Park Path Honors The Life Of Long-Time Chatham Veteran

CHATHAM, NJ — The Borough of Chatham Council recognized the life and service of Norman Schaefer during the June 12 council meeting.

Schaefer, who served 28 years on the Chatham Board of Health, joined the board in 1991 and served as a member and the vice president during his tenure.

To honor his dedication and contributions to the Board of Health and the Borough of Chatham, the council passed a resolution naming a path in Reasoner Park the Dr. Norman Schaefer Way.

"Schaefer provided us all with an example of unselfish, thoughtful, and generous service to others and of how to live life thinking of others and working for their benefit," the council said.

Schaefer died on Nov. 26, 2020, at age 96.

In 1957, Schaefer graduated from Cornell Medical School and began his career as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. He began his medical career in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon.

Schaefer led a number of missions to treat wounded soldiers as the Commander of Aeromedical Evacuation. One such mission was Desert Storm in 1991, when he served as commander of a medical unit of 1000 personnel from the United States, Canada, and Germany in Ramstein, Germany, treating 5,000 Saudi patients.

He retired from the Air Force in 1992 after 49 years of distinguished service. It is the longest service record of any member of the United States Air Force or any military personnel from any service.

According to his obituary, Schaefer was the only World War II veteran to serve in the First Gulf War. He was also the only person in the Air Force who had served continuously since World War II.

To celebrate his life and accomplishments, the borough will be installing a sign at Reasoner Park, dedicating a path to his memory.

To learn more about other local veterans, the Library of the Chathams has launched a project commemorating first-hand accounts of Chatham veterans.

The Veterans Project is a Library of the Chathams initiative that seeks to collect, archive, and make available to the public audio, video, and written personal histories and testimonials of veterans who are or were residents of Chatham Borough and Chatham Township.

All interviews done for the Veterans Project can be watched here.