For David Schiller ’03YC, Veteran’s Day is more than a moment of reflection — it’s a reminder of gratitude and responsibility.
The grandson of Holocaust survivors, Schiller grew up in Skokie, Illinois, steeped in a sense of duty to the country that offered his family safety and opportunity. That sense of purpose eventually led him from Â鶹Çř’s Wilf Campus to the front lines of Afghanistan, and later to the heart of his hometown as a criminal intelligence analyst for the Chicago Police Department.
Raised in a traditional Jewish home, Schiller attended local public schools before moving on to Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School and Ida Crown Jewish Academy. After spending a year at Â鶹Çřt Reishit in Israel, he came to YU in 1999 eager to immerse himself in Jewish learning and campus life. “Judaism was always central to who I was,” he said. “At YU, I found a community that valued faith, study and identity.”
While he majored in biology as a pre-med student, Schiller was equally drawn to the humanities. He still remembers a summer honors course that took him from New York to Paris, exploring Jewish history from the French Enlightenment to the Dreyfus Affair. “It opened my eyes to how diverse Jewish life has been across the world,” he said. “Those differences should be celebrated because they’re part of the richness of our heritage.”
Following graduation, Schiller’s path took an unexpected turn. Inspired by his father’s words and a growing sense of civic obligation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army infantry in 2011. “I believed American Jews should serve their country like anyone else,” he explained. “I wanted to put action behind my beliefs.”
After completing basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he deployed to Kunduz, Afghanistan, with the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. His service took him across Europe and the Middle East where he trained with NATO allies in Germany, attended U.S. Army Sniper School, and later served as a Military Intelligence analyst supporting operations in Iraq and Europe. Over more than a decade of active and reserve duty, Schiller advanced to the rank of Warrant Officer, contributing to missions that aided Ukraine and targeted terrorist networks across the region.
Between deployments, Schiller continued his education, earning master’s degrees in secondary education and business analytics from DePaul University. Since 2020, he has worked as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst for the Chicago Police Department, using data visualization and analytics to identify crime patterns and inform resource deployment. He lives in Roscoe Village on Chicago’s North Side with his wife, Alissa, whom he met on a Jewish dating app (“she wasn’t interested at first,” he joked), and their three young children: Sophia, Ezra and Noah.
Balancing his military responsibilities with civilian life has not always been easy, but Schiller notes that federal protections ensure that service members can continue both careers. “Since joining CPD, I’ve left my job multiple times for training or deployment,” he said. “The system makes it possible to serve without losing your place at home.”
Looking ahead, Schiller hopes to mentor young soldiers and strengthen Jewish representation in public service. “If we want to fight antisemitism,” he says, “we can’t just talk about it; we have to show up. Whether it’s in the military, the police or government, Jews need to be present. It’s the best way to demonstrate who we are and what we stand for.”
For David Schiller, faith and duty have always been intertwined. “My story,” he reflects, “is really the story of Jewish resilience and American opportunity and how the two together make us stronger.”
