Desert Rat Testament, Episode 30

Host Mark Schauer talks with Wayne Schilders, who grew up in Arkansas and enlisted in the National Guard during his junior year in high school. Joining the regular Army after graduation, Schilders trained in field artillery at Fort Sill and spent a year at Camp Stanley, South Korea before arriving at Yuma Proving Ground in 1982 at age 19. He was both Soldier of the Year and NCO of the Year while stationed here, then returned as a civilian employee at the conclusion of his second Army enlistment. An inductee into both the Honorable and Ancient Orders of St. Barabara that honor exceptional service in artillery, he retired as YPG's Armament Branch Chief in 2025.