it was, but she was.
SCHUETTE: In.
Speaker 3 A cast and so she did all of the.
SCHUETTE: Hiking and it cast, and she.
Speaker 3 Did everything except the.
SCHUETTE: Final run.
Speaker 3 To pass the test.
SCHUETTE: In a cast.
Speaker 3 So she hadn't been able to run. And they did her separate because she had to go have the cast off, and.
SCHUETTE: She came back and.
Speaker 3 She started to run, and every last one of the girls.
SCHUETTE: In our.
Speaker 3 Platoon.
SCHUETTE: Fell in and ran with.
Speaker 3 Her. We couldn't touch her, but we could. We could count cadence. We could sing the little songs. We could.
SCHUETTE: You know, encourage her. We could run in front of her backwards.
Speaker 3 We could run beside her.
SCHUETTE: And she made it.
Speaker 3 And I was, I was part I was a little.
SCHUETTE: Tiny.
Speaker 3 Part, but I was I was part of her success.
SCHUETTE: And there was a.
Speaker 3 Great deal of pride.
SCHUETTE: In me for that. And that was.
Speaker 3 The.
SCHUETTE: First time in my life.
Speaker 3 I believed in myself.
SCHUETTE: That, you know, I.
Speaker 3 I could do something.
SCHUETTE: And, the other thing that was.
Speaker 3 Really.
SCHUETTE: Awesome and basic.
Speaker 3 Was I had a really hard time zeroing.
SCHUETTE: In. My M15.
Speaker 3 A1 military rifle.
BOWERS HEALEY: Was m15 A1, m.
Speaker 3 Yes.
SCHUETTE: M15, A1.
Speaker 3 And the lead male drill sergeant, he well, he didn't like people very much.
SCHUETTE: I didn't know how to clean toilets when I got.
Speaker 3 There.
SCHUETTE: And he.
Speaker 3 Thought I was kidding.
SCHUETTE: Him, and pulling his leg. So he kind of.
Speaker 3 He kind of didn't like me very much. But there was a drill.
SCHUETTE: Sergeant, Medina.
Speaker 3 Bach.
SCHUETTE: And she was a lady. And we got.
Speaker 3 Out to the last.
SCHUETTE: Sighting.
Speaker 3 Fire before we did test fire.
SCHUETTE: And she came up behind me, and she tapped me on my helmet, and she.
Speaker 3 Helped.
SCHUETTE: Me.
Speaker 3 Zero in.
SCHUETTE: And so then I went to test fire, and I made.
Speaker 3 Expert. And the lead drill sergeant didn't believe it.
SCHUETTE: And I didn't know it at the time, but.
Speaker 3 Drill sergeant followed.
SCHUETTE: Me.
Speaker 3 Off the.
SCHUETTE: Range and said.
Speaker 3 Yes, she made expert and I was.
SCHUETTE: Walking on cloud nine. Of course.
Speaker 3 He didn't like me any better, but.
SCHUETTE: I was walking on cloud nine and then.
Speaker 3 I.
BOWERS HEALEY: His last name is bark bark.
Speaker 3 Bark. Madinah bark was the lady drill sergeant. That that really left.
SCHUETTE: An impression on me. And I don't want to say who.
Speaker 3 The head drill sergeant was because, that's just not.
SCHUETTE: A nice.
Speaker 3 Thing to do. But she was very awesome to me.
SCHUETTE: And so then we went on Night Fire. Which was not.
Speaker 3 Yeah. You had to hit.
SCHUETTE: So many.
Speaker 3 Targets.
SCHUETTE: And night conditions. And it was kind of funny.
Speaker 3 Because I must have hit my five targets, like like that.
SCHUETTE: Because she came up behind me and she was like.
Speaker 3 Listen.
SCHUETTE: I'm not.
Speaker 3 Supposed to tell you this, but.
SCHUETTE: Aim for anything you can see.
Speaker 3 That's up and hit it so we can get the heck off this range. So apparently there were some people firing that really weren't able to either see or do or whatever because it was.
SCHUETTE: A timed target.
Speaker 3 Came up for like three seconds and went down.
SCHUETTE: And so I.
Speaker 3 Was just hitting everything. But that was kind of a cute little.
SCHUETTE: A little thing that just.
Speaker 3 Also.
SCHUETTE: Too made me feel good about myself.
BOWERS HEALEY: How long was your basic training?
SCHUETTE: I want to say six weeks.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. Anything else from basic training that sticks out or that you remember? Any of your bunk mates?
SCHUETTE: Or. I did make friends with one of my bunk mates. Now, coming from a small town and being pretty.
Speaker 3 Gullible.
SCHUETTE: And being kind of.
Speaker 3 How shall we say it.
SCHUETTE: Naive.
Speaker 3 It was a very.
SCHUETTE: Mixed.
Speaker 3 Group of ladies, that.
SCHUETTE: Were in my platoon and.
Speaker 3 So I didn't.
SCHUETTE: Really know.
Speaker 3 How to relate to a lot of them very well, so I tended.
SCHUETTE: To keep my mouth shut. How hard is that maybe to believe?
Speaker 3 But there were a group of black soldiers, here, about five.
SCHUETTE: Of them, and they would get.
Speaker 3 Together.
SCHUETTE: In the evening before.
Speaker 3 Lights out, as we.
SCHUETTE: Were, you know, getting their stuff ready, and they would sing and they had the.
Speaker 3 Most beautiful.
SCHUETTE: Harmony.
Speaker 3 It was just awesome.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I kind of tried to tell.
SCHUETTE: Them that.
Speaker 3 I really thought they had beautiful voices.
SCHUETTE: And being gullible and naive, I don't think that.
Speaker 3 Necessarily came out the best. But I don't think they hated me for it or anything like that, but I wasn't very graceful. So, last day.
SCHUETTE: The parade when you graduate.
Speaker 3 It's kind of heartbreaking. It was. It was a happy, sad moment.
SCHUETTE: None of my family was there.
Speaker 3 A lot of people had family there.
SCHUETTE: I did not.
Speaker 3 But you do pass and review and.
SCHUETTE: You know, standing tall and looking good.
Speaker 3 On my way to Hollywood. Sorry, I thought so.
SCHUETTE: And then. And then, you know, you get.
Speaker 3 Your orders and it's usually about, I don't know, two, three days. I think you do pass and review on a.
SCHUETTE: Friday and Monday you.
Speaker 3 Ship.
SCHUETTE: And that.
Speaker 3 That was by train. That was a whole new experience to me. They essentially put all of us.
SCHUETTE: Heading up the.
Speaker 3 East Coast.
SCHUETTE: In one car.
Speaker 3 So it was guys and girls.
SCHUETTE: And we.
Speaker 3 Were pretty.
SCHUETTE: Much.
Speaker 3 I don't want to say locked.
SCHUETTE: In, but.
Speaker 3 We were allowed out of that car.
SCHUETTE: We didn't get meals. So if you didn't have snacks in your backpack, you were.
Speaker 3 You.
SCHUETTE: And we.
Speaker 3 Traveled all.
SCHUETTE: Afternoon and all night. And the next morning.
Speaker 3 There was a bathroom. I do remember that.
SCHUETTE: Stand in line. Wait your turn.
Speaker 3 But there were five of us that got off at.
SCHUETTE: Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, where I went for my.
Speaker 3 Advanced training by it.
BOWERS HEALEY: And you knew you were headed for Aberdeen?
Speaker 3 Once.
SCHUETTE: They gave me my papers. Okay. I didn't know that before. And.
Speaker 3 They drop you off on a dirt road, with literally nothing. No callbacks, no nothing.
SCHUETTE: Nobody was there to meet you.
Speaker 3 They just kind of tossed your luggage and you off, and you just kind of sat.
SCHUETTE: There and twiddled your thumbs and.
Speaker 3 Tried to figure out.
SCHUETTE: And now you're supposed.
Speaker 3 To walk or just stay put.
SCHUETTE: And those were in.
Speaker 3 The days before cell phones and jeeps.
SCHUETTE: And all.
Speaker 3 Of that good stuff. So if there was no call backs.
SCHUETTE: There, and it's not like we would have known who.
Speaker 3 To call anyway. But, and eventually somebody did show up and they picked us up.
SCHUETTE: And, took.
Speaker 3 Us back to base. But Aberdeen.
SCHUETTE: Proving Grounds, Maryland was.
Speaker 3 A test, site.
SCHUETTE: For the.
Speaker 3 Military.
SCHUETTE: And so.
Speaker 3 A lot of the aircraft.
SCHUETTE: And the tanks and all.
Speaker 3 Of that big.
SCHUETTE: Equipment was.
Speaker 3 Tested there.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I came.
SCHUETTE: To know.
Speaker 3 Much later after I was released.
SCHUETTE: From the military.
Speaker 3 That there were about 3000 ish plus.
SCHUETTE: Men on the.
Speaker 3 Base.
SCHUETTE: And there was one.
Speaker 3 Barracks of 80.
SCHUETTE: Women.
Speaker 3 And out of that one barracks of 80.
SCHUETTE: Women.
Speaker 3 About 30 of us were actually in some school. In there.
SCHUETTE: And the.
Speaker 3 Rest of them were TDY. Coming back from.
SCHUETTE: Germany or.
Speaker 3 Wherever. Awaiting whatever their disposition was going to be.
SCHUETTE: Going on to another.
Speaker 3 Base or waiting for a new.
SCHUETTE: Assignment.
Speaker 3 Or whatever. So that base was a really, really, really different culture from basic training.
BOWERS HEALEY: When you were dropped off on the road, you said there were five of you. Were those men and women are all. Yeah. Okay.
SCHUETTE: Three men. Two women.
BOWERS HEALEY: And all of you were going to go to the automotive repair?
SCHUETTE: No, no, no, I don't know where the men were headed.
Speaker 3 They didn't go to automotive.
SCHUETTE: And I think the woman that dropped.
Speaker 3 Off with.
SCHUETTE: Me went to.
Speaker 3 A helicopter repair. So I was.
SCHUETTE: The only woman.
Speaker 3 Headed destined for automotive training.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. All right. So you were saying it's a really different culture at Aberdeen Proving Ground at about 33,000 men there. Yeah, and 80 women. Yeah. So did you start your training right away or not?
SCHUETTE: Yeah. Pretty much.
Speaker 3 You had one day of, I guess you'd.
SCHUETTE: Call it in in.
Speaker 3 Doc, where you pick up your.
SCHUETTE: Batting and you, you know, sign your.
Speaker 3 Paperwork.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Whatever else and get your paycheck set.
SCHUETTE: Up and this, that and the other thing. And, then the next day.
Speaker 3 I was put into a class.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Boy, I want to say there was probably about 40 of.
SCHUETTE: Us in the class, and I was the only woman.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: And.
BOWERS HEALEY: What were your impressions when you showed up? And there was one. You were the only woman in the class.
Speaker 3 Well, it's like.
SCHUETTE: Walking into a room and having every.
Speaker 3 Head turn.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I was.
SCHUETTE: The little messy, and the.
Speaker 3 Instructor was like.
SCHUETTE: You must be in the wrong place. And I showed him my orders, and he kind of was like.
Speaker 3 You know, okay, take a seat.
BOWERS HEALEY: But you know what? The automotive, military occupational specialty was that just opened up, or were there other women in it? Any idea?
SCHUETTE: I have no idea.
Speaker 3 Okay. I have.
SCHUETTE: No idea.
Speaker 3 But, you.
SCHUETTE: Know, but I'm thinking. Because the women Army.
Speaker 3 Corps stopped and the new.
SCHUETTE: I guess, combined army, with the men and the women, opened.
Speaker 3 Up a lot of new areas that.
SCHUETTE: Women.
Speaker 3 Traditionally.
SCHUETTE: Had never been in before.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: That would be my best guess.
Speaker 3 But the culture was, was very different. Yeah.
BOWERS HEALEY: Can you describe it more?
Speaker 3 Well, outside of our barracks, because there were, I don't know, like 5 or 6 barracks.
SCHUETTE: In our compound.
Speaker 3 But. It was you walked to everything, and it was quite a distance to walk, to get.
SCHUETTE: To the mess hall and whatnot. And.
Speaker 3 Outside of our barracks, breakfast, lunch and dinner, there would be.
SCHUETTE: Lines of men, along the sidewalks.
Speaker 3 Making catcalls. Oh, that one's kind of pretty.
SCHUETTE: I don't know.
Speaker 3 She's a she's a one.
SCHUETTE: I wouldn't do anything with.
Speaker 3 Her kind of stuff. Which was degrading.
SCHUETTE: But it was also humiliating. And.
Speaker 3 The women.
SCHUETTE: That had come.
Speaker 3 Back from other duty stations. There were several of them that I would call alcoholics today. They pretty much always went to the club and had quite a few beers. And so they.
SCHUETTE: You know.
Speaker 3 They would call back with the guys, but those of us that had just gone through basic.
SCHUETTE: Which wasn't very many of us.
Speaker 3 Were used to a much more respectful atmosphere where you were.
SCHUETTE: Kind of.
Speaker 3 Accepted as being part of the team.
SCHUETTE: And now you were kind of.
Speaker 3 The little missy.
SCHUETTE: You know, you.
Speaker 3 Were kind of like the.
SCHUETTE: Hood ornament, I.
Speaker 3 Guess you could say.
SCHUETTE: For the military. And so.
Speaker 3 You didn't really leave the barracks because you just didn't.
SCHUETTE: You know. And, in class.
Speaker 3 It was kind of funny because you get.
SCHUETTE: Lecture and then you get hands on and.
Speaker 3 Lecture was okay.
SCHUETTE: I mean, I understood.
Speaker 3 What they were talking about. The the textbook we had.
SCHUETTE: Was one that was written at the fifth.
Speaker 3 Grade level. So it was kind.
SCHUETTE: Of like for me, it was kind of like reading a comic.
Speaker 3 Book, I guess, sad to.
SCHUETTE: Say.
Speaker 3 But when we got to the hands on, the fellows would kind of like, pull up a.
SCHUETTE: Crate and say, you.
Speaker 3 Sit there and you read.
SCHUETTE: Us the instructions.
Speaker 3 They wouldn't let me, like, pick up the tools.
SCHUETTE: And try anything.
Speaker 3 With.
SCHUETTE: Kind of like, you know, a little messy.
Speaker 3 You just tell us how, what the instructions are and we'll do the work.
SCHUETTE: Definitely a men's atmosphere.
BOWERS HEALEY: And were the instructors there, observing this?
Speaker 3 Oh, yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: Condoning it.
Speaker 3 And participating.
SCHUETTE: In it. I'm not.
Speaker 3 Sure that.
SCHUETTE: The lead instructor knew my name. Even though it had the name tape on my uniform, I'm.
Speaker 3 Pretty sure he.
SCHUETTE: Didn't know who I was and.
BOWERS HEALEY: Where the instructor. Savannah. Army.
SCHUETTE: Army.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: I mean, they.
Speaker 3 At least they were in.
SCHUETTE: You know, fatigues.
Speaker 3 Like, I was.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: With nametags and, you know, rank and insignia.
Speaker 3 And then we had. Like a unit headquarters building.
SCHUETTE: And why the name of it escapes me.
Speaker 3 But the.
SCHUETTE: Company commander.
Speaker 3 Was there.
SCHUETTE: And then there were a.
Speaker 3 Couple of.
SCHUETTE: Sergeants in there. And to.
Speaker 3 Do basically.
SCHUETTE: Anything you needed to.
Speaker 3 Go through them. So, one.
SCHUETTE: Weekend.
Speaker 3 I.
SCHUETTE: It was a long weekend, and I'm trying to think it must have been maybe Memorial Day weekend.
BOWERS HEALEY: You were there at Aberdeen starting in May.
SCHUETTE: I want to say, may I. It was a long weekend, so it might have been a.
Speaker 3 Military holiday or something like that. To that I don't remember, but it was a four day weekend. We didn't have classes.
SCHUETTE: And so.
Speaker 3 I, requested a chip to travel home to fly home for a visit.
SCHUETTE: And then I came back and, one of the.
Speaker 3 People.
SCHUETTE: That had kind of.
Speaker 3 Taken me to see, the vehicles I would be.
SCHUETTE: Working on at. Reserve unit. I came and.
Speaker 3 Picked me up and we started.
SCHUETTE: To know each other.
Speaker 3 And.
SCHUETTE: You know, then I flew back and I had one. There was one fella in the unit.
Speaker 3 He was Indian.
SCHUETTE: Like American Indian. And, one Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 3 I had walked.
SCHUETTE: Down because I wanted.
Speaker 3 To see Chesapeake Bay, which we were right on the.
SCHUETTE: Bay. And I'm thinking all.
Speaker 3 This is kind of cool. This is like history, you know, and I was a big history fan. So I got.
SCHUETTE: Down there and he was there and he was going to rent a canoe and go out and asked.
Speaker 3 Me if I wanted to come with him. And I was like, sure. I said.
SCHUETTE: Never been in a canoe. And he's like.
Speaker 3 Not a problem. I'll show you how we paddle. Okay. So we were.
SCHUETTE: Out on the bay. And I did.
Speaker 3 Get sunburned, but I also.
SCHUETTE: Managed.
Speaker 3 To capsize the canoe. We got it right sided, and we didn't make it back. But, I was pretty miserable with sunburn. And that was against military rules because it.
SCHUETTE: Was damaging.
Speaker 3 Military property. And luckily, he did.
SCHUETTE: Come over and bring me some, stuff to put on my sunburn, so I was a.
Speaker 3 Little bit more comfortable, but I still did get.
SCHUETTE: Back on my.
Speaker 3 Pay for.
SCHUETTE: Damaging.
Speaker 3 Damaging military property.
BOWERS HEALEY: You got docked on your pay?
Speaker 3 Yes. What? It was a something 15. Yes. It wasn't a hit. Well, I think my.
SCHUETTE: Pay was.
Speaker 3 $135.
SCHUETTE: A month, or.
Speaker 3 Maybe a $150 a month. It wasn't.
SCHUETTE: It was nothing.
Speaker 3 To write home about, but it it allowed me to.
SCHUETTE: Eat and have a.
Speaker 3 Place to sleep and have clothes.
SCHUETTE: And still send money home so mom could.
Speaker 3 Eat and have heat.
BOWERS HEALEY: You mentioned 15, to get docked on your pay. Did you have to go in front of a lieutenant or a captain?
Speaker 3 Yeah. Yeah.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 3 I had to report to the camp commander.
BOWERS HEALEY: Yeah. Okay.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Yeah, they they.
SCHUETTE: You know, said.
Speaker 3 You're obviously sunburned.
SCHUETTE: That's damaging.
Speaker 3 Military property. You get a, it wasn't a.
SCHUETTE: 15. It was something.
Speaker 3 15 some letters.
SCHUETTE: And then.
BOWERS HEALEY: 15. I'm guessing it was an article 15.
Speaker 3 Article 15. Yes.
SCHUETTE: And, I think they docked me $20.
Speaker 3 Which was a significant amount for me, because that's about all I kept back for me.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And what were you sending home to your mom? Were you sending money to your mother?
Speaker 3 Yeah, yeah, about.
SCHUETTE: About 130 a month.
Speaker 3 I think. So I that was my, my monthly.
SCHUETTE: You know.
Speaker 3 Deodorant, shampoo.
SCHUETTE: Soda pop money, but okay.
Speaker 3 That's what it was, but I didn't.
SCHUETTE: I didn't last very long at that post.
Speaker 3 The culture was.
SCHUETTE: Something I.
Speaker 3 Really.
SCHUETTE: Didn't know how.
Speaker 3 To deal with. Like I said, I was pretty gullible.
SCHUETTE: Even in my waitressing jobs.
Speaker 3 The.
SCHUETTE: The owners and the.
Speaker 3 People that I worked with would always make sure that you got to your car.
SCHUETTE: Safely. And it started then, you know, things like that. So you never.
Speaker 3 Had to worry about somebody.
SCHUETTE: Coming up and bothering you.
Speaker 3 And so.
SCHUETTE: One Friday night.
Speaker 3 There was a baseball.
SCHUETTE: Game going on, and I kind of always.
Speaker 3 Liked baseball, so I.
SCHUETTE: Went.
Speaker 3 I walked, I think it was like.
SCHUETTE: Three miles, maybe two miles.
Speaker 3 To the baseball field. And it was.
SCHUETTE: You know, I stayed and it was dark and.
Speaker 3 There.
SCHUETTE: Certainly were no.
Speaker 3 Streetlights.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I started I.
SCHUETTE: Started to not feel.
Speaker 3 Very well. I started feel kind of sick to my stomach. And two rows.
SCHUETTE: Behind me.
Speaker 3 Was one of.
SCHUETTE: Our company.
Speaker 3 Cards. He was a sergeant.
SCHUETTE: And he offered.
Speaker 3 To drive me back to the barracks.
SCHUETTE: And I accepted.
Speaker 3 So yes, I.
SCHUETTE: Willingly went with him.
Speaker 3 And that's what was in the report.
SCHUETTE: Well, on the way to the barracks.
Speaker 3 We had to stop.
SCHUETTE: And he had a drink and he bought me a drink, which.
Speaker 3 I really.
SCHUETTE: Didn't want. But he's.
Speaker 3 Like, this will settle your.
SCHUETTE: Stomach.
Speaker 3 And I'm pretty sure that drink was spiked with something.
SCHUETTE: Because I don't really remember.
Speaker 3 A whole lot of what.
SCHUETTE: Happened next.
Speaker 3 Except.
SCHUETTE: Kind of being.
Speaker 3 Aware.
SCHUETTE: Kind of in a.
Speaker 3 Surreal way, that.
SCHUETTE: I was in his apartment. And, I used the bathroom and I.
Speaker 3 Started to get a little concerned because the shower curtain was all.
SCHUETTE: Naked women.
Speaker 3 But.
SCHUETTE: You know, I came out and I wanted to.
Speaker 3 Go, but I pretty much passed.
SCHUETTE: Out again.
BOWERS HEALEY: And I do you ever drank alcohol before?
Speaker 3 A little bit of wine.
SCHUETTE: My mother used to make dandelion wine. So on the.
Speaker 3 Holidays, you would get a little bit. And so that was all you got because it was really strong. Or you got.
SCHUETTE: When we had money, you.
Speaker 3 Would get a glass of.
SCHUETTE: Morgan.
Speaker 3 David, like a Christmas.
SCHUETTE: And again, it.
Speaker 3 Was just a little glass.
SCHUETTE: Okay. Even my mom, it was a little glass.
Speaker 3 It was it wasn't just because I was younger. It was just. That was that. Was it.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay?
SCHUETTE: And I do remember being on the bed, and I do remember.
Speaker 3 At least three faces.
SCHUETTE: And I was raped.
Speaker 3 And I.
SCHUETTE: Don't remember much.
Speaker 3 After that except.
SCHUETTE: Being dumped off in the wooded.
Speaker 3 Area.
SCHUETTE: Behind my.
Speaker 3 Barracks. That was a road, a paved road. So it was an important road.
SCHUETTE: And I don't know how long I was there.
Speaker 3 I was pretty groggy, but the military police.
SCHUETTE: Making their rounds saw me, and I.
Speaker 3 Said, I told them.
SCHUETTE: You know, that I had been raped and whatnot. And they said.
Speaker 3 Oh, you're.
SCHUETTE: Just another drunk. And they call me back to my barracks and dumped me on the door. And, the next morning I went to the company Kadri office, and I wanted to go.
Speaker 3 To the hospital, and it was refused. So that was a Saturday.
SCHUETTE: And I went back on Sunday.
BOWERS HEALEY: Tell the people at the company why you wanted to go to the hospital?
Speaker 3 Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: And who did you talk to at the.
Speaker 3 The, the other sergeant, because the.
SCHUETTE: Sergeant that was involved in raping me wasn't present.
Speaker 3 But I think they probably all knew the culture.
SCHUETTE: So one sergeant wasn't going to.
Speaker 3 Squeal.
SCHUETTE: On the other sergeant. And I was denied on Sunday. And finally on Monday, late afternoon, they pulled me out of class and took me to the hospital. And I was seen by.
Speaker 3 A doctor.
SCHUETTE: And they, did not draw any.
Speaker 3 Blood tests. They did do a physical.
SCHUETTE: Exam and said, well, there's no evidence of.
Speaker 3 Rape. It's like.
SCHUETTE: I don't know, what are we?
Speaker 3 Three days passed out anyway.
BOWERS HEALEY: Who pulled you out of, class?
Speaker 3 Well.
SCHUETTE: Somebody senior to me, I.
Speaker 3 Don't.
SCHUETTE: I don't know if it was the lieutenant or if it was another.
Speaker 3 Sergeant or whatever.
BOWERS HEALEY: Were you surprised that you were taken out of class? That.
SCHUETTE: Yeah. Yeah, I was.
BOWERS HEALEY: Surprised that they took you to the hospital.
Speaker 3 Yes. Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: And then after.
Speaker 3 I was.
SCHUETTE: Seen, for.
Speaker 3 The physical.
SCHUETTE: Then they sent me to mental.
Speaker 3 Health to be evaluated, because, they felt that I was.
SCHUETTE: Lying and that.
Speaker 3 This was just.
SCHUETTE: A figment of my imagination and that I really wanted this.
Speaker 3 To.
SCHUETTE: Happen. And now I.
Speaker 3 Was just kind of sorry that it happened.
BOWERS HEALEY: Who did somebody say that to you?
SCHUETTE: The, the mental health.
Speaker 3 Specialist that I saw said that and put it in the report.
SCHUETTE: And put it in the report.
Speaker 3 So there was.
SCHUETTE: No.
Speaker 3 Recourse.
SCHUETTE: Taken against the sergeant. The captain spoke.
Speaker 3 To me rather harshly.
SCHUETTE: And said, you know. This is an acceptable lying and under the radar. And I was like, well, I'm not lying. It did happen. But again.
Speaker 3 The the barracks that I was.
SCHUETTE: In had.
Speaker 3 A lot of these people from TDY.
SCHUETTE: And they.
Speaker 3 Would go.
SCHUETTE: Out and they would get.
Speaker 3 Pretty rip.
SCHUETTE: Roaring drunk, and then they would come.
Speaker 3 Back at the.
SCHUETTE: Closing time, and they would come into the barracks and they would.
Speaker 3 Start.
SCHUETTE: Slamming their locker.
Speaker 3 Doors and pulling people out.
SCHUETTE: Of their bunks and, and just being angry and whatnot. So I guess that had to come from.
Speaker 3 Wherever they were before, I think. But I think it was.
SCHUETTE: Also kind of there.
Speaker 3 There was also one.
SCHUETTE: Of the women in our.
Speaker 3 Barracks that attempted to commit suicide.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I was there.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Most of the other.
SCHUETTE: Women wouldn't do anything. And, I.
Speaker 3 Called for help.
SCHUETTE: And they did come and they did take.
Speaker 3 Her to the hospital. And that was the last I saw of her.
SCHUETTE: I know she survived.
Speaker 3 They took her to Walter Reed. I was able to.
SCHUETTE: Find that much.
Speaker 3 Out. But she had. Yeah, she had given me her.
SCHUETTE: Phone number because.
Speaker 3 We were both.
SCHUETTE: Kind of.
Speaker 3 I don't want to say both kind of green.
SCHUETTE: But.
Speaker 3 Both new to that horror.
SCHUETTE: And once I got home, I tried.
Speaker 3 To call.
SCHUETTE: It. And that number said there was.
Speaker 3 No such person by.
SCHUETTE: That name there.
Speaker 3 Ever.
SCHUETTE: So I don't know if the number was wrong or.
Speaker 3 If what happened, but that was a dead.
SCHUETTE: End for.
Speaker 3 Me. So after that.
SCHUETTE: And after. A mental evaluation and they sent me back, I think, once or twice more to.
Speaker 3 Talk to.
SCHUETTE: The mental.
Speaker 3 Health specialist.
SCHUETTE: Then are you.
BOWERS HEALEY: Still attending your schooling?
SCHUETTE: No.
Speaker 3 They gave. After I was taken to the E.R..
SCHUETTE: They stopped me from my class. They put me on company duty.
Speaker 3 So I was.
SCHUETTE: You know, painting railings and whatnot, and.
Speaker 3 Made the mistake of.
SCHUETTE: Cleaning my brush on the grass in front of.
Speaker 3 Our billet.
BOWERS HEALEY: Got another cleaning your brush?
Speaker 3 Yeah, the paint brush.
SCHUETTE: On the front of the grass. On the front of the billet.
Speaker 3 That I.
SCHUETTE: Was working on. Okay. Yeah, that was another. I don't know, 20.
Speaker 3 Bucks or something, but I. Okay. I was.
SCHUETTE: Wandering around pretty much.
Speaker 3 In a daze.
SCHUETTE: I didn't know.
Speaker 3 What to do. Who to call?
SCHUETTE: I was kind of at.
Speaker 3 The mercy of the people that.
SCHUETTE: Were around me.
Speaker 3 And then I called the fellow that I knew from in the reserve, and he said, you know, first of all.
SCHUETTE: He didn't believe me either. But then.
Speaker 3 He said he would call.
SCHUETTE: Some friends of his and see if he could find out.
Speaker 3 Whatever.
BOWERS HEALEY: Was there somebody back in Wisconsin? When you say the reserves?
Speaker 3 Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: I should ask, when you join the military, did you join to be a reservist or active duty?
Speaker 3 Active duty?
BOWERS HEALEY: Active duty?
Speaker 3 Okay. I had I had hoped to be able to go.
SCHUETTE: On and get a.
Speaker 3 Skill that I could support myself with.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. So you called back to somebody at the reserves center or the recruiting side?
Speaker 3 This fellow that.
SCHUETTE: I met, I had his phone number.
BOWERS HEALEY: Oh, did he work at the reserve station or not?
Speaker 3 The part time.
SCHUETTE: But, I mean.
Speaker 3 He was a reservist.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay, but.
SCHUETTE: He was.
Speaker 3 In charge of the motor pool. So he was responsible for.
SCHUETTE: Change in oil and whatnot.
Speaker 3 So.
SCHUETTE: He helped me. And they gave me a choice.
Speaker 3 They actually.
SCHUETTE: Wanted me to take a medical.
Speaker 3 Discharge, and I refused because that would have followed.
SCHUETTE: Me the rest of my life.
Speaker 3 And I didn't feel like there.
SCHUETTE: Was anything medically.
Speaker 3 Or.
SCHUETTE: Or mentally wrong with me.
Speaker 3 And so he did help me.
SCHUETTE: I got an honorable discharge.
Speaker 3 They discharged me.
SCHUETTE: One day before my six months.
Speaker 3 So I.
SCHUETTE: Essentially.
Speaker 3 Gave up any.
SCHUETTE: Benefits.
Speaker 3 Any, claims for health issues, any.
SCHUETTE: Any, any kind of financial.
Speaker 3 Or medical or physical support. I took it and I ran.
BOWERS HEALEY: And so when were you actually, you said one day short of six months, you came in in March.
Speaker 3 Right?
SCHUETTE: March 24th.
Speaker 3 And my discharge date was July 5th.
SCHUETTE: So, I don't know, I never.
Speaker 3 Did count, but that's what they told me.
SCHUETTE: I was not eligible for anything. And I did.
Speaker 3 Talk.
SCHUETTE: To one of the.
Speaker 3 Veterans Affairs.
SCHUETTE: People.
Speaker 3 And essentially they told.
SCHUETTE: Me the same thing I was ineligible.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: And recently within the last.
Speaker 3 Couple of years, I went.
SCHUETTE: Back and talked to the veterans people, and.
Speaker 3 They said there wasn't even a military file.
SCHUETTE: On me. They had.
Speaker 3 No record of a 2014 or.
SCHUETTE: Of me being in the military.
Speaker 3 At all.
SCHUETTE: So I don't know what happened, but.
Speaker 3 I was I have proof.
SCHUETTE: I have my yearbook and I have my discharge orders. I do not have a duty.
Speaker 3 214 I did have I.
SCHUETTE: Don't know what.
Speaker 3 Happened to it. But coming back, I really couldn't.
SCHUETTE: Move back in with my mom.
Speaker 3 Because she was having a lot.
SCHUETTE: Of mental health issues. And she.
Speaker 3 Was very.
SCHUETTE: Paranoid by this time.
Speaker 3 She. Three years later, she died of a very large brain tumor. So.
BOWERS HEALEY: She was she concerned about why you had come back?
SCHUETTE: We never.
Speaker 3 Talked about.
SCHUETTE: It, and I never.
Speaker 3 Told her about the rape.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
Speaker 3 I, I just didn't feel like I could do that.
SCHUETTE: I think that would.
Speaker 3 Have really destroyed her. I did.
SCHUETTE: Talk to my.
Speaker 3 Dad about the rape.
SCHUETTE: And he and my stepmother, never made any offer for me to.
Speaker 3 Stay with them for a week or two until I could find a job or an apartment. So I was.
SCHUETTE: Pretty much.
Speaker 3 Left.
SCHUETTE: And the.
Speaker 3 Fellow that I had talked to at the reserve said, well, you can.
SCHUETTE: Come and live.
Speaker 3 With me. So I did, and for the next year ish.
SCHUETTE: And a half, I didn't realize he was married at the time. And that he had a son.
Speaker 3 That was three years old.
SCHUETTE: But.
Speaker 3 His ex-wife brought the son back.
SCHUETTE: To and essentially handed him to me when.
Speaker 3 Richard was at work.
SCHUETTE: And said, I can't care for him anymore. You need to take care of him and left him with me.
Speaker 3 Michael was autistic.
SCHUETTE: He was not born autistic.
Speaker 3 He had.
SCHUETTE: Been.
Speaker 3 Abused.
SCHUETTE: And I didn't find a lot.
Speaker 3 Of that out until much later. But.
SCHUETTE: So my dad.
Speaker 3 Kept telling me, oh, you're a, you know, you come from a Catholic family. You can't just live together.
SCHUETTE: That's a sin. You need to get married. You need to get married. You need to get married. So I'm.
Speaker 3 Married to Guy because that was what I was hearing.
SCHUETTE: I needed.
Speaker 3 To do.
SCHUETTE: And that.
Speaker 3 Was.
SCHUETTE: Jumping from the frying pan into.
Speaker 3 The fire. He was very manipulative. He was very controlling.
SCHUETTE: He lived in the country. We had no telephone again. That was miles away from anything. With an.
Speaker 3 Autistic child. I.
SCHUETTE: Had never even.
Speaker 3 Babysat before. So it was a learning curve for.
SCHUETTE: Michael and for me. And I wasn't going to give up on him. I he was a human being to me. And all human beings.
Speaker 3 Deserve to take us.
SCHUETTE: So, Richard.
Speaker 3 Was all about. Well, we'll just.
SCHUETTE: Put him in an institution.
Speaker 3 And I was like, yeah.
SCHUETTE: No, we're not going to.
Speaker 3 Do that.
SCHUETTE: I'm not going to let.
Speaker 3 You do that.
SCHUETTE: That's not happening.
Speaker 3 So.
SCHUETTE: Eventually.
Speaker 3 We did. They started the government, started a.
SCHUETTE: Program called Child Find.
Speaker 3 For.
SCHUETTE: Children that were.
Speaker 3 Disabled. And he was evaluated. And the lady evaluated wasn't overly thrilled.
SCHUETTE: With him because Michael.
Speaker 3 Took his shoe off and threw it at her. But I insisted that we try. And if he couldn't.
SCHUETTE: Learn anything in a year, then I would.
Speaker 3 I would say, okay.
SCHUETTE: We can put him in an institution and he can be managed.
BOWERS HEALEY: There. How old was the child at the time?
Speaker 3 I think he had turned four by the.
SCHUETTE: Time.
Speaker 3 We did the child.
SCHUETTE: Find assessment.
Speaker 3 And so the school district was kind of.
SCHUETTE: Between a rock and a hard place.
Speaker 3 And the first teacher.
BOWERS HEALEY: Were you living at the.
Speaker 3 Time? Belgium. So it was Port Washington School District. The first teacher he had, I think she.
SCHUETTE: Was kind of overwhelmed with the amount of kids in the class.
Speaker 3 So she would send homework home with.
SCHUETTE: Him, and we would work on things. And he didn't talk initially.
Speaker 3 It took six months for me to.
SCHUETTE: Get him to respond.
Speaker 3 Ho ho.
SCHUETTE: Ho. When I asked him what Santa Claus said.
Speaker 3 But he was learning. And so I.
SCHUETTE: Said, we need to go on. And then he got.
Speaker 3 To a different school with.
SCHUETTE: Dolly Musson as the assistant and Cathy Pinchot.
Speaker 3 As his teachers. And they it was a world of difference. Michael started to open up. He started to communicate. And he started to learn to read a few words. He later went out.
SCHUETTE: He was phenomenal at math. He can.
Speaker 3 Balance a checkbook.
SCHUETTE: Better than I can with.
Speaker 3 Computer.
SCHUETTE: And he never.
Speaker 3 Forgets whatever was.
SCHUETTE: Served on his birthday and the.
Speaker 3 Presents he got. And who was at that birthday party?
SCHUETTE: I mean, he has a memory like an ion trap.
BOWERS HEALEY: So did you end up end up raising him?
Speaker 3 Till he was 12.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: Maybe 30. And I'm trying to think I was married to Richard 11 years. During that time, I gave birth to Jennifer.
Speaker 3 My oldest.
SCHUETTE: Daughter, and I gave.
Speaker 3 Birth to Heather.
SCHUETTE: My youngest daughter. Those are my only two birth children.
Speaker 3 But, Richard.
SCHUETTE: He pretty much stopped any any.
Speaker 3 Attempt by me to.
SCHUETTE: Learn any.
Speaker 3 Skills.
SCHUETTE: Of any.
Speaker 3 Ability to be.
SCHUETTE: Independent.
BOWERS HEALEY: So when you came back from the military, you weren't able to get a job, or.
SCHUETTE: I had no car, I had no money, I.
Speaker 3 Had.
SCHUETTE: No phone. I had no way of contacting anybody. We didn't have a paper. I didn't even know what was out there. I was like, on an island. Okay. And, he pretty much kept.
Speaker 3 It that way.
BOWERS HEALEY: All righty.
Speaker 3 And then you should have.
SCHUETTE: Been a huge.
Speaker 3 Red flag. But it wasn't.
BOWERS HEALEY: You had two of your own daughters.
Speaker 3 Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
Speaker 3 And then I think Heather was. About a year.
SCHUETTE: And a.
Speaker 3 Half or maybe two years old, and I know.
SCHUETTE: My mother had.
Speaker 3 Passed.
SCHUETTE: Away and the property.
Speaker 3 Had sold, so I had inheritance. I had about $30,000 that.
SCHUETTE: Came in in inheritance.
Speaker 3 And I, like a complete fool, put it.
SCHUETTE: In our joint savings account. And one day.
Speaker 3 I.
SCHUETTE: Came home from work and I worked in the gas station.
Speaker 3 So the newspapers.
SCHUETTE: Came in and I saw them, and there was a.
Speaker 3 Picture of.
SCHUETTE: My husband.
Speaker 3 With the.
SCHUETTE: Headline.
Speaker 3 That said, Richard to open up, or reopen the
SCHUETTE: Bus line between Port Washington and Milwaukee.
Speaker 3 And I was like, what?
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 He said, yeah, I.
SCHUETTE: Took the money and I bought the line, and I'm like.
Speaker 3 You took.
SCHUETTE: My inheritance money and.
Speaker 3 You bought us a company. It's like, yeah.
SCHUETTE: You're going to be in the office during the day, and you can keep working your full time night job with. At that point in time, about.
Speaker 3 A year old.
SCHUETTE: Baby. And I could.
Speaker 3 Do that for about a.
SCHUETTE: Year. And then I collapsed from exhaustion. When I got back out.
Speaker 3 They suggested.
SCHUETTE: Counseling.
Speaker 3 For both Richard.
SCHUETTE: And me.
Speaker 3 We went to the first.
SCHUETTE: Counseling appointment, and the counselor threw him out and looked at me and said, absolutely nothing is going to change as long as you're married to the man. So when he went to summer camp, I made plans.
Speaker 3 To.
SCHUETTE: Move out into low.
Speaker 3 Cost.
SCHUETTE: Housing and.
Speaker 3 Take what I.
SCHUETTE: Could. And the girls and Michael.
Speaker 3 And he later.
SCHUETTE: Won custody back of Michael.
Speaker 3 Because I was.
SCHUETTE: Not Michael's mother, and.
Speaker 3 It was several, several hard years, for me.
SCHUETTE: Different jobs trying to support my family. He didn't.
Speaker 3 Voluntarily offer child support.
SCHUETTE: So.
Speaker 3 The car that I had taken with.
SCHUETTE: Me in the.
Speaker 3 Divorce.
SCHUETTE: Had both of our names on it, and he came back in the middle of the night, took it and sold it on me. So I had no vehicle again, like I said, it was very manipulative, very controlling.
Speaker 3 Very much.
SCHUETTE: Was not going.
Speaker 3 To let me.
SCHUETTE: Go, was going to make it as.
Speaker 3 Difficult as he could.
SCHUETTE: And when.
Speaker 3 When he started showing great favoritism to.
SCHUETTE: Jennifer.
Speaker 3 And was punitive to both.
SCHUETTE: Michael and.
Speaker 3 Heather, I suspected him.
SCHUETTE: Of being up to something rather.
Speaker 3 Nefarious.
SCHUETTE: And during our married.
Speaker 3 Life.
SCHUETTE: I.
Speaker 3 Knew all. I came to discover that he was gay.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 He was bisexual.
SCHUETTE: And he.
Speaker 3 Was into bestiality.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 He was just.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay, so by this time you had divorced and you were raising at least your two daughters by yourself.
Speaker 3 Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And where did you live with your daughters?
Speaker 3 Hartford.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: Hartford, Wisconsin.
Speaker 3 And he had visitation rights.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 He was all about. Okay, we can do a process, a divorce, which would be we each represent ourselves.
SCHUETTE: And then about.
Speaker 3 A week before our court, he comes up with an.
SCHUETTE: Attorney and paperwork.
Speaker 3 And I had.
SCHUETTE: No.
Speaker 3 Ability to get an attorney.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Paperwork. And so he had.
SCHUETTE: Weekend.
Speaker 3 Unsupervised visitation.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 All kinds of stuff.
SCHUETTE: And again.
Speaker 3 It it.
SCHUETTE: Was not a good situation. But one day I went out for a walk and I was like, okay, Lord, I'm here, I need.
Speaker 3 A scale. So whoever calls me back first with a job opportunity that I.
SCHUETTE: Can better myself, that's where I'm going. And, one of the nursing homes called me back and said.
Speaker 3 We will pay you to complete six weeks certified.
SCHUETTE: Nursing assistant training.
Speaker 3 But then after that, you will work for us for at least.
SCHUETTE: I think it was.
Speaker 3 A year or two years.
SCHUETTE: And that's the contract.
Speaker 3 But then you don't owe us for the schooling. Otherwise you have to repay the schooling. So I did that. And then as I got through with that, I discovered I could work with the essentially, it's.
SCHUETTE: A staffing agency we call them had.
Speaker 3 Hundreds back, back. And if I worked a.
SCHUETTE: Single shift on Friday.
Speaker 3 A double Saturday.
SCHUETTE: And a double Sunday.
Speaker 3 Of course, I was drop dead exhausted. But I was home.
SCHUETTE: During the.
Speaker 3 Week with the girls.
SCHUETTE: For when they went to school, and.
Speaker 3 Richard was.
SCHUETTE: Taking them on the weekends anyway.
Speaker 3 So why should I.
SCHUETTE: Sit around and just, you know.
Speaker 3 Squirm and worry about what.
SCHUETTE: Was happening, that I couldn't do anything about it?
BOWERS HEALEY: Did you stay as a nursing assistant and make your I career?
Speaker 3 I did that for a couple of years, and I also, took EMT basic.
SCHUETTE: Training.
Speaker 3 With the Hartford, Fire Department EMS. And from there.
SCHUETTE: I transferred to.
Speaker 3 A job in West.
SCHUETTE: Bend working in the emergency room, as a technician. And that.
Speaker 3 Was a.
SCHUETTE: Rotating schedule.
Speaker 3 Which was really difficult to stay away with.
SCHUETTE: And then, I.
Speaker 3 Did that for about a.
SCHUETTE: Year, and then a position.
Speaker 3 Opened up.
SCHUETTE: In Plymouth.
Speaker 3 For a.
SCHUETTE: Straight nights technician.
Speaker 3 Well, I could do.
SCHUETTE: That and I could go to nursing.
Speaker 3 School during the day.
SCHUETTE: And again, it was.
Speaker 3 About a two year blur.
SCHUETTE: In my life. But I got my LPN license. And after that I kind of stayed in LPN and you, I worked.
Speaker 3 What I could. Until Richard started calling the girls at 2 or.
SCHUETTE: 3:00 in the morning and waking them up.
Speaker 3 Where they were while I worked.
SCHUETTE: And threatening that he was going to come pick.
Speaker 3 Them up, and telling him that the child support checks were.
SCHUETTE: Their money and I was holding out their money. And of course, by this time they're kind of like teenagers and, you know.
Speaker 3 It was just. It was a battle. It was a battle. He was supposed to keep.
SCHUETTE: Health insurance on them.
Speaker 3 But he had them at a Milwaukee.
SCHUETTE: Clinic show when they had an.
Speaker 3 Ear infection. I had to drive from Plymouth.
SCHUETTE: To Milwaukee.
Speaker 3 To.
SCHUETTE: Try and get them.
Speaker 3 Seen.
SCHUETTE: Anyhow.
BOWERS HEALEY: So, did your girls, end up, going to high school and finishing high school?
Speaker 3 Oh, yes. Yes, both of them. Jen was actually in a really.
SCHUETTE: Wonderful program, and then I.
Speaker 3 Had to.
SCHUETTE: I couldn't afford the rent anymore, and I had to move, into a.
Speaker 3 Cheaper place, which took her out of that.
SCHUETTE: Program and put her in a.
Speaker 3 Different high school.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 She graduated. But there was a huge attitude change at that point in time.
SCHUETTE: And then and then on a fluke, I met my current husband.
Speaker 3 JJ James, John.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 One of the ladies I worked with and her husband were both part of an.
SCHUETTE: EMS.
Speaker 3 That I took additional.
SCHUETTE: Training.
Speaker 3 With.
SCHUETTE: And recertification of my CPR and that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 So I knew them pretty well.
SCHUETTE: I knew Pam and.
Speaker 3 Terry really well.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Jen was going with her cousin to.
SCHUETTE: Some.
Speaker 3 Friends of ours for.
SCHUETTE: The weekend. They they.
Speaker 3 We all did Civil.
SCHUETTE: War enactment together.
Speaker 3 They were, they were probably the only.
SCHUETTE: Family my kid really.
Speaker 3 Kids.
SCHUETTE: Really knew growing up.
Speaker 3 And Heather had a girlfriend having a birthday party. Sleepover. So I went by Pam and Terry.
SCHUETTE: By this time, I had a.
Speaker 3 Car e stick shift. They both had to learn stick shift. They'll tell you they're thankful for it now, but they weren't then. And there was some kind of a raffle.
SCHUETTE: Going on with the fire department and the EMS.
Speaker 3 And so I said, well.
SCHUETTE: I'll come and help clean up.
Speaker 3 Or whatever. Anyway, so JJ was there selling raffle tickets.
SCHUETTE: And I had.
Speaker 3 Exactly $5.
SCHUETTE: In my.
Speaker 3 Pocket.
SCHUETTE: And so I bought, I don't know.
Speaker 3 The first round, I bought a ticket.
SCHUETTE: And I didn't win anything, and it was the end of the night. It was the last round and he was coming around and.
Speaker 3 He really didn't want to be there. He just, you know, anyway, so I told.
SCHUETTE: Him, I.
Speaker 3 Said after two beers, two beers.
SCHUETTE: That's what I had that night.
Speaker 3 I said, Dan, if I don't win.
SCHUETTE: This time, I'm going to fight.
Speaker 3 I've got to bite you because I was a little bit more.
SCHUETTE: Outgoing by that time.
Speaker 3 Well, the fellows in the fire department knew he was single.
SCHUETTE: And they brought him over, and they insisted.
Speaker 3 That I bite.
SCHUETTE: Him.
Speaker 3 And it was like at first it was just.
SCHUETTE: You know, on the knuckle kind of thing. No, no, no, no, no, no, you.
Speaker 3 Gotta you got to bite his.
SCHUETTE: Ear. And I'm like, oh God.
Speaker 3 So he is red.
SCHUETTE: I'm is red. Is my shirt.
Speaker 3 Okay, I said it. I'll live up to my word.
SCHUETTE: But then.
Speaker 3 After everything was.
SCHUETTE: Cleaned.
Speaker 3 Up, we were headed.
SCHUETTE: Back to Terry's.
Speaker 3 House and JJ.
SCHUETTE: Jumped in the van.
Speaker 3 With us.
SCHUETTE: And I'm like, oh no.
Speaker 3 Here I did.
SCHUETTE: I went and I got myself in.
Speaker 3 The more trouble.
SCHUETTE: And I'm like, Pam.
Speaker 3 And she's like, yeah.
SCHUETTE: He's fine.
Speaker 3 Like, okay. So we went back to his house, not his house, but their house.
SCHUETTE: And he.
Speaker 3 Lived.
SCHUETTE: Right next.
Speaker 3 Door, which I.
SCHUETTE: Didn't know at the.
Speaker 3 Time. So it made sense for him to ride home with us, you know, back to their house with all of us.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay, so long story short, you ended up marrying him.
SCHUETTE: Yes. 24 years in May.
Speaker 3 Of this year.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay.
SCHUETTE: And, you know.
Speaker 3 We dated for a while, and I was very hesitant about him even.
SCHUETTE: Meeting my.
Speaker 3 Daughters.
SCHUETTE: And, our first.
Speaker 3 Official date.
SCHUETTE: Was my oldest Irish prom because I was involved.
Speaker 3 With.
SCHUETTE: Helping fundraising for the prom.
Speaker 3 So I got a letter saying that I was.
SCHUETTE: Invited to the dance. And originally I had said.
Speaker 3 Something about, let's just go bowling or pizza or.
SCHUETTE: Something, you know, and we'd.
Speaker 3 Take Heather with.
SCHUETTE: Us, and he could meet Heather, and then he'd meet Jennifer after the dancer.
Speaker 3 Before the dance, whatever. And he's like, well, you got invited to the dance. I think we should go.
SCHUETTE: And I'm looking at the phone like.
Speaker 3 Who? Who are you that you are.
SCHUETTE: Willing to.
Speaker 3 Go to the dance with me?
SCHUETTE: And so.
Speaker 3 That was kind of the first.
SCHUETTE: Thing. But he's.
Speaker 3 The sweetest.
SCHUETTE: Guy. And along, you know, we.
Speaker 3 Were.
SCHUETTE: Dating a good.
Speaker 3 13.
SCHUETTE: Months.
Speaker 3 Before he asked.
SCHUETTE: Me to marry him. And at one point in time. During all of.
Speaker 3 This.
SCHUETTE: I had.
Speaker 3 Said.
SCHUETTE: Something to my.
Speaker 3 Girls about, well.
SCHUETTE: You know, this.
Speaker 3 Is this is where this.
SCHUETTE: Is staying. I'm not bringing another guy into the house.
Speaker 3 And they both looked.
SCHUETTE: At me and said, listen, if he.
Speaker 3 Asks you to marry him.
SCHUETTE: And you.
Speaker 3 Don't, we just want you to know, it's like.
SCHUETTE: Bye.
Speaker 3 Mom. We're going with him.
SCHUETTE: And I'm like.
Speaker 3 Oh, okay. So he's like, okay. Now both of my daughters obviously had better interpersonal skills.
SCHUETTE: Than I did.
Speaker 3 So it was like, okay, well, I'll think about it. We will talk.
SCHUETTE: On one time. And I said, listen, if I ever got married again, I didn't want an engagement ring. I was a nurse.
Speaker 3 She couldn't wear it.
SCHUETTE: You know, it ripped.
Speaker 3 The gloves and hurt people. I said, I want a house. So, one day he met me with the real estate ads.
SCHUETTE: And he looked at me and he.
Speaker 3 Said, would you consider.
SCHUETTE: Finding a house.
Speaker 3 For us? And this is the house.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. All right. Skipping ahead a bit and, back to your microarray interview. You indicated that one of your daughters joined the service and joined the Navy.
Speaker 3 Yes. My oldest.
SCHUETTE: Daughter, Jennifer.
Speaker 3 Was out of high school a very.
SCHUETTE: Year and a.
Speaker 3 Half.
SCHUETTE: Her and her girlfriend.
Speaker 3 Were.
SCHUETTE: Going to join the Navy.
Speaker 3 Together, but her girlfriend.
SCHUETTE: Wound up pregnant. And so Jan.
Speaker 3 Delayed going.
SCHUETTE: In the Navy.
Speaker 3 Until the our.
SCHUETTE: Friend Jennifer.
Speaker 3 Gave birth because she was going to be the coach. The, the father.
SCHUETTE: Wanted nothing to do with any of it.
BOWERS HEALEY: So she joined the Navy. And she was, what, 18, 19 years of age?
SCHUETTE: 19. And she joined.
Speaker 3 April of.
SCHUETTE: 2001.
Speaker 3 So we had.
SCHUETTE: Did 911 and she.
Speaker 3 Was at her duty station, which was a hospital.
SCHUETTE: She became a hospital corpsman. And, you know, your heart sinks, you get this phone call. Mom, the compound's completely closed down.
Speaker 3 We did have a.
SCHUETTE: Cell phone at.
Speaker 3 That time.
BOWERS HEALEY: She she, stayed cherry.
SCHUETTE: Point, North Carolina. Okay?
Speaker 3 She took basic at, Great Lakes. Okay. Everything shut.
SCHUETTE: Down. They told us to.
Speaker 3 Pack our bags. We don't know. TVs are off, radios are off. Everything's closed.
SCHUETTE: What's going on? And I.
Speaker 3 Said, terrorists attack the Twin Towers.
SCHUETTE: And I said, you're a.
Speaker 3 Hospital.
SCHUETTE: Unit.
Speaker 3 You're probably.
SCHUETTE: Going somewhere. Honey, I. And of course, she was anxious and nervous and tearful, and.
Speaker 3 We talked.
SCHUETTE: For as long as we could.
Speaker 3 And then I had to say goodbye.
BOWERS HEALEY: But I her she joined the Navy. Did she know that you have been in the Army? Yes. Her experience was.
Speaker 3 Yes, yes, yes.
SCHUETTE: She knew I had been in the army and she.
Speaker 3 When I woke up, I always kissed my.
SCHUETTE: Kids goodbye in the morning. And I always.
Speaker 3 Kissed him.
SCHUETTE: Good night at night. I didn't care how.
Speaker 3 Old they were. They got kissed.
SCHUETTE: And she said, mom, I'm going to join the Navy. And I.
Speaker 3 Said, before.
SCHUETTE: You sign anything, we need.
Speaker 3 To talk.
SCHUETTE: We need to.
Speaker 3 Talk because I said a couple things to her. I said.
SCHUETTE: One, you know my experience.
Speaker 3 I said.
SCHUETTE: I'm pretty sure things have changed.
Speaker 3 A lot.
SCHUETTE: Since then.
Speaker 3 Because they had come back.
SCHUETTE: And done the interview with me. And so.
Speaker 3 The government was aware of the sexual.
SCHUETTE: Harassment, sexual.
Speaker 3 Abuse of all these.
SCHUETTE: Women across the country.
BOWERS HEALEY: Going back to 1996. You said you found a hotline. How did you know about or find out about that?
Speaker 3 It was advertised on the radio. Okay. I heard about it.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I actually waited for the.
SCHUETTE: Second commercial.
Speaker 3 Because I was.
SCHUETTE: Driving the first time and wrote the number down, and I called the hotline.
Speaker 3 Right.
SCHUETTE: Away, and I got.
Speaker 3 Through.
SCHUETTE: And, gave them my information, and it.
Speaker 3 Was.
SCHUETTE: Several months. And then I.
Speaker 3 Got a phone call. Followed by a letter that.
SCHUETTE: Someone from the investigative.
Speaker 3 Team, from the.
SCHUETTE: Government would come and interview me. And they interviewed me.
Speaker 3 At the public library.
SCHUETTE: In Plymouth. And.
Speaker 3 I wish I would have saved the car and the letter I did.
BOWERS HEALEY: That interview was done. By who? A military person or.
SCHUETTE: No, it.
Speaker 3 Was a.
SCHUETTE: Civilian. And.
Speaker 3 Whatever.
SCHUETTE: I don't know what it bfb.
Speaker 3 I probably FBI.
SCHUETTE: Person I don't, I don't honestly remember.
Speaker 3 But he had.
BOWERS HEALEY: Ask you the name of the person or persons who had raped you.
Speaker 3 Yes.
BOWERS HEALEY: Did you give it to them?
SCHUETTE: At that time, I did. I don't ask me to remember it now. I've done enough.
Speaker 3 Therapy.
SCHUETTE: I think I've kind of.
Speaker 3 Just blocked it. But.
SCHUETTE: At that interview.
Speaker 3 They asked me.
SCHUETTE: What happened, and I.
Speaker 3 Reiterated exactly the same.
SCHUETTE: Thing.
Speaker 3 That I've shared with you.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 It was.
SCHUETTE: The same thing they had in.
Speaker 3 The reports. So there was a file.
SCHUETTE: On me with the military.
Speaker 3 At that.
SCHUETTE: Time. There is no longer.
BOWERS HEALEY: They give you a copy of the file?
SCHUETTE: No.
BOWERS HEALEY: Did you see a copy of the file?
SCHUETTE: No.
Speaker 3 But I do believe the interview was, recorded. Okay. And he knew the details of.
SCHUETTE: What was in there. I mean, he he told me, you know, some of the.
BOWERS HEALEY: Details in 1996, 97. Yeah. He knew some details.
Speaker 3 20 years after the event. He he didn't know the details of what I had reported then.
SCHUETTE: You know, subsequent.
Speaker 3 I guess the.
SCHUETTE: Motion to get.
Speaker 3 An honorable discharge and.
SCHUETTE: Come home without benefits. And at that time, he came and he wanted to know.
Speaker 3 What I wanted.
SCHUETTE: From the military. And, my.
Speaker 3 Feeling was the sergeant that had initiated the.
SCHUETTE: Rape and the drugging. I'm guessing he was in his.
Speaker 3 60s.
SCHUETTE: And close to retirement.
Speaker 3 20 years earlier. So he was undoubtedly, if alive.
SCHUETTE: No longer in the military.
Speaker 3 If he had a family.
SCHUETTE: I knew nothing about it. And it was.
Speaker 3 Like, I really.
SCHUETTE: Just kind of want.
Speaker 3 An apology for.
SCHUETTE: Not not being listened to, not being taken.
Speaker 3 Seriously.
SCHUETTE: And so, you know, he shook my hand and he said, on behalf.
Speaker 3 Of the federal.
SCHUETTE: Government, I want to let you know that we.
Speaker 3 Seriously, underestimated or ignored all of the complaints.
SCHUETTE: And then he told.
Speaker 3 Me there were, like.
SCHUETTE: 300,000 women that had.
Speaker 3 Called.
SCHUETTE: On the hotline, and the hotline was only initially to.
Speaker 3 Be up for two days.
SCHUETTE: And it wound up being up for.
Speaker 3 Two weeks.
SCHUETTE: And it would be months.
Speaker 3 Before they.
SCHUETTE: Finished.
Speaker 3 All of the investigation. But he said, Ed, you asked me before this investigation, I would have told you you were crazy. He said, but I have heard the same story.
SCHUETTE: So many times in the.
Speaker 3 Last several weeks.
SCHUETTE: That I firmly believe everything that is in this.
Speaker 3 Report is just as you said it happened.
SCHUETTE: And that was the beginning of healing for me. And so I.
Speaker 3 Said that that that's.
SCHUETTE: All I want. I don't want any.
Speaker 3 Other recollections said I don't go back and prosecute some guy that's probably caught out.
SCHUETTE: Living in a nursing home.
Speaker 3 It's it's going to spend.
SCHUETTE: Money that's senseless. You're not going.
Speaker 3 To what are you going to do, put him in jail? It's like just let it go.
SCHUETTE: And they did. They didn't. And that was.
Speaker 3 The last I heard. And that was the last I did. Outside of the fact that.
SCHUETTE: Between some of the EMS.
Speaker 3 Calls and ER visits.
SCHUETTE: And working as a nurse, things and my first marriage being the nightmare it.
Speaker 3 Was, I've.
SCHUETTE: Pretty much.
Speaker 3 Always kept up with the counselor.
SCHUETTE: And worked my way.
Speaker 3 Through.
SCHUETTE: Many.
Speaker 3 Of the hurts.
SCHUETTE: You know.
Speaker 3 Starting with a dad.
SCHUETTE: That essentially.
Speaker 3 Walked away.
SCHUETTE: From being a dad.
Speaker 3 To a mother who was.
SCHUETTE: Paranoid and.
Speaker 3 Died from a brain tumor that.
SCHUETTE: Nobody knew about.
Speaker 3 To.
SCHUETTE: You know, the.
Speaker 3 Military.
SCHUETTE: And my experiences there and marriage and, you know, all of.
Speaker 3 That stuff, all of that.
SCHUETTE: Trauma that.
Speaker 3 Kind of built up.
BOWERS HEALEY: How did you hear about, the meeting in Manitowoc in January?
SCHUETTE: I am not invisible.
Speaker 3 Yes.
SCHUETTE: There was an article in our local paper.
Speaker 3 And I read it.
SCHUETTE: And I, I had never considered myself a veteran. I had never, you know, when I discharged, I kind of felt like. Everything I had accomplished at Fort Jackson, was kind of.
Speaker 3 Ripped away.
SCHUETTE: From me.
Speaker 3 And, I read the article.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 I thought about it for a couple of days.
SCHUETTE: Yeah. And, I talked to my husband about it, and he said, you know, that's going to be kind of hard. And I said.
Speaker 3 Yeah, but.
SCHUETTE: I think, I think I really need to do this.
Speaker 3 I need to share this story.
SCHUETTE: And I think, I'm not sure.
Speaker 3 If.
SCHUETTE: Other women are willing to step.
Speaker 3 Up.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 Share.
SCHUETTE: What happened to them, but I.
Speaker 3 Hope they are.
SCHUETTE: And I.
Speaker 3 Hope.
SCHUETTE: We can learn and not repeat those mistakes. And so I contacted and I made the reservation for the picture and the interview and.
Speaker 3 A lot of.
SCHUETTE: Women.
Speaker 3 There were either currently active duty or had good experiences. There were a couple of us there that had.
SCHUETTE: Not such.
Speaker 3 Good experiences. And they, you know, they do a short interview with you then, but they take your picture.
SCHUETTE: And the gentleman that took my picture, you know, was.
Speaker 3 Asking a little bit.
SCHUETTE: About, you know, what happened.
Speaker 3 And I shared.
SCHUETTE: With him and I said, I've never considered myself a veteran. And he looked at me and.
Speaker 3 He said, well, today you are a veteran.
SCHUETTE: And. I am. Yeah. And, they wanted to know what I wanted on my banner, and I.
Speaker 3 Said.
SCHUETTE: Something to the effect. And you can probably.
Speaker 3 Check the exact code.
SCHUETTE: But even when nobody.
Speaker 3 Else.
SCHUETTE: Believes in you.
Speaker 3 Or believes you trust yourself.
SCHUETTE: Army straw.
BOWERS HEALEY: To your knowledge, and, I don't know how much you talk to your daughter. Who's. Is she still in the Navy or.
Speaker 3 She is a senior chief. She is.
SCHUETTE: One of 80 female.
Speaker 3 Senior.
SCHUETTE: Chiefs in the.
Speaker 3 U.S..
SCHUETTE: Navy. I am so astounded. And she has.
Speaker 3 Just re-upped, so I am pretty darn sure.
SCHUETTE: She is going to be a master.
Speaker 3 Chief before she discharges. Which is the highest rank you can get at.
SCHUETTE: Outside of becoming an officer.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay. And as far as you know, besides being very proud of her, she's been in the service now for over 20 years.
Speaker 3 22, I think. 23.
BOWERS HEALEY: How has her experience been, if you know?
SCHUETTE: Well.
Speaker 3 I think because she had a lot more I don't say it.
SCHUETTE: Moxie.
Speaker 3 Or a lot less gullible nurse than her mother did.
SCHUETTE: And a lot.
Speaker 3 Less of the, the isolation.
SCHUETTE: Background, I.
Speaker 3 Guess, that I had growing up because of all of the.
SCHUETTE: Work and and the.
Speaker 3 School.
SCHUETTE: And, you know, I didn't really have friends or didn't go out and do things. I think she was much.
Speaker 3 Better adapted for it.
SCHUETTE: But, she met her husband in the military.
Speaker 3 And, he was, I believe.
SCHUETTE: Going to.
Speaker 3 Ask.
SCHUETTE: Her to marry him. And then.
Speaker 3 Iraq invasion started.
SCHUETTE: And.
Speaker 3 He was here for Christmas.
SCHUETTE: And he.
Speaker 3 Had to report, I don't know, like the day after Christmas or something.
SCHUETTE: Like.
Speaker 3 That. And he had said something.
SCHUETTE: Like he was not going to ask her to marry him if he didn't know if he was coming back.
Speaker 3 Or if he was.
SCHUETTE: Coming back in one piece.
Speaker 3 So they.
SCHUETTE: Waited and.
Speaker 3 After he was, wasn't discharged. But after he was.
SCHUETTE: Reassigned, he went to Italy and she took.
Speaker 3 Orders to.
SCHUETTE: Italy. And so, they kind of spent some time getting to know each other, and they later went on and got married.
Speaker 3 But I do think.
SCHUETTE: When she was on deployment on the.
Speaker 3 Ship.
SCHUETTE: And that was the Peleliu.
Speaker 3 I think, I think it was a little bit more rough and tumble, shall we say.
SCHUETTE: And again, I don't know what.
Speaker 3 The ratio was. But I think by that.
SCHUETTE: Time.
Speaker 3 She was a petty.
SCHUETTE: Officer and she was in.
Speaker 3 Medical. So I think that whole job classification, I think it carried a little bit more respect because.
SCHUETTE: Everybody on the ship knew.
Speaker 3 If they got hurt, she was the.
SCHUETTE: One that was going to be helping to.
Speaker 3 Take care of them.
SCHUETTE: You know? So you didn't you didn't mess with your medics.
Speaker 3 You know, but there were Marines on the ship as well. And, her, her mother would.
SCHUETTE: Send.
Speaker 3 Care packages with stupid.
SCHUETTE: Stuff in that.
Speaker 3 Apparently everybody loved show. I would get, like the little plastic soldiers that had the umbrellas or the umbrellas, but parachutes that.
SCHUETTE: When you throw them.
Speaker 3 Up, they opened up. And I think she said they had about 30 or 40 of the Marines.
SCHUETTE: Out on the.
Speaker 3 Side of the.
SCHUETTE: Ship, and they were.
Speaker 3 Lodged in peace. So it was.
SCHUETTE: Something.
Speaker 3 To distract, something.
SCHUETTE: Fun and cute and whatever.
Speaker 3 And so she was kind of popular. I don't think she had the issues.
SCHUETTE: You know, and she.
Speaker 3 Was also very much able to give it back to this day. She's.
SCHUETTE: You know, when they.
Speaker 3 Say swear like a sailor. Oh, yeah.
SCHUETTE: She can.
Speaker 3 She, she holds it.
SCHUETTE: Down around mom, but.
Speaker 3 She can. Okay. So yes, I'm very proud of her.
SCHUETTE: I'm also very proud of my other daughter. She went on to become.
Speaker 3 A social worker, and she works in child protective custody. So the.
SCHUETTE: Experiences.
Speaker 3 From her early life.
SCHUETTE: Really went on.
Speaker 3 To form a drive in her to take care of people.
SCHUETTE: That can't take care of.
Speaker 3 Themselves.
SCHUETTE: And she works in Denver.
Speaker 3 So I, I'm very, very proud.
SCHUETTE: Of both of my daughters. They went far beyond that what I did.
BOWERS HEALEY: All right. Well, I think you covered everything that I was going to ask you about, but is there anything else that you would like to add to this interview for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum?
Speaker 3 I guess I would like to add.
SCHUETTE: What happened to me should. Not have happened to anyone.
Speaker 3 Does it still.
SCHUETTE: Happen? I'm sure it.
Speaker 3 Does.
SCHUETTE: Does it happen to the same extent?
Speaker 3 I sincerely don't think so. So I think there was some progress made. And that.
SCHUETTE: That makes me.
Speaker 3 Feel better.
SCHUETTE: About things.
Speaker 3 But.
SCHUETTE: I don't want anybody to think.
Speaker 3 That serving.
SCHUETTE: Your country.
Speaker 3 Should be a bad thing.
SCHUETTE: Or a traumatic thing. I know there's a lot of trauma in war.
Speaker 3 I know there's a lot of separation.
SCHUETTE: Basic training taught me to stand on my own two feet and to be.
Speaker 3 Part of.
SCHUETTE: A unit.
Speaker 3 That worked together. And that is huge. That is huge.
SCHUETTE: And I can say now that. I think the benefit from all of that now.
Speaker 3 Outweighs.
SCHUETTE: Abating proving grounds. So don't let my bad.
Speaker 3 Experience.
SCHUETTE: Influence whether.
Speaker 3 You go.
SCHUETTE: On to choose a military.
Speaker 3 Career or not. But do go in with your eyes open.
BOWERS HEALEY: Okay, well, with that, thank you for having joined the Army. And thank you again for sharing your experience and the words of wisdom that you've given. With that, we conclude this interview.
[Interview Ends]