thedrifter
11-30-08, 07:28 AM
Going the extra mile for others
November 30, 2008
BY RENA FULKA Staff writer
Two saluting Marines guard the front door of the Rev. Rob Schoon's Orland Park home.
Built and painted by the former Operation Desert Storm staff sergeant, the wooden knee-high figurines represent Schoon's military past and present - as a Marine and as a chaplain of the Marine Corps League, Department of Illinois.
"As a veterans chaplain, I counsel people suffering from the effects of the service, whether in wartime or in peacetime," said Schoon, who sports 16 medals on his uniform.
"I've seen the bad in the world, and I'v e been there to counteract it and perform my mission. Now I provide comfort for a family who lost a young Marine in Iraq or Afghanistan, or for a child who lost a parent who fought in World War II. Having a spiritual calling helps me go that extra mile for others."
Schoon's commitment to "God, Country and Corps" is reflected in the three-panel mural he painted to fill a prominent wall in his home.
A Lansing native, Schoon enlisted in the Marines with his parents' permission at age 17 to avoid the drug crowd in the early 1970s.
"I was a teenager who was getting in trouble, and I wanted to do something honorable," he said.
After 17 years of military service, Schoon returned to civilian life in 1992 and found a job as a postal clerk at the South Suburban Processing and Distribution Center in Bedford Park. He retired on disability a decade later and joined the Marine Corps League in 1995.
Schoon nurtured his interest in ministry by taking courses with the United Association of Christian Chaplains and Counselors International, eventually becoming ordained.
In additi on to serving as a "floating counselor," he conducts religious and memorial services for veterans and and is a color guard member.
The father of seven led the opening prayers at The Wall that Heals when the traveling half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stopped in Oak Forest.
He also helped establish a program to aid able-bodied veterans called STRIPES, an acronym for "Surviving Trauma, Receiving Inner Peace, Enjoying Salvation," at New Life Church in Oak Forest.
"I want to make hospital visits and do a little preaching, too," said Schoon, who shadows the Rev. Al Garcia at the church on Wednesday nights.
"Survivor's guilt is a wasted emotion. I want to help veterans realize they're here for a purpose."
Last week, STRIPES was honored with a Homefront Hero Award by Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. The awards are presented to people and organizations for their efforts to help service members, military families and veterans.
The award was given to Schoon and his wife, Cheryl, and Michael White, of Oak Forest, a 22-year Air Force veteran who helps the Schoons run the group.
Cheryl Schoon is a chaplain with the Marine Corps League Auxiliary and his co-minister with the veterans group at New Life Church.
"Being spiritually driven is so much stronger than the evil that keeps people in dark places in their own hearts," Rob Schoon said.
"I'll never forget what I've seen (while serving as a Marine), but I still can heal from it."
Through the chaplaincy, Rob Schoon plans to help other soldiers recover emotionally from the combat experience too.
"We took an oath to the U.S. government to do the job we did," Rob Schoon said.
"So I tell veterans, 'Be proud to be a vet, but be a healed vet.' "
Rena Fulka can be reached at rfulka@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8829.
Homefront Hero Awards
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn last week presented 18 "Homefront Hero Awards" to individuals and organizations for their efforts to help our service members, military families and veterans.
The local winners:
• Sutherland Elementary School, of Chicago, raised more than $1,000 during National Veterans Awareness Week by selling wristbands inscribed with the messages of "pride," "honor," "freedom," and "spirit." The money was donated to Honor Flight Chicago, an organization that flies Chicago-area veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. for free. Sutherland's donation will cover the expenses for two veterans.
• McCarthy Foundation, of Chicago, gathered local wounded veterans this summer to participate in a unique art project. The group painted a seat that was then placed in Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, home of the Windy City Thunderbolts. Cloaked in gold to honor the Gold Star families, the seat was covered with paint that had a number of special ingredients: sand from Iraq and Iwo Jima; wood from the deck of the USS Missouri; a bullet from Gettysburg; a rock from Pearl Harbor; and a piece of metal from the World Trade Center. On June 19, the seat was inducted into the stadium, and half of all ticket sales, more than $5,000, was donated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
• Mokena Park District invited families and children to join together on Veterans Day for "Stockings for Our Troops." Still in its first year, the event generated more than 130 stockings made in less than two hours. They then were filled with toiletries and other necessities. Each stocking also included a hand-made card from community members thanking service members for their dedication to our country.
• Ladies Aid, of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Matteson, has mailed more than 10,000 items to troops overseas since its founding in June 2007. The women's group of 20 volunteers is connected with Lutheran chaplains overseas and sends the packages to them for distribution. The care packages include, soap, shampoo, deodorant, gum, trail mix, crossword puzzles and a letter of support.
Ellie
November 30, 2008
BY RENA FULKA Staff writer
Two saluting Marines guard the front door of the Rev. Rob Schoon's Orland Park home.
Built and painted by the former Operation Desert Storm staff sergeant, the wooden knee-high figurines represent Schoon's military past and present - as a Marine and as a chaplain of the Marine Corps League, Department of Illinois.
"As a veterans chaplain, I counsel people suffering from the effects of the service, whether in wartime or in peacetime," said Schoon, who sports 16 medals on his uniform.
"I've seen the bad in the world, and I'v e been there to counteract it and perform my mission. Now I provide comfort for a family who lost a young Marine in Iraq or Afghanistan, or for a child who lost a parent who fought in World War II. Having a spiritual calling helps me go that extra mile for others."
Schoon's commitment to "God, Country and Corps" is reflected in the three-panel mural he painted to fill a prominent wall in his home.
A Lansing native, Schoon enlisted in the Marines with his parents' permission at age 17 to avoid the drug crowd in the early 1970s.
"I was a teenager who was getting in trouble, and I wanted to do something honorable," he said.
After 17 years of military service, Schoon returned to civilian life in 1992 and found a job as a postal clerk at the South Suburban Processing and Distribution Center in Bedford Park. He retired on disability a decade later and joined the Marine Corps League in 1995.
Schoon nurtured his interest in ministry by taking courses with the United Association of Christian Chaplains and Counselors International, eventually becoming ordained.
In additi on to serving as a "floating counselor," he conducts religious and memorial services for veterans and and is a color guard member.
The father of seven led the opening prayers at The Wall that Heals when the traveling half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stopped in Oak Forest.
He also helped establish a program to aid able-bodied veterans called STRIPES, an acronym for "Surviving Trauma, Receiving Inner Peace, Enjoying Salvation," at New Life Church in Oak Forest.
"I want to make hospital visits and do a little preaching, too," said Schoon, who shadows the Rev. Al Garcia at the church on Wednesday nights.
"Survivor's guilt is a wasted emotion. I want to help veterans realize they're here for a purpose."
Last week, STRIPES was honored with a Homefront Hero Award by Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. The awards are presented to people and organizations for their efforts to help service members, military families and veterans.
The award was given to Schoon and his wife, Cheryl, and Michael White, of Oak Forest, a 22-year Air Force veteran who helps the Schoons run the group.
Cheryl Schoon is a chaplain with the Marine Corps League Auxiliary and his co-minister with the veterans group at New Life Church.
"Being spiritually driven is so much stronger than the evil that keeps people in dark places in their own hearts," Rob Schoon said.
"I'll never forget what I've seen (while serving as a Marine), but I still can heal from it."
Through the chaplaincy, Rob Schoon plans to help other soldiers recover emotionally from the combat experience too.
"We took an oath to the U.S. government to do the job we did," Rob Schoon said.
"So I tell veterans, 'Be proud to be a vet, but be a healed vet.' "
Rena Fulka can be reached at rfulka@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8829.
Homefront Hero Awards
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn last week presented 18 "Homefront Hero Awards" to individuals and organizations for their efforts to help our service members, military families and veterans.
The local winners:
• Sutherland Elementary School, of Chicago, raised more than $1,000 during National Veterans Awareness Week by selling wristbands inscribed with the messages of "pride," "honor," "freedom," and "spirit." The money was donated to Honor Flight Chicago, an organization that flies Chicago-area veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. for free. Sutherland's donation will cover the expenses for two veterans.
• McCarthy Foundation, of Chicago, gathered local wounded veterans this summer to participate in a unique art project. The group painted a seat that was then placed in Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, home of the Windy City Thunderbolts. Cloaked in gold to honor the Gold Star families, the seat was covered with paint that had a number of special ingredients: sand from Iraq and Iwo Jima; wood from the deck of the USS Missouri; a bullet from Gettysburg; a rock from Pearl Harbor; and a piece of metal from the World Trade Center. On June 19, the seat was inducted into the stadium, and half of all ticket sales, more than $5,000, was donated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
• Mokena Park District invited families and children to join together on Veterans Day for "Stockings for Our Troops." Still in its first year, the event generated more than 130 stockings made in less than two hours. They then were filled with toiletries and other necessities. Each stocking also included a hand-made card from community members thanking service members for their dedication to our country.
• Ladies Aid, of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Matteson, has mailed more than 10,000 items to troops overseas since its founding in June 2007. The women's group of 20 volunteers is connected with Lutheran chaplains overseas and sends the packages to them for distribution. The care packages include, soap, shampoo, deodorant, gum, trail mix, crossword puzzles and a letter of support.
Ellie