Press Release: Local Purple Heart Recipient Vanessa Schieber Honored During National Tribute Event
Bangor Army Veteran Represented Pennsylvania’s Purple Heart Recipients at the
2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project
(NEWBURGH, NY) – A local Purple Heart recipient with two Purple Hearts was recently honored as one of the nation’s 2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. U.S. Army SSG Vanessa Schieber Ph.D. represented her fellow Purple Heart heroes as Pennsylvania’s representative during a multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded. The Purple Heart Patriot Project is a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. The all-expenses-paid trip included visits to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, historic Washington’s Headquarters, a special tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and other unique tributes.
“Vanessa and her fellow Patriot Project honorees represent the best of the best our country has to offer,” said Richie Lay, a Purple Heart recipient and Chairman of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. “America’s Purple Heart veterans have given so much to defend freedom and that sacrifice must always be remembered. These brave men and women are true American heroes. We were privileged to be able to provide this unique salute to service for our Purple Heart heroes.”
“Our Purple Heart recipients have made enormous sacrifices for America, and this was our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation. For some, it was the homecoming they never had. We received hundreds of nominations from across the country and it was a privilege to honor Vanessa for her courage and service, both during combat operations and in the years since returning home,” said Col. Russ Vernon (NYARNG Ret.), the Executive Director for the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
This year’s Purple Heart Patriot Project Mission was held from September 18 – 22. Patriot Project honorees included men and women Purple Heart recipients from World War II, the Vietnam War, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and other conflicts, representing all branches of the service and ranging from 37 to 100-years-old.
Asked what she would want others to know about her service, SSG Schieber said, “I see my whole Army career as a personal achievement. The public needs to know about our dedication, fear, loss, trauma, and missing families. But also, the comradery, pride and feeling of accomplishment.
Schieber enlisted in the Army in April 2007 and served for the next 11 years a member of the 101st Airborne Division and later the 1st Armor Division. Schieber’s first deployment came in 2008, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September 2008, while working with a Service and Recovery Team, Schieber was traveling along the road as part of a convoy through Mosul, when the convoy was ambushed, and she was shot in her upper torso, causing several rib fractures and a collapsed lung. After an initial scare when Iraqi Nationals started dragging her away, she discovered they were friendly and rendered her with first aid. Schieber was subsequently flown to Landstuhl, Germany, for surgery and recovery. She deployed to Iraq again in 2010.
In December 2016, SSG Schieber was deployed to Asadabad, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Freedom Sentinel. On December 30, 2016, the convoy she was traveling struck an IED, and the vehicle Schieber was in flipped on its side with the driver and SSG Schieber being crushed in the cabin. She was again flown to Germany, this time with injuries to her spine. SSG Schieber had 9 broken vertebrae that had to be stabilized by 10 screws, plates, two rods, spacers, and bone cement. It took over a year for her to recover to a point where she could walk and function again. SSG Schieber was medically retired and honorably discharged on July 18, 2018.
Along with her two Purple Hearts, SSG Schieber was awarded numerous medals and commendations during her service, including the Combat Action Badge, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign medal with Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal w/2 Campaign stars, and more.
Following her honorable discharge, Dr. Schieber obtained her Ph.D. in English and education. Today, she teaches English and German at a New Jersey high school. Married to her husband, Jeremy, Vanessa is a proud mother who describes her son as her “personal hero that got me through all the pain and dark places.”
Video from the capstone “Welcome Home” rally can be found here: https://fb.watch/nqz4A4evzK/.
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located just north of West Point, New York, near the site where General George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782 during the Revolutionary War. The Badge, a purple cloth cut in the shape of a heart, was the forerunner of today’s Purple Heart medal. In addition to creation of the museum, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission was instrumental in the creation of the Purple Heart Forever stamp now issued by the US Postal Service, and the organization was the driving force behind the nation’s first official Purple Heart Commemorative Coin series, which was issued by the United States Mint in 2022.
Those wishing to learn more about the National Purple Heart Honor Mission or donate to support the Purple Heart Patriot Project should visit www.PurpleHeartMission.org.
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