Photo By Staff Sgt. Javier Alvarez | Beulah Ballot approaches the casket of former Alaska Adjutant General Maj. Gen. John...... read more read more
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Retired Maj. Gen. John Schaeffer Jr., a former Alaska adjutant general, was laid to rest with military honors at Ivik, Alaska, Aug, 31, 2016.
Schaeffer passed away on Aug. 25 at 77.
Schaeffer’s military career began in 1957 when he joined the Eskimo Scouts. By 1986, he would reach one of the highest positions in the Alaska National Guard, and would become the first Inupiat two-star general as the Alaska National Guard adjutant general, a position he held until his retirement in 1991.
“He served in […] a time of great uncertainty and change,” said Brig. Gen. Laurie Hummel, Alaska National Guard adjutant general.
Schaeffer was widely respected as he led the Guard through several internationally known incidents, Hummel said.
Schaeffer was a key leader in Alaska’s response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, brokered a first-ever collaboration with the Russian military to locate and rescue a group of Alaska walrus hunters stranded on the sea ice, and was instrumental in freeing gray whales trapped in the ice, an event that attracted worldwide attention.
Schaeffer was an accomplished Army officer, but the lasting legacy he left to his troops in the Alaska National Guard was an emphasis on decency, humility, and human development, Hummel said.
“Our job now is to take the Guard forward by reaching back to our roots,” Hummel said, “from the values of the Alaska Territorial Guard to the values of the Eskimo Scouts from which we come. He served as a constant reminder that nothing is more important than ensuring the safety and security of our families and communities. This is the Alaska National Guard.”
The sky was a vibrant blue on the day of Schaeffer’s interment.
Following his memorial service at Kotzebue High School, scores of people traveled by boat to Ivik, the site of Schaeffer’s final resting place.
“Instead of spending eternity next to his brothers and sister in the national cemetery as he earned the right to do, he chose to be laid to rest near his family here on the tundra,” Hummel said. “He wanted to return to his beloved camp at Ivik where the fish will always run and the Arctic breeze blows free.”
Schaeffer is survived by his wife Mary, 10 children, 53 grandchildren, 100 great-grandchildren, and six great-great grandchildren.
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2016 00:46 |
| Story ID: | 209131 |
| Location: | KOTZEBUE, AK, US |
| Hometown: | KOTZEBUE, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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