At the monthly meeting of the American Legion Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr. Post 214, US Army Colonel Claude Schmid, a 31-year retiree with two Bronze Stars. In his first 2004-05 Iraq Tour, Claude was a combat Brigade Commander and also commanded a combined US-Iraqi Infrastructure Security Force.
He returned to Iraq in 2007 & 2008 as Commandant of the new Iraqi Military School. In his last command of three years, he led the Defense Department team as Chief of the Army Wounded Warrior Flight Program. Believing that no veteran should depart this life without a friend nearby. Claude volunteers extensively for Veterans in hospice. In 2018 he founded www.veteranlastpatrol.org, a non-profit dedicated to bringing friends to veterans in end -of-life care.
