PORT ANGELES — Betsy Reed Schultz has felt a lot of emotions since her son, Army Capt. Joseph William Schultz, was killed in Afghanistan one week ago.
But when it comes to the outpouring of support she has received, she sums up how she feels with one word: overwhelmed.
“It’s the only word I can come up with,” the Port Angeles resident said Saturday.
Reed Schultz and her brother, Bob Stokes, also of Port Angeles, have received scores of cards and other messages from people wishing to express their condolences.
Some are from complete strangers.
“We almost cry about that as much as the loss,” said Stokes, who owns an art gallery in downtown Port Angeles. “It’s just amazing.”
Reed Schultz, the former owner of The Tudor Inn and former Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce president, said she is “extremely grateful” for the support.
Fisher House donation
But to best respect her son’s wishes, she is requesting that those who wish to honor Capt. Schultz make a donation to the Fisher House Foundation — more specifically, the Fisher House at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
The foundation hosts families of deceased soldiers there and helps meet their needs while dealing with the loss.
Reed Schultz and Stokes spent several days last week at the foundation’s house at Dover Air Force Base, where Capt. Schultz’s remains were flown.
She said her son requested that people make donations in his name to a charity upon his death.
Reed Schultz said the Fisher House is by far a worthy choice.
“If you are going to get through this, it’s what you needed,” Reed Schultz said of the foundation.
Memorial service
A memorial service for Capt. Schultz will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Olympic Cellars Winery, 255410 U.S. Highway 101. The service will be open to the public.
About 300 people are expected to attend, Stokes said.
Capt. Schultz, a Green Beret, died May 29 in Wardak province in Afghanistan after an improvised explosive device hit his Humvee. He was 36.
Two other soldiers died in the attack.
The California Assembly paused Friday to honor Capt. Schultz, who grew up in Sacramento, Calif., and worked as an aide to former California Gov. Gray Davis.
Assembly Speaker John Perez, while addressing the Assembly, said Capt. Schultz was the “embodiment of an American soldier.”
“He was a man with a deep drive, a fierce intelligence and an absolute dedication to serving a cause greater than himself,” he said.
Four medals
Reed Schultz said her son, who will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, will be awarded four medals — the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge — and the Army Achievement Medal citation posthumously at the service.
He had received 10 other awards during his military career.
That started nearly a decade ago shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Reed Schultz said her son always wanted to join the military and even applied for West Point after graduating high school in Sacramento, Calif., in 1993.
But he put those plans on hold so he could first attend college.
Capt. Schultz graduated from the University of Oregon with bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics.
Afterward, he went into politics and became an aide to Davis.
Stokes described him as being on the “political fast track.”
Capt. Schultz also worked for the State Department as a liaison in Belize, his mother said.
After the terrorist attacks, he visited his mother, who had recently moved to Port Angeles.
“He told me that now was the time” to join the military, Reed Schultz said, “that he couldn’t wait any longer.”
She said her son always had a sense of duty and willingness to make a difference.
“He’s always been a proud, devoted citizen to the U.S.,” Reed Schultz said, “and believed what we stood for and also our responsibility to our brothers next door or somewhere else in the world.”
“I couldn’t be prouder,” she added.
Checks to the Fisher House can be sent to Fisher House Foundation Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850-5000.
Reed Schultz is requesting that the checks be made out to the Fisher House at Dover Air Force Base and in memory of her son.
Sympathy cards can be signed at Port Book and News for one last day today. The store is located at 104 E. First St. in downtown Port Angeles.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
