THE PHONE rang, but Deb Schroeder barely glanced up. Another call. Another message to take. She sat behind the reception desk at the University of Michigan, watching the clock and wondering if this was all life had to offer. “Lord,” she thought, “this can’t be it.”
Not long after, she walked into an Air Force recruiter’s office on campus. A glossy image caught her eye. “I want to work on those airplanes,” she told him. Not in administration — on the jet. She had taken an auto shop course in high school and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.
Before long, she was on the tarmac, toolbox in hand, while two men worked side by side at the next plane over. They always got paired up. Schroeder worked alone. “I proved myself,” she said. “I was stronger than I ever thought.”
That mindset became her foundation during six years of active duty, 17 more in the Air National Guard, and seasons of marriage and divorce. One deployment stands out — when she and another single mother traded shifts in Kuwait so both could serve while ensuring their kids were cared for back home.
“Service before self ” wasn’t just a motto. It was a way of life.

In 2018, Schroeder moved to Fayetteville, bringing that same spirit with her. She and her husband, Kurt, are deeply involved with the American Legion and VFW. Friday nights are for gathering at the post — a space where veterans don’t need to explain themselves.
“You feel like you belong just by walking in,” she said.
Through her work with the American Legion and VFW, Schroeder helps with the local veterans angel tree program, joins in cleaning gravesites year-round, and helps make memorial crosses that are placed with flags each Memorial Day and Veterans Day in honor of veterans who have died — quiet work, done with care and a desire to help others.
That help comes wrapped in empathy. When others are hurting, Schroeder looks for ways to bring relief and encouragement, asking herself, “If I were in their place, how would I want to be treated?”

Her compassion runs deep, shaped and strengthened by real trials: a son’s open-heart surgery, another child’s leukemia diagnosis, and a serious motorcycle accident of her own. Through it all, she leaned on faith.
“My church lifted us up. Prayer lifted the burden,” she shared. “Everything I’ve gone through, we’ve had people praying for us, and it just lifts that weight right from your shoulders. I literally can feel that weight being lifted. It’s amazing.”
These days, her mornings begin with Bible study — the quiet time that keeps her grounded. Between family visits and local commitments, she stays in touch with others who need a lift.
It’s a rhythm reflecting a deeper calling that’s never really let go. What began with a restless search for purpose has become a steady life of service, sustained by faith and community.
Her strength is quiet, steady, and rooted in a lifetime of choosing to serve. She’s still answering the call with a heart shaped by service and softened by faith. GN