2/6, Company E remembers fallen comrade
2nd Marine Division
Story by Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Zahn

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Dec 12, 2005) -- “America has lost a brave and honorable patriot. The Corps has lost a sound Marine. Company E, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines has lost an irreplaceable infantry leader. The Snyder family has lost more than any friend or comrade will ever know.

“I have lost a friend that has come to seem more like a brother,” said Cpl. Timothy W. Doak during a memorial service for Cpl. Joshua D. Snyder.

Cpl. Snyder a 20-year-old, Hampstead, Md., native was killed in action Nov. 30, 2005 by anti-coalition forces while deployed with Company E. Eleven days later his fellow Marines gathered to pay respects and celebrate his life.

“Corporal Snyder was an exceptional Marine, whose abilities were obvious whenever he was around,” said Capt. David W. Pinion, company commander for Company E. “He always did what all good non-commissioned officers do; he enforced discipline, maintained accountability, and ensured his Marines were always informed. Looking out for the welfare of his Marines came naturally to him.

“By honoring him in this way, he is still here, leading from the front.”

Snyder best proved his leadership capabilities by staying with the battalion for their deployment to Iraq.

“Upon our return from Afghanistan, Josh was supposed to go to MSG (Marine Security Guard Duty). One can think of many reasons why he did not go,” said Cpl. Phillip A. Oswald. “Maybe because he would have had to extend, or he would have spent a year at a foreign duty station far from home.

“But neither one of these reasons was why he chose to stay in the company. The real reason is because he could not let his friends go to war without him. He could not risk that one of us standing here might possibly get hurt without him right there alongside us.

“This dedication to his fellow Marines, his comrades, and his friends is why he decided to stay. In my mind, there is no greater virtue a man can possess,” Oswald explained.

Snyder’s mother, Doris C. Snyder, left an impression on the Marines that he considered to be his family.

“His mother is the type of person that will adopt her son’s friends and treat them like her own kids,” said Navy Lt. Timothy R. Hall, the battalion chaplain.

“One of the many great times I was able to spend with him was when I took him and his mother to Applebee’s for his birthday,” said Cpl. Jason A. Gagliano. “We sat down and I got to know his mother really well. She was very kind and sweet, very up spirited and proud of her son, which told me that he was brought up in the perfect family atmosphere, which in turn made him the person he was. I got to know her so well that I started to call her mom, which she accepted with open arms.”

Snyder’s memory will live on through the memories of his family and friends.

“He is a true American hero, who has joined the ranks of many who have gone before him, fighting for an honorable cause in a land far from home,” said Pinion.

“Josh brought so much laughter and electricity into everyone’s lives who knew him and cared about him,” said Doak. “So now friends, comrades and family, let’s all thank the good Lord for the times we shared with him. A piece of my soul died when myself, three other Marines and a Navy corpsman carried him off the streets of Fallujah. Losing Josh may haunt my dreams and thoughts for the rest of my life, but his good nature and the great times we had together will live on in my heart forever and ever.”

Ellie

Rest In peace