Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner, and I am your host.
[00:00:19] Speaker C: What does being part of the Mitre family mean to you, Aaron?
[00:00:22] Speaker A: It's a privilege. It is. I mean, I know they do a lot of stuff. I'm happy to be a part of a small part of it. But again, they do a lot of stuff that I don't know about, which is great. I'm just proud of what they're doing, whether it's known or unknown.
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast, and we are recording in Gratz today.
Made the trip to Pennsylvania, and we are sitting with some very special people. We are sitting with Luanne and Erin Schadel. Welcome.
[00:00:52] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:00:53] Speaker A: Good morning.
[00:00:53] Speaker C: Good morning. Thank you so much both. Both for being here. I know this is not necessarily a topic that you enjoy talking about, so we will keep this friendly and brief, but I would love for you to each just take a moment to introduce yourselves and talk about your connection to the military. Luanne, we'll start with you.
[00:01:11] Speaker D: I'm Luann Schadl. I'm a Gold Star mother. I have two sons, Aaron and Brett, who were new U.S. navy SEALs.
My late husband was also military, Marine and army reserved, and we are Gold Star family.
[00:01:28] Speaker C: Yeah. Thank you for being here and thank you for your sacrifice. That's a lot.
[00:01:33] Speaker D: It is.
[00:01:34] Speaker C: Aaron.
[00:01:35] Speaker A: Hello. Aaron Schadel. I'm a CNC machinist in the engineering building here at Gratz.
[00:01:40] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: Been here close to five years now and was a radioman with Seal Team 1 on the west Coast United States Navy.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: So how many years did you serve?
[00:01:49] Speaker A: Two and a half. I was medically discharged.
[00:01:52] Speaker C: Okay, well, thank you for your service.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:01:55] Speaker C: And so your brother Brett and your son Brett also served, and he was a Seal Team 6. Seal Team 6. And he was lost in service.
[00:02:06] Speaker D: A training accident. Yeah.
[00:02:08] Speaker C: How long ago was that?
[00:02:09] Speaker D: 2013.
[00:02:10] Speaker C: 2013. Okay. Well, I'm very sorry for your loss.
[00:02:13] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:02:13] Speaker C: And yours as well, Aaron.
[00:02:14] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: And so what does it mean to be a Gold Star family?
[00:02:19] Speaker D: It's not something you ever want to be. Yeah. It means you lost a loved one. So you really don't want to be a part of that Gold Star family. Yeah, our case is a little bit different.
We were supported more. I don't want to say more, but we were supported by the Navy SEAL foundation from day one.
The minute we left our house to go down to Brett's wife and children, they were there 24 7, no matter what. We were there for three months.
[00:02:49] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:02:50] Speaker D: And they still support us over a decade later.
We're still in contact with a lot of the wives or some of the teammates. We don't see them as much, but we did see them when Aaron did the Navy SEAL swim. We'd see some of the girls there, you know, so it's Gold Star. Family is not something you want to
[00:03:11] Speaker A: be a part of.
[00:03:12] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. So, Erin, you did some swimming for the SEAL team?
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Yes. This Navy SEAL foundation did put the Hudson swim, which is a fundraiser, a couple legs. You swim three different legs. And it's a small group. They're now capping it, I think, at like 400 swimmers. So in the water in the morning, swim your leg. You get a head count and then swim your next leg. And push ups. Yeah, there's push ups and pull ups in between each leg. Swim. So it's a grueling event.
[00:03:42] Speaker C: Yeah. It does not sound like fun at all.
[00:03:45] Speaker D: You end up at the 911 memorial.
[00:03:47] Speaker C: Ah, okay.
[00:03:48] Speaker D: Which is.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:51] Speaker D: Breathtaking.
[00:03:52] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I've been there. It's very powerful.
But that was a fundraiser for the Navy SEAL foundation, correct?
[00:03:58] Speaker A: They're the ones that are putting it on. Yes.
[00:03:59] Speaker C: Yeah. And you said earlier the Mitre foundation sponsored you.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: Yes, they supported me twice with a nice donation for.
[00:04:07] Speaker C: That's good. Well, that's the kind of work the foundation does. Right. And so let's go back a little bit. So you said your husband was a veteran and served, and so was Brett the older brother or the younger brother?
[00:04:17] Speaker D: Younger.
[00:04:17] Speaker C: The younger brother. So, Aaron, did you join the military first?
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:04:21] Speaker C: Okay. And so, Luann, what was your response when Aaron joined?
[00:04:25] Speaker D: I knew Aaron was going to do Navy seal, and I'm like, what is that?
I had no idea.
But once he sets his mind to something, he's off and running.
So I sort of had a feeling that Brett would do it, but I never really heard that he was going to do it until freshman year when the school counselor told my husband that Brett's going to be a Navy seal.
And then I saw his freshman picture, school picture, and he had a Navy SEAL necklace on. And I'm like, okay, but monkey see, monkey do you. They were always together five years apart, but Aaron drugged Brett everywhere with him, so it didn't really surprise me. Yeah.
[00:05:08] Speaker C: So. And this is a question for each of you. Erin will ask you this first. How has your sense of patriotism evolved through your experience of serving yourself and then also losing a brother?
[00:05:21] Speaker A: If you would have asked me that question when I was 18, I think it'd be a completely different story. I think as I've gotten older now, I've become more aware and the political situations and where this country is going, and I feel like I have more of a stake in it. As a dumb 18 year old kid, I don't think that was the goal. I just knew that Navy SEALs were doing some pretty cool stuff and I wanted to be a part of it. It's a little bit different now, the way I look at it and the way I look at some of the younger generation and where this country is going. Definitely a lot more patriotic nowadays and I kind of fear for the country a little bit. I just don't think the work ethnic for the younger generation is what it was. And we've had this conversation with my colleagues that our parents say the same thing, but in the same situation.
I just fear a little bit. Yeah, I think everybody takes it for granted.
[00:06:13] Speaker C: Yeah, I would agree with that. I know I do all the time. I don't even think about it.
Luann, what would you say to that? How has your sense of patriotism evolved through the experiences of having your son serve and then one not come home?
[00:06:27] Speaker D: Well, my late husband was always very patriotic. He served, he was very patriotic. And I think that definitely rubbed off. And I think he was very proud when both boys went into the military. You realize what the military goes through, and now we realize what their families can go through with the loss of Brett. And it's not just the military. It's all first responders. Sure.
[00:06:52] Speaker C: You know, Right.
[00:06:54] Speaker D: They leave, you take a deep breath and you don't breathe until they return. You know, and I. Even Aaron's wife is with the state police. And it's the same thing. First responders, they run into fire, you know, they run to the bad guys.
[00:07:09] Speaker C: Right.
[00:07:09] Speaker D: And you try to support them and to honor them and help them, whatever you can.
[00:07:15] Speaker C: Yeah. And lots and lots of prayers.
[00:07:17] Speaker D: Yeah, definitely.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: But at the end of the day, you're doing what you love, right?
[00:07:21] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:07:22] Speaker D: They do what they love and you can't tell them different.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: Yeah, well. And it comes from a true sense of wanting to serve people and to be part of the solution and to defend what's right.
[00:07:54] Speaker D: To make a better place.
[00:07:55] Speaker C: Yeah. Which is so honorable. I mean, it's a really noble effort.
Erin, you touched on this a little bit. Luann, what are your thoughts about the next generation? What would you hope that they would understand about sacrifice?
[00:08:07] Speaker D: I would hope they would understand. It's just not handed to them. Yeah. You know that there's a lot of individuals that have lost their lives keeping this country free.
You know, I was very proud the last two years, I think the school, Upper Dauphin School district, on a class trip or school function, they have actually gone to Arlington and visited Brett's grave.
So I'm hoping those kids realize when they see Arlington and all those monuments, tombstones.
I mean, it shocked me the first time I went back that Brett's grave was like one of the only ones there at the time. And then you go back and all these Navy SEAL guys are now there, you know, extortion. 17.
[00:08:56] Speaker A: And I was going to say the same thing. I was in shock, in awe of the amount.
[00:09:01] Speaker D: Right. Yeah. And I think our community now, too, and our family and friends realize a little bit more what the military does, you know, or realize what can happen, you know, you don't think it can happen in a small community. It did.
[00:09:16] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:16] Speaker D: But I just hope that these children probably would have been kindergarten age. Really.
[00:09:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:22] Speaker D: If that when they went to see them. But I got pictures of them all sitting there and it made me feel good. So I'm hoping they'll never forget Brett, you know, or they'll realize that trip someday and realize if they went in the military, you know, that can happen. Yeah.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: And I think it takes time. I mean, that's not at the forefront of every 18 year old or, you know, even a 20 year old's mind. But I think as you get older, it sinks in a little deeper and deeper.
[00:09:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:50] Speaker D: Well.
[00:09:50] Speaker C: And having the proximity to other people, you know, that always changes the perspective on any topic.
[00:09:56] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:09:56] Speaker C: You know, no matter what it is, you know, knowing somebody or even knowing them secondhand can definitely bring that awareness. Like you said, we take it for granted for sure.
[00:10:05] Speaker A: And I've had plenty of strangers come up to me and say, oh, you're Brett's brother.
No clue who they are.
But yes, it's gotten out enough that people start to realize.
[00:10:16] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:16] Speaker D: And I was surprised. I was at class night and was a presenter and just listening through the whole program. How many young adults were going into the military out of what, 60, 70 students, maybe 10% of them were going in the military, which surprised me. And I'M like, that's great.
[00:10:36] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:36] Speaker D: You know, for whatever reason.
[00:10:38] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, it's a good opportunity to work and learn a skill and learn a trade, and you get, you know, amazing benefits. And if you stay in it until retirement, you know, you're 38 or 39 years old and you're fully retired, you have a pension, you can have a whole entire second career at that point.
[00:10:55] Speaker D: Exactly.
[00:10:56] Speaker C: So as a young adult, it is a good option.
So, Luann, how did you first get involved with or learn about the Mitre foundation and the work they do to support veterans?
[00:11:06] Speaker D: I knew about the Mitre foundation through family, but not a lot later. Stalked you on Facebook and Google to find out more, but not really a whole lot, too. We were standing in the governor's office the day they were signing the bill for the monument.
It was an honor to be a part of it and to play a small part doing whatever with the meetings and stuff like that.
[00:11:29] Speaker C: So I went to the memorial yesterday, and it was beautiful. It's so well done, so tasteful, so classy.
So we have one last question, and I'll let you each answer this.
So through support and building relationships with the foundation, what does being part of the Mitre family mean to you? Aaron?
[00:11:48] Speaker A: It's a privilege. It is. I mean, I know they do a lot of stuff. I'm happy to be a part of a small part of it. But again, they do a lot of stuff that I don't know about, which is great. I'm just proud of what they're doing, whether it's known or unknown.
[00:12:01] Speaker C: Yeah. How about you, Luann?
[00:12:03] Speaker D: Pretty much the same thing. I mean, we participated with the Gold Star Monument. It was an honor to do that.
And we played a very small part in that, I feel, you know, to help them meet their goal. I think Miner foundation does a lot of good things. I think Miner foundation just has a good heart.
[00:12:20] Speaker C: Yeah. I've heard Matt DeSoto, our CEO, you know, that that's the biggest joy of having a profitable company is that we get to give it away. And. And we're all supported with volunteer time off every year. I think we each get 40 hours. 40 hours, which is insane if you think about some companies are frugal with paid time off at all, but then to have paid time off to go and serve somewhere is really just a beautiful thing. It really shows the dedication of the leadership that they're willing to do that across 9,000 plus team members now countrywide. So the commitment to give back and to support people is just beautiful.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: And there's tons of opportunity. I mean, I'm getting two emails a week serving opportunities for options to be a part of.
[00:13:07] Speaker C: Yeah. So that's awesome. I mean, you obviously can't do them all because you still have a job to do, but it's nice to know that if there was something that was really near and dear to your heart, you could take the afternoon off and go do it. Or take the morning off and go do it and not have to sacrifice your paycheck to do that. No. It's a beautiful thing. Well, I'm so very grateful that you would be willing to come in and record with us today.
Thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for your service, and thank you for sharing with us today. I really appreciate it.
[00:13:36] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:13:36] Speaker C: All right, take good care.
[00:13:37] Speaker A: Thanks.
[00:13:37] Speaker D: Bye.
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