T-R PHOTO BY CHUCK FRIEND CW4 Ron Snyder of Marshalltown is pictured with many of his awards received during and after his retirement from serving as a helicopter pilot for 40 years in the U.S. Army and Iowa National Guard. The small model plane on the desk at right is the type of fixed wing plane he also flew during his time of service.

Editor’s note: This is the latest in an ongoing series of articles profiling those who have ever served in the U.S. military, be it overseas or stateside. Every Thursday, a new profile will be published in the T-R.

CW4 Ron Snyder of Marshalltown credits his 40 years in military aviation as defining what and who he is today. He feels fortunate to have been able to attend flight school and then complete his 40 years in the U.S. Army and Iowa Army National Guard. These 40 years included 37 years as a Warrant Officer in aviation, retiring in 2009 as the last Vietnam-era helicopter pilot to retire from the Iowa National Guard.

“My career in the military is defining what I am today,” Snyder said. “Every time I hear a helicopter go over I think of the 40 years that I spent as pilot.” He continues that military trait of serving by giving 30 years to the Marshalltown Fire Department.

Snyder took basic training at Fort Polk, La., and primary flight school at Fort Walters, Texas. He finished that schooling at Fort Rucker, Ala., and became a Warrant Officer 1.

From February 1971 until January 1972, Snyder spent 1,000 combat hours in Vietnam with the 71st Assault Helicopter Division. He was shot down once at Caisson but was not injured, although his crew chief and gunner were seriously injured, because the enemy knew just where to shoot. He said the helicopter ran long enough for him to be able to fly to safety and land.

“When a person is in a combat zone everything about him or her speeds up,” Snyder said. “Your entire system works at the maximum and adrenaline is the most powerful drug a person can have.”

Joining the Iowa National Guard in 1972, Snyder served with the 34th Brigade, based out of Boone. He served as an instructor for pilots, training them on things such as night vision goggles, and low level flights.

In 1987, Snyder was sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he served as a pilot for MEDIVAC flights – basically life flight missions. He also became an instructor for many Life Flight pilots. In 1989, his unit from Boone was one of the first MEDIVAC units to respond to the crash of Flight 232 at the Sioux City airport.

“While there we also helped locate parts of the aircraft using infrared cameras throughout the northwest corner of Iowa,” Snyder said.

Returning to active duty in 1991, Snyder spent a year as a MEDIVAC pilot during Operation Desert Storm. He never went abroad, but was rather stationed as an operations officer at Fort Hood, Texas. Coming back to Iowa, he completed a fixed wing aircraft course in 1998, before being called to go to Kuwait in 2002 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. There he flew missions out of Kuwait City in support of the supporting general’s staff in the Middle East.

Later he volunteered for a nine-month tour of duty during Operation Enduring Freedom, and flew out of Wiesbaden, Germany in support of countries like Kosovo.

“I feel fortunate that in my 40 years of military service I served in three combat zones and also provided stateside security for very good people including Pope John Paul II, several presidents, governors, senators and even Gen. (David) Petraeus,” Snyder said.

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Do you know a military veteran who should be profiled? Send your suggestions to Editor Jeff Hutton at: jhutton@timesrepublican.com or contact American Legion Post 46 Commander Randy Kessler at: iapost46commander@gmail.com