Thomas C. Schiess was born on July 21, 1950, to Charles and Margaret Schiess. He had one brother, Billy, and one sister, Patricia. His home of record is Edgewater, NJ. He attended Holy Rosary Elementary School, where he played football. He enjoyed football, baseball, and coin collecting. Tom was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, as well as a devout Catholic.

After graduation, Thomas worked for Merse Brothers Trucking Company where he learned how to drive an 18-wheeler. He also was a Little League coach. Tommy was well known in town as a nice kid and everyone always spoke very highly of him. He was a very generous good-hearted person.

Schiess served in the US Army and attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC).

He was killed on October 10, 1970. Schiess was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

The following is an excerpt from The Record about Thomas Schiess, dated Monday, January 29, 1973:

In July 1970, Thomas Schiess came home on leave from Army duty to celebrate his 20th birthday with his parents, MR. and Mrs. Charles Schiess.

Shortly after the visit, he was sent to Vietnam.

Two months to the day after he arrived in Vietnam, Pfc. Schiess was killed when he stepped on a booby trap in Cu Lai.

Sources: The Schiess Family, The Record, and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024