Bradley Snyder’s Biosketch

My grandfather was the tail gunner in a B-17 and fought in the Battle of Midway. After safely returning home from the war, he was critically injured when his aircraft crashed off the coast of New York. His nurse was a sweet, warm-hearted young Lieutenant Junior Grade Navy nurse from New Jersey who would end up being his wife, my grandmother. My other Grandfather made a career in the Navy as a Store Keeper on many of the ships in our great fleet, and after retiring fro the service dedicated himself to the building of future ships that would one day sail the ocean in defense of our great nation.

This is the blood that flows through my veins, so the idea of Naval service came naturally to me.

Throughout my childhood my father taught the importance of service, self-improvement, perseverance, dedication and respect. These lessons were echoed by the history and traditions of the service academies, and they seemed like a perfect fit for me. My fondest memories of the naval Academy revolved around my experiences and relationships associated with the swim team. My foundation as a leader was built upon the lessons I learned as the Captain during my senior year.

After graduation in the summer of 2006, I began an exciting new life as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal man. I got to train in austere locations such as Destin, FL, San Diego, CA, and Charleston, SC. During my six-year stint in the Navy EOD community I was part of two amazing platoons, and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. In the fall of 2011, while supporting combat operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan, I stepped on an improvised landmine. In the blast, I sustained injuries to my face, eventually resulting in the loss of my eyesight. Fortunately, however, I was otherwise free of long-term injury.

Since that time, I have been working as an intern at a small software company in Baltimore, MD called Red Owl Analytics. SOCOM’s Care Coalition and the COMMIT foundation, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding transitioning military members presented this opportunity to me. I also am a member of the US Paralympics Swimming team, and I am training hard in order to perform at my best at the London Paralympics Games late summer 2012.

It is an honor to participate in the Character Building Project. I think it is of great value to evaluate the components of our character, and how we might improve on aspects of our moral bearing. I look forward to the dialogue generated by the project.