On August 26th, 13 Marines were killed in Kabul after an airport suicide bombing. Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz was one of these Marines, hailing from St. Charles. His father wants everyone to know about a memorial fund and scholarship that's being set up in his son's name.
Marc Cox spoke with his father, Mark Schmitz who opens up about the loss of his son and who Jared was.
“Jared has always been a protector,” says Schmitz. “That kid stepped up to the plate no matter what was going on.”
Jared began training to join the Marine Corps as early as his sophomore year of high school.
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“When he decided to go into the Marine Corps, I had never seen anybody get so determined and so focused to be the best that they could be. That kid trained constantly, far long before he was ever even a recruit,” says Schmitz.
Jared’s family is raising money to memorialize him and other fallen Marines at stlheronetwork.com.
“We all say we’re never going to forget. There are so many marine brothers and sisters of his out there, I feel like I have an adopted family out there now.”
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