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Exclusive Interview |
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Maj. Jennifer Schrantz, USMCR
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Having
just moments before been delivered of her first child, then Capt.
Jennifer Rutledge Schrantz turned her groggy mind toward her
husband. Their son Danny would soon be aboard a life-flight
helicopter headed on his way to a neonatal intensive care unit near
Greenville, North Carolina, from the surgery aboard Camp Lejeune where both mother and child had just squarely faced death down
via a traumatic birth. “Forty-three minutes?” she asked.
And there lay her bridge. On that day, nearly 10 years ago, now Maj.
Schrantz had just built the road between her past – that of a
fearless, heroic, sacrificing and extremely respected USMC
helicopter pilot – and her future, that of a fearless, heroic and
extremely respected wife, mother and primary caregiver to a severely
disabled child, USMCR helicopter pilot. Her husband described that heart wrenching
season: “It was a painful
decision, but not a difficult one, for her to decide to leave the
active duty ranks for the reserves.
“She
loved, and still loves, being a Marine.
But after all the training, the deployments to Afghanistan
and Iraq, and a year of resident schooling at the Expeditionary
Warfare School, nine years of service had passed.
“Although she knew she was going to give up the passion she had for
flying, the Marine Corps approved her request to transition to the
reserves where she would make Danny her priority and her “mission.”
He needed her and after nine years of her care and love he
has progressed farther than any of their doctors had ever
predicted.”
When the family minivan’s battery gave up
the ghost on the school run that autumn morning, Maj. Schrantz (Jen,
as she insisted she be called) “rolled to the backup,” as she put
it. She retrieved me from my hotel in a F250 with a V10 engine, a
heavy service pickup truck. A happy ride through narrow streets, as
your editor reminisced owning the exact fearsome work horse in the
mountains of Massachusetts years earlier. Jen explained it pulled
their horse trailer while also carrying wheelchairs and all the toys
and gear of Danny now nine, son Grayson who is eight, and daughter
Haley who is five. Although it was more than a year before
Danny was properly diagnosed with cerebral palsy, his doctors
suggested a surprising benefit to having siblings: they encourage
special needs children to grow and learn in ways parents, teachers
and caregivers cannot. Certainly, this has proved true in Danny’s
case. Maj. Schrantz shared how he competes with and observes his
brother and sister in their day to day growth, striving to do what
he would not be inclined to attempt without. Marine Corps officers with equestrian
hobbies? Hardly. This USMC marital team only find rest and
relaxation in the labor. Shimmer, their 10-year-old Haflinger pony, has a
primary purpose far departed from sport or pleasure riding. But more
on that momentarily. The first and repeated thing one notices
about the major is a youthful air. When she is 80, she will be the
one still referred to as, “youthful”; although even now she isn’t
quite half that age. She pads softly as she walks, she speaks in
quiet tones with a constant smile, she honors the generous genetics
she received with little or no makeup, and, like most pilots, she
carries very little extra weight. As the questions and answers passed, a
striking second feature became clear. Maj. Schrantz has no idea
whatsoever how extraordinary and unusual her now-daily efforts are.
She answers the call of need to her family members without
consideration or comparison to the norm.
Lost in medical jargon, your editor noted
Maj. Schrantz likely recognizes more about Danny’s circumstance than
many of the medical office staff where he is attended, not that she
would say so. After graduating from St. Cloud State
University in Minnesota in 1999 with a Bachelor’s in aviation
management, the Kilmarnock, Virginia native went to Officer
Candidate School the next summer. In her junior year, struggling
with private pilot lesson costs, a USMC recruiter promised,
“multimillion dollar flight training,” and she was in. She finished flight school in 2002, and in
2004 was deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
to Afghanistan.
Here is where Divine intervention demanded
Maj. Schrantz’ quiet heroism and undaunted courage be revealed. During our interview, she never revealed
specific missions, or acts of bravery. She only described the entire
deployment as challenging in all the best ways. “Cowboy land,” she said with a grin. Riding
the mountain passes with barely enough clearance on either side of
her twin-engine helo up, then sharply down into the desert plains,
“like riding a roller coaster.” When seeking witness to the impact USMC
helicopter capabilities brought to the early war there, unbeknownst
to the major, your editor reached out to CorpsStories Marine, LtCol.
Khan, now a friend and professional confidant. Long retired from
active duty but still providing security for Americans in other
ways, he immediately drew a memory. That memory – by strange
coincidence of a ferociously heroic pilot – was Maj. Schrantz at the
controls.
“Marine helicopter pilots were instrumental in the fight against Al
Qaeda and the Taliban during our 2004 operations in Afghanistan.
They provided close air support, logistics and intelligence to my
Marines on the ground.
And more importantly MEDEVAC for those Marines and Afghans wounded
in battle.
“We
called for a MEDEVAC - first CH 46 came in and was blinded by the
"brown out" and waved off.
“Right behind this aircraft the second CH 46 came into the cloud of
dust - and I was certain we were going to have more casualties as a
result of a helicopter accident - miraculously the helo landed and
then flew off with our casualties. “I
later found out that the second helo was piloted by a female Marine.
Maj. Schrantz was the pilot of the Ch-46 that made the
landing under incredibly difficult conditions. “From
then on the Afghans were literally in awe of our women Marines and
what they brought to the fight.
In so doing she and other women Marines played a vital role
to our success.”
Today, it is easy to imagine the
inspiration her current life skills are to those young military
parents in her world. Desperation, frustration and fear unchecked
can consume mothers and fathers of unwell children, especially if
one parent is deployed. They know few understand their plight. They
know each child’s care is unique, and no medical expert will be able
to guide them through all their specific challenges. Such is the critical importance of
extraordinary Marines like Maj. Schrantz. Sorting out her family’s
complex needs is nothing short of gallant. Maj. and LtCol. Schrantz appear to have
found a few tactics proving successful in keeping their family
thriving. First, where he deploys, LtCol. Schrantz takes his family.
Recently they returned from two years in Germany, where he served as
regional commander for the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group. As well, the Schrantz’ are active in the
Scouting community. The evening after our interview we reconvened at
an event including all five family members, and their Golden
Retriever service dog. Held at a local school, Maj. Schrantz spoke
at a Cub Scout pack meeting. An, “Aware and Care” event, she talked
about how Scouts can help their friends and peers with special
needs. Finally, these two volunteer a stunning
number of hours annually. The major alone has volunteered almost
2,000 hours of her time to youth soccer, the Cub Scouts, the church,
teaching bible studies, and other nonprofit organizations.
Shimmer was in fine form; a placid
temperament, yet clearly happy to see the major, she showed off a
trick or two, and enjoyed a bit of grooming while video rolled.
After searching for months for just the right horse for Danny’s
training, Shimmer had ridden home to Virginia from Pennsylvania
several years ago. Maj. Schrantz learned to give Danny
training on Shimmer herself. Since he was just 18 months old he has
received HBR exercise to develop his core, back and hip muscles.
Observing Maj. and LtCol. Schrantz together
was nothing less than a privilege. Certainly, there is some chaos to
their orderly teamwork. Still, they have a fit, a quiet joy at the
sight of one another. One realizes it is the labor where they
find gratitude and happiness between.
Editor’s note: Special thanks to Col. Robert Abblitt, USMC (Ret.)
LtCol. Asad Khan, USMC (Ret.) and Sgt. Scott Kittrell, USMC (Ret.)
for their invaluable contribution to this story. MB
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.JPG "2005 Al Assad Iraq, HMM-266 Admin Officer, my office")
“Probably
forty-four,” he answered. Then also Capt. Joe Schrantz, now LtCol.,
knew his bride was considering wind direction and speed in
calculation of the length of little Danny’s flight. .JPG "November 2016 with Shimmer, Alex. VA")
Most
Marine spouses with small children are not parents to one with
cerebral palsy, and other associated life-long illnesses, yet she
is. Even then, rarely are such parents able to summon the courage
and confidence to learn medical science and terms to have productive
conversations with their child’s specialists, but she has. To
overcome interruptions in care, rarely are such parents calm and
collected enough to calculate insurance coverages and gaps then
negotiate those obstacles effectively, but she does, our interview
revealed. 
The
battalion attached to that MEU, 1st
Battalion/6th Marine Division, was on the brink of
legend. Led by LtCol. Asad Khan, his nearly 1,000 Marines performed
a resoundingly successful mission, one used as boilerplate for
training and approach as the war in Afghanistan continued. 
“I
distinctly remember one dark night we had an Afghan militia vehicle
roll down a steep mountain embankment and suffered critical
casualties..JPG "November 2016, Alexandria VA, Cub Scout "Aware & Care"")
