FORT STEWART, Ga. -- Melinda Schneider, also known as the 'yellow bow lady', received the Marne Rock Star award for her commitment to the Soldiers of 3rd Infantry Division and all service members stationed at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield.
Melinda is a member of the Hinesville Military Affairs Committee, the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary and the Liberty County Homeless Coalition.
"When I married my husband, he was not only in the Army but he was also really involved in the community," said Melinda Schneider. "I tagged along with him to all of his community outreach meetings and ended up loving the energy of everyone I was working with."
One of Melinda Schneider's biggest ongoing projects she started with HMAC is creating big yellow bows for Soldiers leaving for deployment.
"There was a song that came out in the 1970s called, 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,' by Tony Orlando and Dawn," she said. "The song was about a man who went to prison and told his wife to tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree if she still want him when he gets off the bus. The Army later adopted the yellow ribbon concept for when Soldiers go off on deployment."
Melinda turned the yellow ribbon to a yellow bow with donated ribbon and has been at every Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield deployment ceremony since 2002.
"Melinda wanted to put a bow in front of the podium during a deployment ceremony and I told her 'No, you can forget that. Nothing goes between the general and his Soldiers'," said Paul Schneider, retired veteran and husband of Melinda Schneider. "The general at the time walked over, saw the bow and said, 'We need to put that on the podium'. If she wants something to happen, she makes it happen."
Along with creating vibrant bows for deploying Soldiers, Melinda Schneider is the secretary and coordinator of the Liberty County Homeless Coalition, which helps homeless people find temporary housing, food and clothing.
"There was a family whose house burnt down and we were able to provide temporary housing and uniforms for the kids to go to school in," said Melinda Schneider.
Melinda is the commander of the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary in Hinesville, Georgia. Her role is to inform veterans of benefits still available to them and listen to their requests.
"With the support from veterans and the city of Hinesville, HMAC was able to build a Veterans Memorial Walk at Bryant Commons Park," said Melinda Schneider. "Not only are those who served 3rd ID honored for their service at the memorial walk, it also has a playground and dog park for everyone to enjoy."
Jeffrey Ashmen, a military outreach coordinator from Savannah Technical College and a member of HMAC, said Melinda Schneider provided vendors and helped organize the opening ceremony for the memorial walk in November.
Melinda Schneider's contributions to the Marne community have been recognized by many and therefore has earned her the distinct title of Marne Rock Star.
"It came as a surprise that I received the award because I didn't know I was nominated," Melinda Schneider said. "Living in a military community, I had a feeling that I needed to give back. I love interacting with family readiness groups and helping them recognize their deployed Soldiers."
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