Michael Schwarz laid to rest

As a boy, Michael Schwarz came to love the feel and smell of the firehouse where his dad served as chief, the sight of an off-roader chewing through mud, the traditions and lore of the military.

As a young man, Schwarz acted on those passions. He became a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Carlstadt. He customized a tangerine orange Jeep that ate up trails. And he joined the Marine Corps, the "best of the best," he told his mother.

That thirst for adventure was remembered, celebrated and mourned yesterday as hundreds gathered for the funeral of the 20-year-old lance corporal, felled by a sniper's bullet in Iraq late last month.

"He always wanted to be a part of the excitement," the Rev. Donald M. Pitches, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Carlstadt, told the gathering. "Even the risk and the danger. He loved that, too."

The small Bergen County community showed its appreciation for Schwarz's service and sacrifice. Hundreds of residents -- some shivering in the biting cold, some wiping tears from their eyes -- lined town sidewalks to watch as a Carlstadt firetruck carried Schwarz's flag-draped coffin.

Outside the church, firefighters, police officers and emergency workers garbed in their best parade blues and blacks paid tribute, too.

Schwarz, whose two grandfathers served in World War II, had long talked of enlisting in the military. Even as a child, he frequently wore fatigues. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he grew even more earnest about his intention. And while some of his family members tried to steer him in a less dangerous direction, he would not be dissuaded.

"How could you have stopped him from following his heart and joining the Marines?" Pitches asked. Schwarz joined the Corps, the pastor said, "because it was part and parcel of who he was."
Schwarz knew of the dangers in Iraq before signing up. And he learned even more about them after arriving overseas. Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Schwarz was stationed in Anbar Province, among the most dangerous postings for U.S. service members in Iraq.

Early last month, a sniper's bullet grazed his helmet but left him uninjured. Just weeks later, he came under sniper fire again. This time, he was hit. Schwarz died Nov. 27. He was the second resident of Carlstadt and the 64th service member with ties to New Jersey to be killed in Iraq.

During yesterday's service, Pitches acknowledged that mourners have different feelings about the war and its politics. But he asked those gathered not to permit those feelings to get in the way of offering support to the men and women serving overseas and to families like Schwarz's.

A 2004 graduate of Henry P. Becton Regional High School, Schwarz waited a year before joining the Marines so he could first receive training as a firefighter, said Shawn Tilt, 20, a close friend and former high school classmate who spoke outside the church.

Firefighting is a tradition in Schwarz's family, said Jack Roughgarden, chief of the Carlstadt Volunteer Fire Department. Schwarz's father, Kenneth, is a former chief of the department; his brother, Frank, is a lieutenant. Some of Schwarz's high school friends joined departments in Wallington and East Rutherford.

Schwarz attended the Bergen County Police & Fire Academy and was assigned to Carlstadt's Engine 2, like his brother. Yesterday, his gear was laid out in front of the Engine 2 parking bay, a firehouse tradition.

"Michael was in the firehouse probably from the time he was 5," Roughgarden said. "It was just a natural progression for him."

His death "is a shock to the very soul of this department," the chief said.

That sentiment was felt throughout Carlstadt, where the Schwarz family has lived for decades. Pitches noted during his eulogy that he was speaking just feet away from where he had baptized Schwarz in 1986.

The pastor described Schwarz as an all-American boy who loved trucks and often drove his customized Jeep through town too fast.

Six Marines carried Schwarz's casket from the church, followed by his parents, Kenneth and Pamela, and his brother, Frank. The procession then made its way to George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.

Among those lining the street in Carlstadt were 345 children, all of them pupils at the Washington School, from which Schwarz graduated eighth grade in 2000. Many of the children held small American flags to their chests as they trembled in the cold.

"The teachers had discussed this with the children," Principal Steve Kollinok, who remembered Schwarz as a pupil, said later. "They were standing there with a deep heartfelt respect for Michael."

From the News Ledger

Related Link:
Michael A. Schwarz dies from combat wounds