Saturday, May 4, 2024
For Lieutenant Colonel Robert Schultz, military service paved a way for him to help others and take part in building a stronger society.
Schultz knew early on that he wanted to join the military. As a child, during the height of the Vietnam War, he was influenced by those around him who served their country. After he graduated high school and received an acceptance letter from Texas A&M University, he discovered a path through the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.
“To help those who can’t help themselves or who need help is something that I’ve seen so many do before me,” Schultz said. “I definitely wanted to fall in suit with that line and help those folks out.”
Schultz’s 27 years of service began shortly after graduation when he opted to join the Army. After receiving his degree in agriculture, he was commissioned in 1994 as a second lieutenant in the Army Medical Service Corps with the aim of specializing in medical logistics.
Following Schultz’s completion of officer basic training, he was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he began his specialization in healthcare operations and logistics for the Army, which includes the handling and distribution of medical supplies and equipment.
“Operations are something that all are involved with, and logistics involve material items to save lives with jobs involved with item procurement, materials management, and facility construction/management,” Schultz said. “Logistics, to me, was and is the more interesting specialty pursuit for me.”
After completing his first assignments at Fort Campbell, he joined the Army Reserve to continue his training in logistics. However, his career took a slight turn when he applied for the 321st Civil Affairs Brigade out of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
Shortly after his acceptance into the civil affairs unit in August 2001, the September 11 attacks occurred, leading to his deployment to the Middle East. He was deployed to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2004 and then to Iraq from 2004 to 2005.
Schultz describes his service in the Middle East taking place mostly behind the scenes. He helped plan operations to assist war-torn communities in both countries, which included reconstruction of medical facilities and schools, and establishing programs for disaster relief and disease mitigation.
“It kind of gives them a future, and you hope you're setting them on a path toward prosperity and to take care of themselves,” he said.
Although Schultz is a native Texan from Fort Worth, his career has taken him to various regions throughout the country and overseas. After his operations in the Middle East, he moved to Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, in North Carolina where he became more involved with the planning and building of military medical facilities.
Following several years at Fort Liberty and the receipt of his master’s degree in architecture and health, he received an opportunity to lead various medical military construction projects at Camp Humphreys in Pyongtaek, South Korea.
“My graduation gift was a one-year unaccompanied tour to Korea to oversee the facility construction there,” he said.
Eventually, his career brought him to Gatesville when he relocated to Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, as a health facility program manager in 2015. In the base, he said he had the opportunity to oversee various construction projects, including the opening of the new army medical center and the repurposing of old hospitals.
In 2017, Schultz became the Senior Medical Logistics Planner for III Corps at Fort Cavazos. Due to his role and experience in medical logistics, he helped provide education around the supply and use of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Trying to educate and put folks at ease with PPE shortages and how to ration around who was authorized and who needed it or not,” he said.
After retiring from the Army in 2021, he now works as a contractor for the Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems, where he provides advice about health information technology for military operations.
After 27 years of service and frequent military rotations, Schultz said his main focus today is to spend time with his family and find ways to support his local community.
“They say it’s selfless service, but it really impacts the family,” he said. “The main thing is to try to be here to help out for all the years that I missed.”
Schultz adds that he believes the military is a great opportunity to become a well-respected leader and serve other people.
“I think overall it's a good thing, and I kind of wish [everyone] would have some type of service – if not military, then public service – to help give back and do your part to make the world a better place,” he said.
