In June 2006, he was deployed to Fort Dix, NJ until September, when he was sent to a base in the Diyala Province in Iraq.  As the leader of Base medical operations, he oversaw all medical decisions for several clinics and ambulance teams which treated both Iraqis and Americans for combat-derived injuries and everyday ills.
“I think a lot of the leadership skills we learned in the Eastern University program helped me in Iraq,” Schnaubelt said.  “It was a huge leadership challenge to run the program.  We were on our own, so we had to take our knowledge and put it to use.”
Schnaubelt’s education and leadership skills earned him the Unites States Military's Bronze Star.  Without supervision, he successfully set up an advanced emergency room with technically enhanced trauma capabilities at the clinic. Although Schnaubelt was deployed after only completing one-third of the RN to BSN program, Schnaubelt attributes a lot of his success to the experience he received as a student at Eastern.  “In Iraq, nothing was regulated or set, and I’m thankful that I had that leadership experience from Eastern which helped me in the battlefield. The things I have experienced are aspects of my life that I will bring back with me to help me finish my education.”
Eastern University is proud of his loyal and dedicated service and warmly welcomes him back to our community.