DOB/DOD: September 4, 1983 (Carmel, NY) – May 11, 2005; 21 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: North Beech Tree Road; Brookfield
ENLISTMENT: November 4, 2003
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0351; Infantry Assaultman
UNIT: I Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment (Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division), 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
FAMILY: Born to John T. Schmidt Jr. (1960-) and Barbara A. Backlund Schmidt Jimenez (1962-). Stepfather, Eric Jimenez (1955-). One stepbrother, Dan Jimenez (1987-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Other medals and ribbons are unknown.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Lance Corporal Schmidt died in Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 11, 2005, from wounds received on January 30, 2005, in Fallujah, Iraq. He had been in Iraq less than two weeks before being wounded.
Graduated from Oviedo (Florida) High School, Class of 2002.
From The Hartford Courant on May 14, 2005
MARINE FROM BROOKFIELD DIES
A U.S. Marine from Brookfield died Tuesday of wounds he suffered while serving in Iraq earlier this year, state and military officials said Thursday. Lance Corporal John T. Schmidt III, 21, suffered severe burns to his face and lungs when a mortar shell ruptured a tank of ammonia in Al Anbar Province on January 30. Schmidt was transferred to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, for treatment in February. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Schmidt’s unit was attached to the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, according to the Department of Defense. In an interview with the Danbury News-Times this year, Schmidt’s grandfather, Richard Backlund, said his grandson was a “typical teenager” who grew up in Danbury and moved to be with his mother in Florida, where he graduated from high school. He then returned to Connecticut for a year with his mother before surprising his family and telling them he wanted to enlist in the Marines, his grandparents said. Schmidt had been in Iraq less than two weeks when he was wounded, the News-Times said.
From the Orlando (FL) Sentinel on May 14, 2005
By Robert Perez | Sentinel Staff Writer
MARINE JOHN T. SCHMIDT III, 21, WAS ‘TOTALLY FOCUSED’ ON MISSION IN IRAQ
It was a day of triumph in Iraq when millions of people voted in the country’s first free election in decades. But for U.S. Marine Lance Corporal John T. Schmidt III, the events of January 30 ultimately led to his death. Schmidt, 21, was one of five Marines seriously burned when a rocket or mortar shell landed in his barracks and ruptured an ammonia tank. Schmidt, a 2002 graduate of Oviedo High School, suffered extensive burns to his skin, esophagus, and lungs. He died Wednesday from complications of his injuries at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The final months of Schmidt’s life were difficult, said his aunt, Denese Richmond of Winter Springs. He was on a respirator and had to use hand signals or written messages to communicate, she said. “He was dejected because he just continued to have complications,” she said. “His lungs were so damaged he was never able to recover.” That was a far cry from the fun-loving, outgoing young man who spent two years in Central Florida. Schmidt was interested in computers, computer graphics, cartooning, and ice hockey, Richmond said. “He was always playing hockey at the RDV (Sportsplex) center,” she said. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Seminole Community College but soon decided to enlist. Richmond said. He completed a peacekeeping tour in Haiti and returned knowing his next deployment would be to Iraq, she said. “He was totally focused and committed to go do this,” Richmond said. “He never expressed any regrets.” Schmidt, a member of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, had been in Iraq for less than two weeks, providing security for the elections, when he was wounded. Schmidt is also survived by his parents, Barbara Jimenez of Danbury, Connecticut, and John T. Schmidt Jr. of Bunnell; one brother, Dan Jimenez of Danbury; and grandparents, Richard and Jean Backlund of St. Augustine Beach. Schmidt will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on May 25. A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday in Danbury.
From The Daytona Beach News-Journal on May 27, 2022
By Frank Fernandez | The Daytona Beach News-Journal
PALM COAST HONORS FALLEN MARINE BY DEDICATING FIRE ENGINE IN HIS MEMORY
A Palm Coast fire truck will honor the memory of a fallen Marine with Flagler County links as it rolls on calls throughout the city. The Palm Coast Fire Department honored Marine Lance Corporal John T. Schmidt III during a recent Gold Star dedication ceremony at Fire Station 21 at 9 Corporate Drive, according to a press release from the city. “John’s engine will be first in and last out to all the calls for one of our busiest zones and second due to everywhere in the city,” stated Fire Chief Jerry Forte. “We will send John’s truck to ease the pain, suffering, and anxiety of those in distress or perhaps just make their day better, just as he set out to leave this world a better place by his willingness to defend this great nation. We’re forever grateful for his supreme sacrifice.” The 2021 Pierce Enforcer fire engine was delivered to the fire department earlier this year and is based at Fire Station 21, which is known by firefighters as “The Lion’s Den,” according to the press release.
Memorialized with a bridge on Route 133 and Route 7 in Brookfield, Connecticut
From Legacy.com
I knew Johnny from a very early age as we both attended the YMCA during the summers in Bethel. We lost touch with each other, and we happened to enlist around the same time and attended pool functions together. We are both infantry Marines, and despite trying to prepare for the loss we are sure to encounter in time of war, one can never truly prepare, especially when it happens to a friend of yours… I still have his face in my head when we would spend hours playing kickball at the field in the summer after the afternoon swim. My heart goes out to his family, and I can only hope that I can make him proud when it is my turn to fight as he did for us.
— LCpl Ron Lienhardt
The day before it happened, I was checking on Schmidt at his post on OP 2. I climbed up to the rooftop to see if he needed some water; he said I’m good, Corporal. It’s nice out here and quiet. I stayed up there with him to keep him company, and we talked for an hour or two; we talked about how we wanted to go home, and I told him about my girlfriend and how upset she was. He told me that I’d see her soon enough and that I had to keep my head up. He said what he missed the most was his family and everyone he loved; he just missed being home. But he’ll see them again. Before I left to check on the other Marines, he held the ladder for me so it wouldn’t shake, and I ended up falling. I said thanks and looked up and asked if he wanted some water or anything. He said, “No, I’m good. Thanks, corporal”, and he smiled. Like a smile of content, I’ve never seen anyone happy just to be out there. I’ll see you soon, John; hold the ladder for me so I can climb up to where you and everyone are when my time here is over. I always think about you and everyone. So many people have told me that I was a hero for doing what I did. I’m not a hero. Heroes are those who can smile through despair and give hope when everything seems hopeless. Heroes are those who lay down their lives for those they fought for. You’re that Hero, not me. Semper Fidelis, I’ll see you soon.
— 3/8 [signed like this; no name given]
Lance Corporal Schmidt is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia; Section 60, Site 8113. NOTE: The symbol in the top center of the headstone represents the United Methodist Church.
