State Senate OKs promotion of National Guardsman from Pike County

HARRISBURG — The state Senate recently unanimously approved the promotion of Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Brigadier Gen. Andrew Schafer to the rank of major general.
Speaking at his confirmation hearing on June 6 as the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee considered his nomination for promotion, Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, introduced Schafer. A 20th District resident who resides in Delaware Township, Pike County, Schafer serves as commander, headquarters, for the 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He has served in the ROTC and National Guard since 1983 and twice was deployed overseas, once in Germany and another time to Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In Iraq, he served as deputy commander, headquarters, for the 56th Brigade.
In remarks to the committee, Baker noted that “Five years ago, almost to the day, I had the privilege of introducing then-Col. Andrew Schafer, who was being promoted to brigadier general. His career is continuing its upward trajectory, for he is now recommended for promotion to major general. Looking at his service record and resume, we find an admirable commitment to our commonwealth and country. He is well-educated, well-trained and well-regarded.”
Schafer, who earned a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College in Carlisle, has received more than a dozen medals and ribbons including a Bronze Star, an Army Commendation Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters and a National Defense Service medal with one Bronze Star.