Thread: Remembering a Warrior

Remembering a Warrior

Max Nelson Sheffler



My second cousin, Max Sheffler, entered the Army in 1952. Max was a month younger than my mother, who adored him. I heard about him, this ‘Warrior,’ the entire time I was growing up.

I first remember meeting Max in the mid 60s when I was about 11 or 12 years old and I believe he was being shipped out to Viet Nam for his first tour of duty. I don’t know what I had said, but he took me to his car and gave me a military pamphlet on how to set up a camp, among other things. I can still see him standing proud in his dress khaki uniform with his trousers tucked into his polished black boots laced like nothing that I’d ever seen before. I would later learn that those boots were tied ‘Airborne’ and the trousers were ‘bloused.’ To say that he made a huge impression on me would be an understatement.

Once he was in country and I had an mailing address; I sent Max box after box of cookies that I’d baked from scratch, and every once in a while I’d get a short letter thanking me for the treats. During his second tour he lost his right heel to an incoming mortar and suffered other wounds from shrapnel. He finished his career with a built up boot or shoe as a Senior Instructor.

After 21 years with the Army serving in several units, including the 101st and later the 173rd Airborne Brigades, Max retired and worked as a plumber. Tragically, about 5 years after his retirement, Max perished in an apartment fire. While the official cause of death was smoke inhalation, he was severely burned and his funeral was a closed-casket affair. Max’s best friend sent his medals, service ribbons, etc, to his mother and father. Max’s oldest sister placed them in a framed case for their mother and father to display.



After Max’s parents had passed away, his sisters gave the display to his ex-wife for her and his children to have; they now regret that decision. I wanted to find a way to replace Max’s medals so that our extended family could see what he’d done during his service for our country.

To make a very long story much shorter; I asked fellow member and friend (MajorEthanolic) who is currently serving in the Army if he could identify the objects in the very fuzzy picture that I had of the awards mounted by Max’s oldest sister so that I could search and find replacements. He could ID some of them and offered to replace all of the medals, ribbons, and other awards for me out of his pocket at no charge to me. I was blown away by his gracious offer and thanked him for it; however there were some images that he needed help with identifying.

Another member and friend (Iz6) who was in Viet Nam at the same time as Max as a Pathfinder has been a GODSEND for filling in the blanks of what was needed. He quickly ID’d the awards and other items in question, and once I’d sent him a copy of Max’s service records, he provided me with a detailed history of where Max had been and with what units. Quite the tale to read, to say the very least.

Yet another SRP member and friend stepped up to help. (lionfishslayer) helped provide the picture of Max cut from a family picture. He also removed the flash reflections from the following picture of the Tribute Shadow Box. He’s also helping with making a secondary display, which will have the picture of Max and will tell what the medals and awards are and will include digital images of the awards. Together, these three friends worked as a team to fulfill what I had envisioned. While I can’t thank them enough, I will indeed try.

My Eternal Thanks to Ian (MajorEthanolic) for initially offering to help with identifying and replace the medals, ribbons, and other awards. And later on for finding the maker of ‘The Perfect Shadow Box’ for the replacement awards.

The same goes to Bob (Iz6) for his knowledge of Viet Nam and his help with identifying the medals, awards, and ribbons in question, as well as for enduring my seemingly endless questions. He has the patience of Job himself.

Bill (lionfishslayer) has been as patient with me as with Bob and Ian, he has been a Godsend helping me with his expertise. Without their help, this vision of mine would still be just that; a ‘vision.’

After about a year’s worth of research and teamwork, here’s the Tribute Shadow Box that will grace Max’s hometown’s museum in Kendrick, Idaho, in the Military Section:



I thank you for looking, reading, and ‘listening’ to something that means so much to me and many other of Max’s relatives.

Anticipation

Originally Posted by Substance

Anticipation

I needed some back stage help to make this work, thanks for waiting I do hope all will enjoy!

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That is an incredible tribute.

Originally Posted by Utopian

That is an incredible tribute.

Thanks Ron, he was an incredible man! A real Warrior! There is more to his story than the medals show.

Roy it was an honor to be asked to help with your tribute to Max. I am sure Max is proud of you bringing him home again to his family and extended family.

Max was what I and others would call a Soldiers Soldier.

I remember Army parachute (jump) school at Fort Benning, Georgia in the mid 1960's. I was in awe to meet some paratroopers who had survived WWII, the Korean war and combat tours in Vietnam before many people had ever heard of Vietnam. These men had Combat Infantry Badges with three stars. Each star represented one of the three different wars they fought in and lived to tell the tale. They were my heroes. Their enlistments were at an end as they were closing out long careers with the Army. One of these gentlemen was an instructor during my training time in jump school. What I remember is on our morning daily 5 mile runs this soldier was running a bit ahead leading the run, calling the run cadence, and he did half of the run running backwards! a smile on his face and never a drop of sweat on his brow nor an open mouth breath despite the Georgia weather.

Looking at Max's record of deployments and assignments and looking at them again I realized that Max, on paper was in Japan, while in fact he more than likely had been assigned missions in Korea and had also, in all probability, been in Vietnam during the French occupation and war and again in Vietnam before there was any public awareness that U.S. troops were there. I have talked to several friends retired from Army Special Forces and
we indeed had U.S. soldiers in Vietnam during the Japanese occupation during WWII doing various missions as well as operations going on through the entire French occupation and on into the Vietnam war as we knew it from the early 60's and JFK publically acknowledging "Green Berets" and their involvement in Vietnam as advisors. The thing is these soldiers who's missions had taken place in the 50's never had the assignments reflected in their official records. Max officially was in Japan quite a bit of the time in his early career, including a short period of hospitalization. It should be noted that as Max was discharged his personnel record reflected the fact that he had asked why his records did not reflect his actual assignments. The Army record only reflects that he asked the question and was told that he could not have been in those places because his record did not reflect such.

Later on during the vietnam war Max did a combat infantry tour as a squad leader and then as a platoon Sergeant with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He also was schooled in-country with recondo training and then continued his combat tour until wounds took him out of Vietam. He finished his career teaching at states based recondo school and also with a Signal Corps assignment just before his retirement. Their is no record reflecting why he was awarded an Air Medal with V (for valor) device only the fact that he had the award. Nor do we have the written citation for his Soldiers Medal award which was also for Valor. I cannot speculate
on the circumstances of these heroism awards but the Army acknowledged them.

Ian, it was a pleasure getting to do some of the research with you. Thank you for your service and please know you will be in my thoughts and prayers should you be redeployed.

Iz6, I think one of the greatest disappointments is that we send men and women off to fight, some to die, in unofficial capacity...they do the work, take all the risk, and then get no recognition for their bravery. It would be different if they volunteered for unacknowledged assignments, where they understand what they are giving up and do so voluntarily. But to follow orders and have their roles denied is a great disservice.

Roy, thank you for sharing.
Threads like this,, man,, well done all, really.
Great homage to your cousin. Your pride is shared.
With respect.
Mike

Originally Posted by MikeB52

Roy, thank you for sharing.
Threads like this,, man,, well done all, really.
Great homage to your cousin. Your pride is shared.
With respect.
Mike

Thanks my friend, I'm hoping to have pictures taken when I present the tribute display to his sisters, and others hopefully at their local museum.

I want to say thank you to all who made this happen.
Your demonstration of respect will touch many people.