Jo Ann Schedler and Jonathan Schedler

00:03 Schedler, I am a member of the stockbridge-munsee animal he can Indians. I am 74 years old. This is September 3rd 2020. We are located on the stockbridge-munsee Indian reservation and the town of Red Springs in Shawano County in Wisconsin. My partner with me is my husband Jonathan schedler, and we've been married. It'll be 25 years this December.

00:45 And I'm Jonathan schedler.

00:49 Like I said, I'm here with my partner and wife and best friend Joanne. We've been together 25 years and I might have been us support for military career.

01:03 I guess we'll take it from there. I'm going to ask the first question.

01:07 This happened before we were together. When did you enlist and what motivated you doing this?

01:15 First of all, I was an older nursing student that went to Marquette University in Milwaukee. And after I graduated with my Bachelors of Science in nursing a family member, who is Army recruiter talk to me and said that I could get a direct Commission in the Army if I wanted to join, even though I was older because I didn't go to nursing school until my mid-30s and at that time the Army really needed so he referred me to a army nurse recruiter and so that it was my family that encouraged me to join the military. So is Army Reserve after being

02:09 Email meeting the recruiter and looking at that I thought that was a great opportunity because of the history of our my family as a Native American we have fought in Wars since before the military US military. My ancestors were in the Queen. Anne's war with the British the Civil the American Revolution Mohegan people from the Hudson Valley area. And also we bought along with the colonists after the British word.

02:52 Here also. So anyway that I guess that whole knowledge of my history was something that also motivated me to join the Army Reserves also to learn more as a new nurse what are different types of nursing him? What all can I learn? So that's what happened for that.

03:15 Okay, I know what the time you were single. What was it like to adapt to your military schedule your full-time schedule and your family schedule?

03:26 So it was Jen when I graduate from nursing in 1982 for Marquette 1984 January is when I received the direct commission and that was at the War Memorial building on Michigan Lakefront in Milwaukee. And that was really cool. I had no idea what I was going to get into and so I met the commander of the 450 second, was the for 52nd General Hospital at the time. So at the time I again, I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into and

04:03 But it was it was something that I knew I would be making a one weekend a month. Cuz this was Army Reserves. I was commissioned as a first lieutenant. No second Lieutenant is a second Lieutenant, which is the bottom ranks of officers, which was I thought pretty cool anyway, so that was

04:24 That was how I got started in there and got commissioned in the US Army Reserves. I know you were once we were together. I know you were a rocky. What was that liking explain? Especially what it was like to get the anthrax shots because I saw your whole crew the day after and you were not military ready after those shots. I need to tell you.

04:51 Alright, so this is why we got called up. This is John and I got married in 1995. I was at that time since I was older reservist and had already been working at Milwaukee County Hospital and I was a at that time a captain in the know the captain when we met and then

05:19 So if this was he's asking a question about when we got called up and that was in 2002 by that time. Our reserve unit got called to active duty. We started out at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and

05:39 All the training was going through all those shots and we have a group of about 500 people. So this was 500 people at this time. We had switched from a general hospital to an Army Reserve. It was a combat support Hospital which meant that you had to go out in the field and set up your big Hospital unit. So we went from 1000 bed hospital to a 500-bed out in the field mobile unit. And so we were out in the field with all these people we didn't, you know, a lot of people haven't seen each other cuz you drool all over the Midwest and then for that event we all came together or McCoy is an Old World War II training facility, which of the barracks are pretty old. Like I said, it was Old World War II, but we all had have our shots and actually

06:39 One of the people we were all kind of sick and tired and you know from all this getting ready to be going active. Actually one of our young reservists had some medical problem that people were not she was not aware of family was not aware and she died so that they're starting out not knowing if we what was going to go on when we got called up to go to Iraq in losing someone right away was quite I opening and so I attended my first military funeral Memorial right there at Fort McCoy with this young woman who has the way so it really made us all wonder and

07:33 I really respect that. We were important as a military hospital to any of the active-duty and Reserve as we work on the support.

07:46 And I know you like to make your nest better and do a lot of remodeling and I recall you going in those all the crap at barracks and putting up shower curtains and plastic flowers and bedspreads and trying to bring some normalcy to the women's part of the organization. We were in big barracks and in bunk beds and very dreary. First of all, you're like in a place that really is old and I like doing decorating. So I ended up we've got a little opportunity to run into Walmart and I bought some things to help decorate up our bathroom. So the place we cool chair to give a little privacy also by the bathrooms with some curtains up and put some decorating on someone people came in. There was something nice to look at it and it looked really

08:46 Good and people really appreciate the other women really appreciated that and I think it helped also in my bunk bed. I was in the lower bunk. I put little curtains around my little area so I would have some privacy so that started a trend lot of people started doing that. I also know beautician which I did before I became a nurse and so I had my scissors and I offered free haircuts the people cuz we were there after 4 months and there was only a barber at the on the bay. So a lot of the women that want to go to the barber, so I ended up having my own little beauty parlor in the area and to me that help with our morale and as a leader, I think it showed that you can make the best of whatever situation you're in. I also got a copy. I also got a tribal flag that I brought.

09:46 Long and I hung it outside when I got to have a little area where I did have some privacy after a few months. Then we are the offers officers got an area where you can have like a boxed in area. So I put my tribal flag up there and that was kind of cool cuz it gave a lot of

10:08 People and understanding that there's Native Americans that are also here. We are a whole variety of people but so that was fun.

10:19 Yeah, I know that you had though you chose to give up your position as the tribal Clinic director thinking that you would be deployed for quite some time. So you went mini throughout a quick transition from full-time position to downtown Fort McCoy loading how many milligrams 7 minutes and they were actually on their their way. They were Rock Let's do all the stuff that we've never seen the stuff we put in there that's gone for

10:53 Tipped over to Iraq. We were one of two Army Reserve units. The other one was in Portland. I was in Oregon. I know they were called up and they were also preparing to go over to Iraq. But so after months of preparing from February until June when winds at the time our presidents that all we won the war and we don't have to you know goal. We were all like ye, can we go home now?

11:23 But that didn't happen. They still kept us there. We were there like from February to June like it said and we were then parts of our unit were pulled and called up to go to Afghanistan. I volunteered to do that. But by this time I had received my promotion to Major basically they were looking for ICU nurses and I was a med-surg and administrator at that time. So I did not get the chance to do that. But we stayed on a few more months and then a smaller group like about 40 of our people went off to Afghanistan and they ended up being there around nine months and it was a very long and hard time for them. But

12:11 It was amazing that I'll never forget you doing that my perspective on that time to fortunately. McCoy is only three some hours from the area. I'm on the weekends as long as we stayed within 50 miles of Fort McCoy so we could get to see each other.

12:31 But still it was pretty not going around an empty house for a while and not really knowing where this was going for how long but I'm kind of a and I never saw myself married to a military person. But if she'd have been out Gunnery Sergeant probably wouldn't have married her but since it's inevitable that we do need the military and people are wounded. I can't think of a better person to bring some comfort and use her skills to help people get get selfie and get home. I was also impressed by the fact that the military kept in contact with me. We had Regional meetings or they asked if there any stressors or any anything the military could do to help us we got letters every once in a while Thanking us for putting up with this situation, but honestly,

13:31 Cuz she was close enough. It really wasn't that difficult except for the empty house. So that's my take on that deployment.

13:43 Yeah, it was fun that John would be able to come down only a couple times but he planned a weekend in Lacrosse, which is on the Mississippi River was within the 50 miles and he has a surprised set up when he had a bed-and-breakfast all rented in This Old House has Wheel of History. We love old houses and it was really a treat to get away from that because you have to think of other things sometimes and do other things and so that was really a wonderful treat so

14:19 Crete map

14:26 So you were in for quite a while I know over the time you ask me on several occasions if I thought you should quit the morning to go to your weekend drills, but you come home happy and excited to see these motivated talented young people that were under your command and it just seemed like it was a good thing for you. It was totally different from what you were doing and you were out there seeing positive healthy people and so I just said that's your decision, but secretly hope that you definitely would stay till retirement because of how it affected you and such a positive manner. Like I said what the captain and I said in that I retired from Waukee County at the same time pretty much when we got married in 1995.

15:24 So that was a big thing of this interesting how we got married. So this is so I had to go through my retirement pension and I went through all of that. It's over 25 years in Milwaukee County as an employee and then I was the clinical supervisor of Physical Medicine and brain injury unit in Milwaukee my unit State on so I got to stay a little bit longer till it went over to Froedtert hospital and they took on that but I've retired cuz I chose know I was 49 years old and I was lucky enough to have enough time and my age to be able to retire. So is that the John after we've been dating for 3 years and I looked at my pension and went through all the things and said I'm at work and she never been called me very often at work. So are we getting married or not?

16:25 So what's this about is that I need to make a decision today about retirement and health insurance and whether or not you're on the health insurance. So are we getting married or what and I said grab a pen and run to HR and sign us up. We'll get married. So that's how we ended up having the retirement and moving up north here where she then started working for the tribe. So I always thought it was wonderful to live. I was born in 46 and both my parents.

17:05 Big during that time wasn't it was Native American relocation that they were trying to get natives off the reservation and big cities. So my parents chose that or they received a job in Milwaukee. So that's how we ended up in Milwaukee. But so I have very then go to school up here. But every weekend we would drive up my dad worked at Grede Foundry as a welder. My mom was a nurse's aide which interested me and mercy, but both my parents during and a lot of native people did that if you weren't called to active duty during World War II you ended up going and working in the shipyards in Sturgeon Bay building the ships for World War II both my parents along with many other people here, we're doing that and so both of them were welders and that's how that got my dad into being a welder that's where he retired so from Milwaukee,

18:05 I grew up in two places like Nick many natives you live in Two Worlds you and your tribal world in the reservation and then because we were he was working in Milwaukee because there are no jobs up here or in the reservations during those times. I got to know a little bit of my reservation and meet some friends and relatives lot of relatives up here, but they go back to Milwaukee which we have a group of Native friends relatives down there. So for me, I always am the oldest of five children. I knew I would be coming back home by the time I return my pants are passed away.

18:44 And I have my parents home which was built by my grandfather on a reservation. So that's in 95. That was the plan but I had her younger brother who really needed a place to live. So I encouraged him to come back and live on the in the house that my parents had on the reservation and my husband and you and John and I are getting married. I said my parents always wanted that love water being around the water that's actually of the Mohicans who are the people By the Waters that are never still and that's my our Traditions from you know, Hudson River all the way here to Wisconsin and living on these lakes and rivers so we look for a house on a lake and we ended up by I bought a house in the Menominee reservation, which is bordering the Stockbridge Indian reservation on Legend Lake in so when we got married, we got married in our house. We just started our children.

19:43 We have a blend of a blended family is his three children and my three children in some of our grandchildren that the time we were at the wedding. I wear my traditional African outfit in one of John is a retired Minister and so he had one of his friends Mariah there in that house on much at night. So we are living today. We move that we were there for 13 years and we moved over here to my reservation on this house came open and we're on the lake here on boil Lake which is a we found on the history of tribal member for March, right? So I knew all of her relatives married buried baptizing. I knew their names. I know the dog's name is

20:43 Together when she would come up and I asked how I'd say hate their is your cousin so and so I was able to point that out to her. But her family is my family my three children were born up there on the reservation. That's the original home. So so

21:07 Oh, yeah, but I'm Dreaming. My kids are German and Irish though, but that's that's our community and Military is it let us to a passion that we've been following for years and that is I've always been interested in tribal history generally speaking and Joanne's been interested, but it got really specific. When one of the local Cemetery organizations called about her great-great-great grandfather's headstone from the Civil War in a neighboring community. And so we look them up and we've been looking up Stockbridge tribal people in the Civil War now for years and finding their graves from California to Boston to California, Oklahoma or, Minnesota.

22:07 Can you export over Joanne was then asked to write a chapter?

22:12 Your audio your audio cut out for the last part of what John was saying. So John, could you just back up a little bit starting from being interested in the tribal history and what you found out about the headstone.

22:35 Okay. So ever since I came up to the reservation and 73 I've been interested in tribal history, but it was so broad. I didn't know where to jump in. Well with Joanne became very specific Stockbridge Indians in the Civil War and our vacations and trips have been to find where they're buried and to honor them on standby. They're their stones and have a little ceremony and Joanne gives him a final salute as part of that the National Park Service publish the book on American Indians in the Civil War and I'll turn it over to Joanne because she has a chapter in that publication.

23:22 So when I was back home in I became involved. I became a tribal council person a legislator for my tribe. So I got to travel a lot and do different thing and then the other thing that because I at this time I retired by 2004, so I retired after 20 years and 6 months in Army Reserves. So I may because I did have that time on active duty. I was considered a veteran and now because of legislation changes. Everybody was a reservist is of Veteran, but at that time so I had as a veteran.

24:08 I was very interested and I in our veterans in our history. So I was a part of our Historical Society for the for our tribe. I also told myself in two other vital member women who were retired army. We started the Mohican veterans about 17 years ago. And so we have our own Mohican veterans organization. Well, as a part of that we always do a lot of Ceremonies and Pollos and very different thing. So what what happened is in 2009 the local channel Historical Society decided along with the veterans groups the honor all the Civil War veterans in the cemetery in Shawano. The town of Sean was about 20 miles from my reservation.

25:07 One of the people they were looking for for headstones that were not in place was my great-great-grandfather Stephen Garner and his brother Simeon Gardner. Will that really surprised me because I have no knowledge of no information from our family that my great-great-grandfather and his brother were in the Civil War. So both John and I did some research. We got a copy of his military records and his brothers military records and R are bitters good for Mohican veterans by that time. We had a quite a few people as members may be about 80, but we had about 20 people along with the Menominee veterans all the local military groups as a part of the ceremony at Woodland Cemetery to after they got these new headstones place in then we got to be a part of that so I continued

26:06 I wanted to make that a research goal looking at the Civil War which is from 19818 1861-1865. So there was a four-year period that John and I looked at we joined ancestry. So that was wonderful John Spence the laws as a lot of time researching looking in ancestry. I did a lot of it at our at our tribe at the Historical Museum a difference things written the Stockbridge story looking at anything about then I did some articles articles in our Mohican news from those articles. I was able to get more people more information and a couple of good pictures from families from tribal members from their ancestors. So through that.

27:07 I tweet I was writing an article for a Mohegan history conference and I did write about our ancestors during the Civil War and presented that at our history conference.

27:19 After that as a tribal council person I went to a meeting and at that meeting the National Park Service was presenting that they were putting together their National Park Service handbook on American Indians and the Civil War that really got my attention. So I went up afterwards and talk to the speaker and said wow. Are you having anything about Wisconsin and he's in the Civil War and he said no, but we do have the Michigan Sharpshooters in there. We have a chapter on that. And so I said, well I have some information about our tribe and can I send it to you and it's always send it to him and they went to the National historian the cheapest Orion and then they looked at what I had I send some pictures I sent my article the pictures. We also had found some letters that were written home.

28:19 From the soldiers and then they were quite impressed and but what they asked me to do and I only have 30 days to do it. They asked me to write the history of the Wisconsin Indian Spring the Civil War. So we have 11 tribes. And since I'm already a veteran and know a lot of the other veteran groups, I took that on Soul within 30 days. I had written in date sending the information back and forth and pictures to the National Park Service. So the American Indians and the Civil War and now includes the chapter that I wrote on page 66, which is Wisconsin American Indians in the Civil War and between we were just shocked when we got copies of what they put together because they have all these other pictures and information that between putting that in there and I started out with that 2009.

29:19 Start out with how we discovered my great-great-grandfather.

29:25 And also one of the pictures which was of

29:30 One of the soldiers that they put it right on the front page. They were very impressed. That was Jonah see David he was at yet on the cover of the book that is for the National Park Service. So this came out in about 20.

29:49 1320 yeah, so anyway, it's now out of Prince and so we are having a hard time getting these books, but I think they're going to redo it because some of the tribes that have written in and it's all about Native Americans that weren't either in the military or or were were on the west part of the us and then how they were involved during that time of the Civil War. So it's an excellent book. So anyway, we continue to research it because I want to John and I are going to be we're working on researching to get more information for Just My try cuz we're a small tribe. We only have 1500 members left during the Civil War there. I found so far about 65 tribal members in 5 women that were married to other tribal people. Who were

30:49 In the Civil War change of subject to different made with the military that was part of joining. I think it's the kind of see the world Beyond Fort McCoy and why don't you just quickly explain the the two that worth the most meaningful for you. We went to Panama Canal and as a hospital unit that that time I got to work in the gorgas military Hospital taking care of the Panamanian people and military people who were down at the Panama Canal is seeing another culture visiting people understanding our how rich we are in the United States meeting the indigenous people of other continents. I mean, these are my relatives

31:49 Is Ecuador the last major trip I did was to Ecuador and we did a group of about 45-50 of us that went on the Ecuador. And we did we went up into three different villages in the mountains in Ecuador and provided health care and I'll never forget when we were in a box driving into one of the villages. There were hundreds of people lined up by the school to come and get the free health care that our unit was going to bring to them. So we're coming with our doctors and nurses and dentist pharmacist and even veterinarian. So that was pretty amazing. We got to triage and see the people come through and help with medications and each.

32:38 We were there about three or four days to each town that we were at. So after each time that we visited that City or that town the mayor of the town in the people that sound invited us all up into their Square which is by using their big Catholic Church in in the big square and they we lined up in the they did a little ceremony or the honored us or it was quite wonderful the people who made hats with the women all received these big hat so I can still see us in our uniform and then our commander because they gave us a big Panama Hat here. We are with a big Panama hats and then I have from another village where they gave us beautiful plaques that we I still have that it can put a plaque on the wall. So that was wonderful.

33:38 Day, we got up in the morning and we was all line up in the square in our unit. And then next to us was the Ecuadorian fan. They like male form. So they would pay their national anthem in right raise the Ecuadorian flag, and then we would sing our national anthem and we would raise the American flag. And in the evening we would do the same thing and then fold up our flight to me. It was very heartwarming. It was wonderful and we got to meet some wonderful people there and the other piece of the store was very interesting because there are doctors the local doctors that served these Community they were not very happy with us coming in and providing free care because a lot of these people that instead of coming to them and hang them. We're coming to see us but our unit brought together a lot of supplies. We packed mil Vans with things that were donated from local.

34:38 Hospitals in from local doctors like exam tables and medical supplies and other things that we did gifts each one of those doctors and local Health Care people to thank them and to have good relations with them a little bit about the native tradition as far as pow wows as far as what what the honoring process is who leads the how I was in the big army.

35:17 Stop at Lambeau Field when they had LZ Lambo on honored the guys from Vietnam War and why tribes have always honored with ceremony and pow wows in our military because there are warriors and people that went before. So if you've ever gone to a powwow, it starts at least off with the military with an honor guards with so that's why I said our powers for a tribe. We weren't having our people about 20 some years ago leading that and because we didn't have an organization, but with our Mohican veterans we are always the ones that lead in invite other color guards from other tribal Nations to come in. So we always leave that in so it during that Vietnam. We honoring at Lambeau Field in Green Bay all the

36:17 Veterans from the color guards from are indigenous people the native nations we LED in that ceremony to start off honoring of our veterans so bad as I was standing on the sidewalk edging and several people said to be why are Indians involved in this military thing? They never fought in the War which gave me an opportunity to do some historical updating for these people and we're running out of time here, but the eagle feather and the honor staff in

36:57 That on your staff that you carry in each feather represents a fallen Warrior and why you wearing an eagle feather on your hat like Native Americans are the only

37:13 People liking have an eagle feather because it's feather federally protected so we can have eagle feathers as a part of our ceremonies and honoring after our I received I was dancing and one of our powers as a lead dancer and I wasn't in this is before we had our Mohican veterans in the Menomonee and they found out that I was a captain in the reserve and they did a special ceremony and honored me with an eagle feather witch.

37:48 Which was amazing. I I was quite honored and I still have that feather. I received those are all the feathers one was at Indian Summer Festival in Milwaukee. One of the elders their native Elders with carrying a eagle feather from a woman from the Korean War native woman in it was a white eagle feather and he said he had they had a surprise ceremony for me and I was presented with this eagle feather because he said he was carrying it to give out. He was supposed to carry it and give it to another woman warrior. So I I still carry that and wear that on my on my hat at all of our ceremony. The other thing is I'm very proud that our veterans we are formed because we want to recognize and Viet all the funerals is honor guards and we have an eagle staff which is a memorial Eagle staff that we've started in my eagle feather one of my eagle feather.

38:48 Is that I have when I pass on my family can give it to our veterans and then at my funeral they will tie that eagle feather on to the staff. So that staff right now. We have quite a few 6070 eagle feathers on it that stuff goes with us at all of our ceremonies and pray so I know.

39:13 I will be with them.

39:17 And it is an emotional thing Just Tires the past to the very presence.

39:23 And it's very important and it's interesting two of us during the powwow eagle feather touches the ground from any of the regalia that people wear Halo immediately stops veterans go out there pick up the flag do a prayer and ceremony pick up the eagle feather not to play pick up the eagle feather and do a ceremony be so that honoring tradition and respect for the military and their pairing the American flag along with the tribal plays just really shows the relationship of tribes in the most positive way to also and putting together a Veterans Memorial and one of our clinics. We have a memorial and so every day we can see that there with many names that are there so we can continue to honor

40:24 Many ways.

40:25 And I thank God that somebody.

40:28 Does that work?