At first, Navy veteran Gary Schacher could not believe the words coming out of the mouth of the voice on the other side of the video screen.
Schacher, chatting with representatives from The American Legion and USAA, thought he was being called to analyze the Army-Navy football game, when he discovered he was going to an even bigger contest – Super Bowl LX.
“We began talking about the Army-Navy game, and the person from USAA said, ‘Well, you know, the Army-Navy game is like the Super Bowl in college,’ and then he said, ‘Oh, and by the way, you’re going to the Super Bowl,’ and it didn’t register,” Schacher said in an interview with Utah’s Deseret News.
Initially, the message didn’t register.
“It took a few more minutes of them to say it again and again that I was selected to go on a trip to the Super Bowl,” Schacher said.
Once the words finally sank in, Schacher said he was shocked and humbled to receive such an honor, one of only seven veterans in the country selected by USAA to go to the Super Bowl. Schacher attended Sunday’s game, watching the Seattle Seahawks dismantle the New England Patriots 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Schacher spent 26 years in the Navy and the Navy Reserves.
“I had numerous friends volunteer to go with me, carry my bags. I told them they’d have to deal with my wife (Laurie) on that. She was coming with me,” he said.
Who to thank for such a rare opportunity? Schacher, from Cobbleskill, New York, was selected to attend the game by USAA, The American Legion and Jaxson Dart, quarterback of the New York Giants.
QB Pitches into Help
The process of getting Schacher to the Super Bowl started with a nomination from The American Legion, which teams up with USAA, an official sponsor of the NFL. Through that partnership, an NFL player with ties to the military is selected to help send a veteran to the Super Bowl.
Dart, a Utah native with veteran family members, along with USAA and The American Legion, announced on Jan. 29 that the Navy veteran would attend the big game.
Dart has only played one season for the Giants, but has already felt the pride and passion of Big Blue Nation. He told the Deseret News that he appreciates the dedicated fans who “show up for us every single day.”
“To show my appreciation, I’m grateful to work with USAA and The American Legion to recognize a deserving military veteran and NFL fan, GMC Gary Schacher, with a trip to the Super Bowl!” Dart said in a statement. “Coming from a military family myself, it’s important for me to honor those who served because we wouldn’t have the chance to do what we love on Sundays without the sacrifices made by heroes like Gary.”
Seated in the Salute to Service Lounge at Sunday’s game, Schacher got to meet Dart and several other NFL players, which he was especially looking forward to. Technically a New York Jets fan, Schacher said he’ll pull for the Giants when they’re not battling the Jets.
Schacher believes Dart, who had spurts of success in a rough 4-13 season with the Giants, is the “up-and-coming star of the NFL.”
Quick Choice Alters Life
One day in 1980, 19-year-old Schacher made a “spur of the moment” decision that would change his life.
A friend, who had a father serving in the Army, was heading to the recruiter’s office and wanted to see if Schacher would tag along. He did, and Schacher was so impressed with a Navy recruiter’s enlistment pitch that he decided to sign up. One month later, Schacher and his friend were in boot camp.
Schacher’s whimsical decision forged a 26-year career in the Navy. After serving on a ship near Mayport, Florida, Schacher logged time as a reservist with a Weapons Station Unit, along with a Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit. In 1990, he became a Navy Seabee.
Being in the Navy, Schacher got to travel throughout the globe, from New Jersey to Iraq. Returning to active duty in 2003, he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2006, Schacher left the Navy as a chief petty officer.
Schacher earned several accolades in the service, including four Navy Commendation Medals, three Achievement Medals, the Expert Pistol Medal, and the Expert Rifle Medal. In addition, he earned the New York Conspicuous Service Star, the New York Medal for Merit, and, in 2017, induction into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame.
A Story of Service and Football
Schacher’s dedication to service didn’t end after he left the military. He’s been involved in numerous organizations, such as helping to form the Leatherstocking Honor Flight, an organization that helps World War II veterans travel to the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In addition, the Navy veteran co-founded the Patriot Highlander Challenge obstacle course to raise funds for wounded veteran programs in New York. In his work with The American Legion, Schacher became the first Iraq War veteran to be named commander of The American Legion Department of New York in 2018.
No matter where he was, perhaps on a ship halfway around the world, football was always pivotal in Schacher’s life.
“(It’s) just a great sport,” he said.
He said the level of camaraderie in football compares to life in the service.
“Because you’re so involved with your team, whether it’s military or athletics, the camaraderie is just unbelievable,” Schacher said, “and it’s part of why I joined The American Legion after I got out of the military was to keep that camaraderie.”
In 2005, when the Patriots knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, Schacher was deployed to Iraq. While he was unable to watch the game, he does recall a concrete wall painted to honor the Super Bowl, a small slice of home from thousands of miles away.
Twenty-one years later, no TV was necessary – he was there in-person.
“I’m so extremely humbled to be chosen for this opportunity by both USAA and The American Legion and Jaxson Dart for making that press release inviting my wife and I,” Schacher said. “It’ll be a memory that will never be forgotten.”
While neither the Jets nor the Giants were competing in Sunday’s game, Schacher’s rooting interests were still quite clear.
“New England always destroys the Jets, so it’s hard for me to root for New England,” he said. “So, I’m going to have to go with the Seattle Seahawks.”
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