Glenn Louis Snyder – Captain, United States Coast Guard

A Life Well-Lived:

Captain Glenn L. Snyder, USCG, 46 of Chesapeake, Virginia, passed away on September 20, 1999. Funeral services were held on October 6, 1999 with Full Military Honors.

Glenn Louis Synder was born to Louis and Florence Synder on March 10, 1953, in Plainfield, New Jersey. He was the oldest brother of Louis, Drew, and David. His father worked for the Lockheed Corporation and consequently, Glenn had the opportunity to live in a variety of states, as well as in the nation of Brazil.

Glenn graduated from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia, outside of Atlanta in 1971. Glenn ran long distance on the high school track team. After graduating from high school, Glenn attended the United States Coast Guard Academy. While at the Academy he was recognized as a well-known and highly-esteemed member of the track team and as a class leader with his trademark signature for relentless optimism. Glenn was graduated from the Coast Guard Academy and was commissioned as an Ensign on June 4, 1975.

Glenn served as a commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard from June 1975 until his death, and had a distinguished career of selfless service to America in near and distant waters where the Nation’s business at sea needed to be performed.

He served first as a deck watch officer in USCGC VIGILANT, out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. In recognition of his performance and potential, he next served as the commanding officer of the 95-foot patrol boat – the USCGC CAPE GEORGE, homeported in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. From there he went to Vessel Traffic Service, Houston, Texas. After another top performing tour of duty in Texas, he was again selected for command and was assigned as the commanding officer of a 140-foot icebreaking cutter – the USCGC BISCAYNE BAY, located in St. Ignace, Michigan.

After more than eight years of operational duty Glenn finally had his first staff assignment when he next became the Assistant Chief of Personnel for the Commander 9th Coast Guard District in Cleveland, Ohio. This staff duty was followed by early assignment to the prestigious U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island where Glenn received a Master of Arts in National Security Studies. Going back to sea, after graduation from the War College, he next served as the Executive Officer of USCGC CAMPBELL, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This demanding assignment was followed by Joint Duty on the staff of Joint Interagency Task Force-West located in Alameda, California – a command responsible for conducting DOD counter-drug operations throughout the entire Pacific Ocean region.

Next came a third command tour when Glenn was assigned as commanding officer of the 270 foot medium endurance cutter USCGC LEGARE, operating from Portsmouth, Virginia. After this command he served as the Deputy of the Atlantic Major Cutter Force for the Commander Atlantic Area on Governor’s Island, New York. After this duty and again in recognition of his superb performance and potential, Glenn attended the State Department’s internationally acclaimed Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC. And finally, Glenn served as the direct representative for the Assistant Commandant for Human Resources to the Service’s critically important Deepwater Project that will replace all major Coast Guard cutters and aircraft in the 21st Century. Glenn played a key and vital role with responsibilities for all personnel and training requirements for these future forces.

He is survived by his wife Mary and their daughter Kathleen, both of Chesapeake, Virginia.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard