BY ELI WITEK
Twenty-four-year-old Cameron Schoppert has always had leadership qualities, father Daniel Schoppert, also a DeLand Hometown Hero, said.
“He’s made rank really fast, which I am really grateful for. He’s passed me,” Daniel Schoppert told The Beacon. “He’s a staff sergeant. This amount of years, five years now? Six years. That’s pretty dadgum quick.”
Cameron Schoppert is currently based in Okinawa, at the Kadena Air Base in Japan.
“He basically teaches and inspects now,” his father said. “He started off as a know-nothing kid and grew up into being a leader. And he got even better at it, and they recognized his achievements. And he’s gotten many awards and won competitions.”
Cameron’s always been drawn to aviation, his father said.
“He wanted jets back when he was a kid — he always wanted to be a pilot,” Daniel Schoppert said. “He played football in Pierson, and he’s always had that leadership quality, so I told him ‘Just go for it — you’ve got a good chance.’”
There are some things Daniel Schoppert couldn’t reveal about his son’s service, but one thing was clear.
“I am very proud of him. I am super-proud, you don’t know. I couldn’t tell you the achievements that he’s accomplished, the awards that he’s gotten. Yeah. You can see the medals on his chest and pretty much tell that he’s done well,” Schoppert told The Beacon.
Daniel Schoppert, who is also a Hometown Hero, was reminded that in his own interview, he didn’t consider himself a hero.
“He’s the same way as I am in that department. He’s not there for the glory. He’s just there for the experience. And now, it’s a job,” Daniel Schoppert laughed.
