SCHROEDER, Martin

After dropping out of high school, Martin joined the Army on 7 July 1948, completing his basic training as a member of the Ist Battalion.

On 4 February 1952, he committed himself to an additional year of military service and volunteered for the second Luxembourgish contingent. During his military training, his grades were always poor, but during the Korean campaign, he became an excellent soldier and a “great comrade”, as Lieutenant Lutty put it in a report. During 7 patrols, he proved his great courage and ability to execute orders while under fire.

Back in Luxembourg, he reenlisted for three years in the Army. He was first transferred to the military police before spending a few months in the Garde Grand-Ducale, where he was given secretarial duties. Multiple epileptic seizures made Martin unfit for military service. The cause of his condition remains unknown, but it seems that Martin suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which may have been triggered by the Korean War.

After a serious car accident in 1973, Martin was hospitalized in the sanatorium in Vianden where he succumbed to his injuries a few days later.