Email This Story
Print This StoryUW-Whitewater Remembers Fallen Soldier
'He Was Simply Meant For The Military And Came Back For Visits On Campus Quite Often To Speak With Young Cadets'
POSTED: 11:14 a.m. CDT June 12, 2003
By Craig Coshun
Assistant Director, News and Publications
UW-Whitewater
Special to Channel 3000 It was a friendship that began with a smile at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 17 years ago. Casimir Carey '89 remembers meeting Mathew Schram, '90 for the first time. "Sure I remember, because Mat had a funny way of marching," Carey recalls with a chuckle. It made him laugh, something Carey says Schram loved doing. They were close friends from that first ROTC moment in 1986, until May 26, 2003.
Schram was killed in Iraq when his military supply convoy was gunned down in an ambush while serving his country on—of all days—Memorial Day.
The two friends took a similar career path in the military. Carey is an Army major who is an intelligence officer by trade and this year finished an English teaching assignment at West Point. Upon his death, Schram was an Army major who was a quartermaster officer for Support Squadron in the 3rd Army Calvary regimen.
Schram's position carries a tremendous amount of responsibility as it oversees supplies, equipment and vehicles for 5,000 soldiers. Carey says a re-supply mission can be an easy target for the enemy because they are not always heavily armored yet vitally important.
"I hope people will never say Mat regretted being in the Army because he is no longer with us," requests Carey. "He loved it until the last day he was alive, no question."
Carey (pictured, left) cites Schram's desire for military excellence by explaining that being a support operations officer in an armored calvary regiment is the most coveted job there is for Quartermaster majors. Before Iraq, Schram was a general's aide in Germany, for which only the top 5 percent of Army officers are selected.
"He was heading for battalion command, colonel and beyond," Carey says. "That is why it is so disappointing to me, it was all cut short."
When asked what he will miss most about Schram, Carey quickly answered, "His laugh. He had the most raucous, hilarious laugh because he loved a good joke."
One of the most amusing moments the two friends had came early in their friendship when Schram was appointed the nickname "Schrambo" by his ROTC peers, an obvious reference to the famous military movie fiction hero "Rambo." Carey, who describes Schram as a 6-foot 1-inch, 200-pound Army Physical Fitness Test genius, says his friend "loved" to be called Schrambo.
But what Carey will remember most about his comrade was his dependability. "I can name my really reliable friends on one hand and he was one of them."
His dedication to the military began at UW-Whitewater and continued long after his graduation in 1990. If only the walls of Salisbury Hall could speak, they would tell a story of Schram's importance to this institution, according to Barbara Klietz, a long-time program assistant in the department of Leadership, Military Science and Aerospace Studies.
"I saw his dedication early on as an undergraduate student," Klietz recalls. "He put on that uniform and would function like nobody's business. He was simply meant for the military and came back for visits on campus quite often to speak with our young cadets. It meant everything to them to hear from someone who has been where they want to go."
The news of Schram's death sent a shudder through university ROTC alums who serve their country across the globe. Klietz received a flood of e-mails, letters and phone calls from former cadets—some close to Schram and from others that never knew him.
Marlene Cullum (Liebeck) 92', an Army reservist, wrote: "I want to send a letter to Mat's dad. I just want to tell him how important his son was to me since he recruited me into ROTC and mentored me for quite a few years, even on active duty."
Kevin French '83, a former Army major, wrote: "I cannot remember meeting Mathew Schram at UW-Whitewater, but I certainly knew him and walked in his shadow. My fellow alums, please join me in a moment of reflection for a person who came from a small program that has produced some notable officers, Maj. Schram now first among them."
In the 23 years Klietz has spent in the ROTC program on campus, Schram is the first cadet to die. It finally sank in when she heard Taps and the 21-gun salute at the burial.
"It was a real grabber. I just thought how sad and how much we will miss him."
Assistant Director, News and Publications
UW-Whitewater
Special to Channel 3000 It was a friendship that began with a smile at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 17 years ago. Casimir Carey '89 remembers meeting Mathew Schram, '90 for the first time. "Sure I remember, because Mat had a funny way of marching," Carey recalls with a chuckle. It made him laugh, something Carey says Schram loved doing. They were close friends from that first ROTC moment in 1986, until May 26, 2003.
Schram was killed in Iraq when his military supply convoy was gunned down in an ambush while serving his country on—of all days—Memorial Day.
The two friends took a similar career path in the military. Carey is an Army major who is an intelligence officer by trade and this year finished an English teaching assignment at West Point. Upon his death, Schram was an Army major who was a quartermaster officer for Support Squadron in the 3rd Army Calvary regimen.
Schram's position carries a tremendous amount of responsibility as it oversees supplies, equipment and vehicles for 5,000 soldiers. Carey says a re-supply mission can be an easy target for the enemy because they are not always heavily armored yet vitally important.
"I hope people will never say Mat regretted being in the Army because he is no longer with us," requests Carey. "He loved it until the last day he was alive, no question."
Carey (pictured, left) cites Schram's desire for military excellence by explaining that being a support operations officer in an armored calvary regiment is the most coveted job there is for Quartermaster majors. Before Iraq, Schram was a general's aide in Germany, for which only the top 5 percent of Army officers are selected.
"He was heading for battalion command, colonel and beyond," Carey says. "That is why it is so disappointing to me, it was all cut short."
When asked what he will miss most about Schram, Carey quickly answered, "His laugh. He had the most raucous, hilarious laugh because he loved a good joke."
One of the most amusing moments the two friends had came early in their friendship when Schram was appointed the nickname "Schrambo" by his ROTC peers, an obvious reference to the famous military movie fiction hero "Rambo." Carey, who describes Schram as a 6-foot 1-inch, 200-pound Army Physical Fitness Test genius, says his friend "loved" to be called Schrambo.
But what Carey will remember most about his comrade was his dependability. "I can name my really reliable friends on one hand and he was one of them."
His dedication to the military began at UW-Whitewater and continued long after his graduation in 1990. If only the walls of Salisbury Hall could speak, they would tell a story of Schram's importance to this institution, according to Barbara Klietz, a long-time program assistant in the department of Leadership, Military Science and Aerospace Studies.
"I saw his dedication early on as an undergraduate student," Klietz recalls. "He put on that uniform and would function like nobody's business. He was simply meant for the military and came back for visits on campus quite often to speak with our young cadets. It meant everything to them to hear from someone who has been where they want to go."
The news of Schram's death sent a shudder through university ROTC alums who serve their country across the globe. Klietz received a flood of e-mails, letters and phone calls from former cadets—some close to Schram and from others that never knew him.
Marlene Cullum (Liebeck) 92', an Army reservist, wrote: "I want to send a letter to Mat's dad. I just want to tell him how important his son was to me since he recruited me into ROTC and mentored me for quite a few years, even on active duty."
Kevin French '83, a former Army major, wrote: "I cannot remember meeting Mathew Schram at UW-Whitewater, but I certainly knew him and walked in his shadow. My fellow alums, please join me in a moment of reflection for a person who came from a small program that has produced some notable officers, Maj. Schram now first among them."
In the 23 years Klietz has spent in the ROTC program on campus, Schram is the first cadet to die. It finally sank in when she heard Taps and the 21-gun salute at the burial.
"It was a real grabber. I just thought how sad and how much we will miss him."
