Wisconsin Rapids Tribune: This Neenah veteran sacrificed for his country. Decades later, he was honored on the inaugural Purple Heart patriot mission

Madeline Heim, Appleton Post-Crescent

NEENAH – U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant LeRoy "Lee" Schuff had spent only 10 days in the port city of Incheon, South Korea when, early in the morning of Sept. 24, 1950, he sustained machine gun wounds to both legs caused by a sniper.

Schuff, an Oshkosh native, had enlisted in the Marines that February and shipped out with his battalion to the Korean border. The incident that morning earned him a Purple Heart just a few months into his service. 

But it didn’t scare him away. He re-enlisted when his time was up, and headed to Vietnam.

 “It’s been a great ride, right?” his wife, Dar, asked the 87-year-old in their Neenah home on Monday. Over the course of their life together, Schuff has written her more than 500 love letters. 

“It’s been a great ride,” he agreed. 

In early August, Schuff made another stop along that ride. He represented Wisconsin on the inaugural mission of the Purple Heart Patriot Project, which for the first time flew Purple Heart recipients to New York to see the museum dedicated to them and honor their service. 

The Patriot Project was modeled after the Honor Flight and Soaring Valor programs, which also honor veterans with an all-expenses-paid trip.  

On Aug. 5, 33 Purple Heart recipients from a number of states across the country flew to the West Point Military Academy to begin two days of sightseeing around the academy and the Hall of Honor museum. They also visited the historic headquarters of George Washington, who established the first badge of military merit — which later turned into the Purple Heart. 

“(It) allows us as a community and a nation to show them just how much we appreciate their service and their sacrifice,” said Brian Maher, executive director of the Purple Heart Honor Mission, which was founded in 1997. 

The trip was made possible by American Airlines, ShopRite supermarkets and New York philanthropist Jeffrey Gural, according to Maher.

Though there were surprises along the way for attendees, Maher said the most meaningful portion of the trip was watching the veterans interact with each other. 

“To see them open up to each other in ways they maybe haven’t opened up to anyone else about their service … seeing those conversations take place was my favorite part,” he said. 

Schuff was the oldest veteran and the only representative from the Korean War to attend, and brought his son along. In addition to the activities, he had another mission: to look up information about the man who had saved him back in 1950. 

When he was shot that morning, he crawled back to a foxhole and a soldier from his company, Private First Class Peter Baker, rushed to his aid. But as Baker treated Schuff’s wounds, the sniper took a fatal shot, and he died at the scene. 

“(The Hall of Honor) had some misinformation in there, and I corrected that and they made a note of it,” Schuff said. “That was a good opportunity.” 

With the help of a genealogist, the Schuffs and their oldest daughter had traced Baker’s family and were able to visit his grave and lay a flag. It was a kind of closure, Dar said. 

The trip was part of the Patriot Project, and Maher hopes they’ll be able to squeeze in one more next year before the museum closes for a $10 million renovation project. After that, he said they’d ideally take several trips per year. 

The process for choosing veterans for the trip will also change: this time, Schuff was recommended by Wisconsin’s Purple Heart Foundation commander. But in the future, Maher said anyone will be able to recommend a friend or loved one who has a Purple Heart. 

“These men and women didn’t just answer the call to serve … they were wounded in action, in combat, to protect our freedom,” Maher said. “It’s incumbent on us … to show them that their services matters. It matters to us and it will never be forgotten.”

Schuff said the trip gave him a warm feeling. Still actively involved in the military community, it was important to him to meet the people in New York. 

But he was also glad to return home to Dar, in time for a trip to the Wisconsin State Fair — where the pair met at some 70-odd years ago. 

For them, it truly has been a great ride.