The first Medal of Honor winner to be buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego will be interred Thursday morning, 94 years after his death.
The cremated remains of Sgt. Charles Schroeter were located in an unmarked crypt at Greenwood Memorial Park, and officials worked for 18 months to get federal approval for his burial at Miramar.
According to the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation, Schroeter was born in Germany in 1837, came to the United States in 1860 and fought in numerous Civil War battles. He earned his Medal of Honor years later during fighting against Apache Indians in the Battle of Rocky Mesa on Oct. 20, 1869, in southeastern Arizona. His citation only states “gallantry in action.”
Schroeter retired after three decades of military service, co-owned a candy and tobacco shop in Buffalo, New York, and came to San Diego in 1918, where he died three years later. He never married and had no survivors.
Research by the Congressional Medal of Honor Historical Society led to his remains, which were transferred to Miramar Wednesday.
