Editing Charles M. Schulz (section)

==Military service and post-war positions==
[[File:United States Army Portrait of Staff Sergeant Charles M. Schulz.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|United States Army portrait of Sergeant Schulz, {{circa|1943}}]]
In February 1943, Schulz's mother Dena died after a long illness. At the time of her death, he had only recently been made aware that she suffered from [[cancer]]. Schulz had by all accounts been very close to his mother and her death had a significant effect on him.<ref>{{cite web|title=PBS Special: Good Ol' Charles Schulz|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/charles-schulz/good-ol-charles-schulz/86/|publisher=PBS American Masters|access-date=October 29, 2007|date=October 29, 2007}}</ref>

Around the same time, Schulz was [[Conscription|drafted]] into the [[United States Army]]. He served as a staff sergeant with the [[20th Armored Division (United States)|20th Armored Division]] in Europe during [[World War II]], as a squad leader on a [[M2 Browning|.50 caliber machine gun team]]. His unit saw combat only at the very end of the war. Schulz said he had only one opportunity to fire his machine gun but forgot to load it, and that the German soldier he could have fired at willingly surrendered. Years later, Schulz proudly spoke of his wartime service.<ref name="mich3">{{harvnb|Michaelis|2007|pp=150–151}}</ref>  For being under fire he did receive the [[Combat Infantry Badge]], of which he was very proud.<ref>[https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/peanuts-creator-charles-schulz-s-experiences-in-wwii-shaped-the-character-of-charlie-brown-1.656415 ‘Peanuts’ creator Charles Schulz's experiences in WWII shaped the character of Charlie Brown]</ref>

In late 1945, Schulz returned to Minnesota, where he did lettering for a Roman Catholic comic magazine, ''Timeless Topix.''   Before he was drafted, Schulz had taken a [[Distance education|correspondence course]] from the school [[Art Instruction Schools|Art Instruction, Inc.]],{{sfn|Inge|2000|p=54}} and in July 1946 took a job at the school, where he reviewed and graded students' work.<ref name=Michaelis/>{{rp|164}} He worked at the school for several years as he developed his career as a comic creator.{{sfn|Inge|2000|p=55}}