MAJOR ROBERT A. SNYDER, was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross in recognition of his extraordinary heroism while in action in the Republic of Vietnam. The then Captain Synder distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 18 August 1968 while serving as a battery commander at a fire support base camp near Nui Ba Den. Under cover of a barrage of rockets, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, an estimated North Vietnamese regiment attacked the camp. During the initial barrage, a tank twenty meters to the battery’s front received a direct hit from an enemy rocket-propelled grenade. Captain Synder immediately moved through the fusillade to aid the wounded crew members. Injured by fragments from an enemy rocket, Captain Synder refused medical attention as he evacuated the casualties out of the killing zone to safety. He then returned to his battery and moved from howitzer to howitzer, encouraging his men and pointing out targets. During the battle, he spotted North Vietnamese troops attempting to breach the perimeter. He again exposed himself to the murderous fire as he killed three of the hostile soldiers. The following morning Captain Synder led a squad in a sweep of the perimeter, capturing four of the aggressors. Captain Synder’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Major Snyder joined the Legion of Valor in 1977.