[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1301-1302]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO GARY SCHNIEDERS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to honor 
an Iowa teacher who has clearly had a major impact on his students and 
his community because I was contacted by a number of Iowans regarding 
their desire to find some way to recognize him. The following is what 
they told me.
  A teacher of 39 years at Columbus High School in Waterloo, IA, Gary 
Schnieders has been awarded the McElroy Trust Gold Star Teacher of the 
Year in the Cedar Valley and Teacher of the Year at Columbus High 
School.
  During his time at Columbus, Gary Schnieders has taught world 
history, applied economics, current world history and advanced 
placement European history. Through his world history and European 
history classes, Mr. Schnieders has taken it upon himself to educate 
his students about the many sacrifices our military men and women have 
endured throughout history.
  This February, Gary Schnieders will be leading his 12th group of 
students to France and Belgium for a 12-day trip ``To Experience, To 
Learn, To Honor, To Remember.'' This is the theme each year for his AP 
Euro trip. Mr. Schnieders leads the students along World War I's 
Western Front starting in Verdun, France. His students experience the 
battlefields and trenches of the First World War. They visit some of 
the great museums and monuments honoring the soldiers who fought in the 
war. Most importantly, they go to many of the cemeteries and memorials 
to the many soldiers who fought for the various countries in that Great 
War. At the American memorials and cemeteries like Flanders Field and 
the Meuse Argonne, the largest American cemetery in Europe, the 
students lay flags and roses at each Iowa soldier's headstone. They 
also lay a wreath at the memorial itself, where Taps and the National 
Anthem are played. Because World War I is little remembered these days, 
the American cemeteries see very few visitors from the United States. 
The administrators of these memorials and cemeteries are excited to see 
Mr. Schnieders each year with his fresh class of students.
  During the latter part of the AP Euro trip, Mr. Schnieders takes his 
students to the beaches of Normandy. He shows the students firsthand 
what difficulties our soldiers had in taking the beaches. On their last 
day in Europe, Mr. Schneiders takes his students to Omaha Beach and the 
Normandy American Cemetery. Mr. Schnieders takes his students down to 
Omaha Beach so they can see the distance our soldiers had to cover 
while carrying heavy packs and under constant fire. The students then 
go up to the top of the beach where the Normandy American Cemetery and 
Memorial is located. The students again put American flags and

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roses at each soldier from Iowa. They also take the sand they brought 
from Omaha Beach and wipe it over the name on each headstone so the 
name of the soldier and the State of Iowa becomes easily visible. The 
students again lay a wreath and Taps and National Anthem are played 
throughout the cemetery.
  Two weeks after returning home, Gary Schnieders and his students put 
on a presentation for the local veterans and community. The students 
set up various multimedia exhibits to share the experiences from their 
trip. This has become a great event each year for local veterans and 
the community.
  To conclude, I was told that Gary Schnieders' dedication to his 
school, veterans, and his students has been invaluable to his 
community. If Gary Schnieders has anything to do with it, his students 
will continue ``To Experience, To Learn, To Honor, To Remember'' our 
veterans. So I congratulate Gary Schnieders on his dedication to his 
school, students, veterans, and community.

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