Master Sgt. Joseph Schicker is a forgotten man

Wounded soldier who came back a hero from Afghanistan was then demoted
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By TONY MESSENGER
Published: June 3, 2017

In 2015, he found out the Missouri Guard had lied to him. At least two other soldiers — both higher ranks than Schicker — were granted exceptions to the rule the Guard cited in forcing him to take a demotion.

In January 2013, Sgt. Joe Schicker was Missouri’s hero.

A member of the Missouri National Guard, he had been injured while deployed in Afghanistan. When he returned to Missouri, none other than Gov. Jay Nixon pinned the Purple Heart on Schicker’s battle fatigues. Then Schicker stood in the House gallery in his dress blues as Nixon gave his annual State of the State address and received a standing ovation from state lawmakers.

“Just hours after his team arrived at their base, Taliban insurgents attacked,” Nixon said of Schicker. “In successfully repelling the attack, several Missouri Guardsmen, including Sgt. Schicker, were wounded. … Sgt. Schicker, you represent every man and every woman who has ever fought to defend our great nation, in every era and on every field of battle.”

Four years later, Master Sgt. Joseph Schicker is a forgotten man.

“They paraded me around the state when I came back and said, ‘Look, he’s one of our heroes,’” Schicker said. “Now, they don’t care. I’ve been wronged and no one wants to help me.”
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