Great Britain Loses one of its Finest
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03 November 2009
British soldiers at war are an incredible group. Courageous, competent, and committed in very difficult conditions. An email came today from London, from a BBC correspondent who has been to Afghanistan saying that Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid had been killed.
To see the article in the BBC was deeply saddening: Soldier Killed While Defusing 65th Bomb.
On a side note, the British soldiers are conservative. Though this is not very important, it’s difficult to imagine that Olaf had only destroyed 64 bombs before being killed. Just on this single mission, during which all these photos were taken, and during the surrounding few days, his crew must have destroyed several dozen bombs. You had to be there. By the time the mission in these photos happened, the crew was very experienced.
Courage is as common as boots among these soldiers, but Olaf stood out even in that company. You could tell that Olaf knew his business from mean experience, and that he was ready for battle. His mind was very quick.
His crew was competent and confident, and worked faster to clear bombs than any I had seen. If not, the soldiers could never have completed this mission, because there simply were too many bombs. They say all beekeepers get stung, but these are not bees. These soldiers were facing an extraordinary number of bombs and booby-traps that are designed to kill the team.
According to the Oxford Mail,
“During the course of his tour, he attended 41 tasks, rendered safe 64 IEDs and attended 11 finds of bomb-making equipment.”
The married father-of-one lived with his family in Winchester. His wife Christina said: “Oz was a phenomenal husband and loving father who was cruelly murdered on his last day of a relentless five-month tour."
Olaf was lost on his last mission. The enemy are blowing up civilians everywhere, and taking a toll on our folks.
According to the BBC:
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Thomson, commanding officer of 2 Rifles Battle Group, said: "Staff Sgt Oz Schmid was simply the bravest and most courageous man I have ever met."
"No matter how difficult or lethal the task which lay in front of us, he was the man who only saw solutions."
"He saved lives in 2 Rifles time after time and for that he will retain a very special place in every heart of every rifleman in our extraordinary battle group."
According to the Oxford Mail,
Lt Col Robert Thomson, the commanding officer of the 2 Rifles Battle Group, said: “Staff Sgt Oz Schmid was simply the bravest and most courageous man I have ever met."
“Under relentless IED and small arms attacks, he stood taller than the tallest. He opened the Pharmacy Road and 24 hours later, found 31 IEDs in one go on route Sparta. Every single company in 2 Rifles adored working with him."
They really did. Everybody liked to see not just Olaf, but his entire great team. The mission succeeded that day. For more about the lives, and missions of these excellent soldiers, please read Bad Medicine.
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Comments
My sympathies to the family of Staff Sgr Oz Schmid, as well as his fellow soliders.
"With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is a music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncountered:
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end they remain."
Free men thank you for your courageous sacrifice.
No words can salve the loss to family and friends.
May God Hold them and extend Mercy in their times of need.
Thank you Staff Sgt Oz Schmid
Our prayers will continue for this fine warrior's family and fellow soldiers.
Clink....
Glug....
SMASH!
Semper Fidelis
You say the Little efforts that I make
will do no good: they never will prevail
to tip the hovering scale
where Justice hangs in balance.
I don’t think I ever thought they would.
But I am prejudiced beyond debate
in favor of my right to choose which side
shall feel the stubborn ounces of my weight.
- Bonaro W. Overstreet
To save one life is as if you have saved the world and God knows how many lives, both colleagues and Afghans, he saved. RIP
Mr. Obama, take heed...we need more troops in the field to help keep the roads clear of IEDs. How long is it going to take for you to realize, you are putting all of these troops lives at risk? Not only that; many Afghani civilians are being killed by these bombs as well. We can turn this around, but you need to get on the stick and SEND THE TROOPS GEN MCCHRYSTAL REQUESTED NOW!
God bless,
Ken
RVN 69-70
4th Inf Div
Thanks again for all you do.
Sincerely
Ken
His mission was just and his service honorable.
Thank you Sir, may you Rest in Peace.
RIP
Thank you Sir, although I did not know you, I have to salute your courage and skills - God Bless you - RIP
And another loss foretold by the officer that died.
http://tinyurl.com/yeeopv7
SEND THE TROOPS GEN MCCHRYSTAL REQUESTED NOW!
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 11/03/2009 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
And, technically, did he really save any lives? Weren't the bombs discovered? In other words, was there really a risk to human beings when human beings knew the bombs were there and could thence avoid them?
I can respect and honor the soldier while simultaneously question the absurdity of the policy. I hope the next SSG Olaf is replaced with a hand grenade, and SSG Olaf's brothers don't waste their lives on absurd work.
Skj
And Mrs. Schmid please accept my condolences. The world is a poorer
place now.
For the Lord saith: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13
Thank you Michael for the tribute.
When it is all said and done, it is individuals like this man who protect all of us and we all better appreciate it regardless of whether or not you agree with this war or not. He believed and that is good enough for me.
I do hope that we end this as soon as possible. One thing that bothers me the most is whether or not the Afghans, or the Iraqi's, or the Arabs and Jews really realize the sacrifice that is made by so many and is it even appreciated ?
I don't feel it is because, in defense of these folks, it seems that it is so common place for them to see death all around them all the time, or, alot of the time it is, sadly, just another day.
Thanks Sarge fom the Citizens of the USA
So, if you can't handle, resign, quickly like by the end of the next hour wouldn't be soon enough for all those waiting for you to get you tired, pathetic cowardly excuse for a man.
You are killing people your lack of action so if that is what is bothering you it is too late, people are already dying because of your, I cant say what I would like to say.
Resign and let Biden take over or Hillary.
Houston, TX
Oz Schmid's sacrifice for others is a true testament to the fortitude of a man.
May the Lord bless his wife and son and meet all of thier needs and may his son Laird be forever proud of his Dad just as I am proud of him and becasue he himself has paid an enormous cost for the safety and freedom of others.
Thank you to ALL our soldiers, may God keep you firmly in His grasp in life and especially in death.
Michael is there any way to suppport his family? I try to for our US service men.
Shameful
Thank you for serviing and thank you for all the lives you have saved. Again, to the family sorry for your loss.
I can never thank these soldiers enough.
Semper FI
God Bless you sir and may you now be getting the rest you so richly deserve.
I hope they get the bastards that did this....
Oh, and SEND IN THE TROOPS THAT WE NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE! SO WE CAN GO HOME ONCE THE JOB IS DONE!!!
R.I.P. SSGT
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
I heard my country calling, away across the sea,
Across the waste of waters she calls and calls to me.
Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head,
And round her feet are lying the dying and the dead.
I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns,
I haste to thee my mother, a son among thy sons.
And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
Semper Fi
You did a lot of good work down here, now rest in peace in the arms of God.
Thanks Michael for the tribute.
We all suffer the loss of good men fighting the good fight.
Heros in service of their mates, their countries, and our values.
*Salute*
May his family find peace and rest knowing that his was a sacrifice made for a worthy purchase, and while deep and painful it may be, a purchase of life for dozens, even hundreds of other families across the UK. The 2 Rifles and families owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs Schmid for this courageous warrior.
Mrs Schmid, I pray that your soul finds comfort in knowing your husband did his country proud, and while you and your son were denied him in the most cruel way, you are truly in the hearts and prayers of thousands, even millions around the world. The Schmid name will be synonymous with bravery, courage, and fortitude, both in 2 Rifles and in the minds of true patriots of freedom & peace, worldwide.
May G-d continue to bless our men and women in uniform . both US and NATO troops.
I will mail a check today to Mr. Yon. I will feel better about this contribution than any other I've ever made.
God bless our allies and the brave Soldiers who fight for them -- and us.
May the Almighty assuage the anguish of bereavement for the family you leave behind.
and may God deliver the murderer into the hands of my unit next year when we're over.
If I catch him he'll be digging an extra hole.
Stiff upper lip, Lads.
The sorrow for you and your famaily is felt by many around the world. He is a hero in every since of the word. Rest in peace my friend! Americans and all free people around the world thank all of you so much!
British and Allied troops are our finest, our young, our people, and they are not to be cast away in the wind eminating from your arse. They will win any battle, any fight, but they cannot define the war, its aims, its winning strategy, any more than they can supply the kit and equipment they need. Every British soldier is worth 100,000 Gordon bloody Brown's and his merry henchmen and traitors. What is going on here is a political shame, A despicable failure of leadership. There are a thousand ways to persue Al Quida and our enemies. We have 3 million umeployed, and since we started warfighting, almost no new equipment or equipment programmes have taken place, not a proper finger lifted. Not nearly enough Helicopters, and equipment, year after year after year.
I no longer believe in this pathetic political class who have the leadership of a 2 year old. They are SCUM, WORSE THAN SCUM, cowards the lot of them, At least the Taleban fight and don't kill men from 7000 miles away. They've taken people to war, with no idea what the war is, who they are fighting, or what the hell their winning aim is. I know for a fact our men and women are brilliant, and that they will go to the very end of the earth for us all, AND THEY HAVE. AND THEY DO. They are left dying in the desert with a knife in the back from scum that deserves death, and care of the 'helping' hand of our political class.
If Britian is to be at war, then bring it, Bring it all. Every plane, tank, helicopter, EVERYTHING and crush every camp, hole, cave, and don't stop until it is DONE. And then bring home our boys and girls. And if you are not willing to commit in TOTAL, then it is despicable that you expect so much from them, and so little from yourself.
This is the only war I've ever seen where the Allies by policy and design, HAVE NO STRATEGIC RESERVE. NONE. Not a single proper full blown unit is held combat ready in reserve. Not since France in 40 has anything been this pathetic and despicable.
GORDON BROWN, CABINET, LABOUR - PRESIDENT OBAMA, Shame on YOU, SHAME ON YOU.
DEATH TO EVERY STINKING TALEBAN AND ANY ON THIS PLANET WHO HELP THEM, SHELTER THEM, OR SUPPORT THEM.
His sense of humour was legendary, and was not adverse to playing the odd practical joke (he once blew up my beret for a laugh). A true friend,
he would do anything for his mates. He will be sadly missed.
The IEDD Operators within 11 EOD Regt have a little prayer, it goes:
'If fate is against me and I'm killed, so be it, but make it quick and painless.
If I'm wounded, don't let me be crippled.
But above all don't let me f*** up the task'
Oz, You didn't f*** up.
Save me, Twiggy and Si a place at the bar mate, and get Gaz O'Donnell to put his hand in his pocket.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die.
-Anonymous
- Ozzy
Check out Oz's missus. She's just lost her job and then got the news her husband had been killed in Afghanistan. And there she is taking it on the chin and telling us she won't be bowed down. Stand by this woman and Oz's kid if you love the man.
Oz Joined The Column.
God bless olaf.
You will be missed by every body, you did it for all. Thank you for what you have done.
Samper Fi!
Roberto Marin
Ex_USMC
Combat Engineer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls3aufu5jjU
Regarding my FB comment, you are welcome, it was a priviledge to have known him.
Christina, there are no words for my admiration for your husband, and empathy for you. Dedicate a howl at the moon for me, please!
Downloading many photos from Mike right now for you which we'll send to Tor.
A HAMPSHIRE soldier killed in Afghanistan is set to receive a top military award.
Senior military personnel say they expect bomb disposal expert Olaf Schmid, from Winchester, to be given the George Cross.
Staff Sergeant Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, was killed as he dealt with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Helmand Province last month.
It was his last day on the job before he was due to fly home after his tour of duty with 2 Rifles Battle Group, and rejoin his wife Christina and five year- old stepson Laird, for a two-week break at their home in Harestock.
Now top military sources expect him to be recommended for the medal instituted in 1940 by George VI, in recognition of “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger.”
Staff Sgt Schmid, known to family and friends as Oz, had previously disarmed 64 Taliban roadside bombs in five months.
The George Cross has been awarded 159 times in 69 years.
An alternative would be a posthumous Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
A decoration instituted by Queen Victoria in 1886, it was originally to reward junior officers in the Army for distinguished service or acts of gallantry against the enemy but after a review in 1993, is now awarded for distinguished leadership during active operations.
When Staff Sgt Schmid’s body was repatriated 11 days ago, Christina led the mourning at Wootton Bassett.
Over the weekend she revealed the contents of some of the letters he had sent home.
He wrote to her: “Your picture protects me and I leave it there to watch over me.
“Staying alive is like a lottery, patrolling the Afghan badlands is playing Russian roulette with your feet.
“Dealing with bombs is easy; it’s the getting shot at whilst doing your job that makes me run.”
Mrs Schmid also said how her husband had been keen to “step back” after the tour of duty to train more people in what he did.
“He was out there for so long because there are so few of them,” she said.
Mrs Schmid also said her husband was a preserver of life.
“He took the time to defuse these devices proper so they didn’t cause destruction,” she added.
It may be of note that 11 EOD Regt RLC is the most highly decorated Regiment in the Army
Is it true that Christina lost her job? Is there some way that we can help her along? I did not know Olaf Schmidt except for you writing and pictures, but even I over here across the globe feel the loss of this fine man.
Gods Peace.
Godspeed Olaf, the Lord has a special place for warriors like you, thank you brother.
they send there best out to defend their countries and then seem to care less about their welfare. Brown like Barrack
is a selfish worthless specimen and both are the worst leaders of their respective countries in recent history.
SGT SCHMIDT .....God Bless you.
Korean Ginseng (www.vitabits.co.uk/memory/ginkgo-biloba-3000mg--korean-ginseng/16389)
Semper Fi SSGT Oz Schmid
Click
Glug
SMASH
Mrs.Bixby, Boston, Massachusetts:
Dear Madam:
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln
Please allow me- I mourn deeply your loss of husband, friend, confidant. I am grateful for his service to country, the coalition forces and the War on Terror. I cannot, nor will, forget his valor, dedication and selflessness. He is in my prayers, always.
Thanks to all 11 EOD Regt RLC for outstanding work.
NM USA
While we have fighting men of this calibre, I have no fear for what the future holds for our nations.
But politicians must be held accountable when gambling with their lives.
they asked for little and received less.
They asked for honour and truth,
in a world in which there was precious little.
We have been made better for their sacrifice
and yet we are poorer by their passing.
Ultimately in spite of their lost lives,
we must recognize that the greatest loss lies with us;
for we have been stripped of their lives and their gifts.
Of all the children they will never father,
of all the students they will never tutor,
of the truth they will never uncover,
of the dreams they had that no mortal will ever know,
of the best of humanity that they can never again be.
We cannot remember them as well as we should,
we will never remember them as well as we do now.
Alas, we barely knew them at all.
But they died in our stead, and if there is one thing we should know,
one thing we must take from this desolate moment;
it is that they could have been us, we must live for them.
We must try to achieve the promise that once embodied their lives,
before they were so nobly cast aside for our sake.
This is the only way we can shoulder this otherwise unbearable debt.
By their selfless sacrifice they have shown that this is how they would have had it,
had they by some accident of fate been left as the living and not we.
Our Loss: Anonymous
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THANK YOU!
An' Tommy fought everywhere reachin' the bloody Somme
Swearin' of this muddy lark and all the blasted fun
Crouchin' in Wipers stuffin' back compo with satisfied aplomb
An' cringin' when dirt an' stone an' God knows what, blocks out the Belgian sun.
An' Tommy's off again through all this bloody sand emptyin' his boots in Africa
An' fillin' them up again
At last its time for char but thirty thousand flys desend, swimmin' for their lives
Enough to send ya scuttlin', drivin' him insane.
Through Italy an' Normandy Tommy wearily treads his feet are bleedin' achin'
Uniform, dirty, in shreds
His Enfield's soddin' heavy an' he's short of bloody ammo but Bremen is just up the road
So the corporal sez
Now Tommy here has fought with Slim, his 14th Forgotten Army through monsoon an' humidity
Sloggin' an' fightin' to Rangoon
An' jungle aint to his likin' with 'orrible creepy-crawlie, tangled roots an'funny noise's
An' he hopes this wars over bloody soon.
Up on a hill Gloster Tom fought with tenacity an' spirit a fight in the Korean cold
Against screamin' hoardes a placement to die for and hold
Well it don't end there Tommy try learnin' some Malay there's an Emergency down South
Conscripted without delay
There in unwelcome Belfast street no body armour then, kids throwin' stones an'petrol bombs
Snipers givin' a couple of it away
Tommy came off the dole an' took the shiney shillin' what with baton rounds an'
Tear gas this aint no bleedin' 'oliday.
Bloody 'ell if I was a sailor I'd dance an 'ornpipe through grumpy Southern seas
Can't wait to see green grass an' houses an' trees.
Falklands Isles beckon with windy moors an' marsh Tommy yomps
Like trainin' on the Plains an' Dartmoor, mud up to his knees.
Frustration in a Balkan War, a blue beret and empty role to make ya mad
Tommy wants his own beret an' regimental badge
Johnny Gurkha as always a mucker in step, Khukri famed with smiling face
Out with 'uz on patrol, safely back to base.
Here the day in Iraq an' down Helmond way Tommy arrives desert boots an' smock
Again with mates of Yanks, Poles and Oz and equipment, ad hoc
In footsteps of old campaigners to the Hindu-Kush of lines of red and fame
From Basra to Kandahar to the gates of Kabul
Tommy, rat-a tat-tat, is here again.
Dedicated to those that have fallen and fall and still fight from all free nations.
Please forgive the artistic licence.
Jem
Thank you Oz, for showing the gift of who you were to the world! Wish we could have all known you but you will "never" be forgotten..........never!!!!
Leyla
May they sound the fife lowly
May the rifles fire o'er ye as the lower ye down
May the bugles sing 'The Last Post' in chorus
May the pipes play 'The Flowers o' the Forest'
When this kind of loss of a good man's life happens, it makes me furious. I want to scream at the world to let these savages fight with each other and blow themselves up. Such evil personified is more than any ordinary person can grasp. I pray the military and politicians will come to the conclusion that in this kind of "East meets West" clash, the "West" is never going to make a difference in these places. These are NOT countries, they are a group of tribes who hate each other and are vying for power and money using religion as an excuse. Even those who call themselves by the same religious terms hate each and everyone else around them. Is it not evident when they kill their own children? Is it not evident when they kill the mothers, wives, women and children of the world? This interpretation of their religion is evil, why would anyone want to worship a form of a God that is so cruel and vindictive and whose primary founder was also so evil.
“May he find rest across the river among the shade of trees”
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