Captain Jonathan Snyder

Captain Jonathan (Jon) Sutherland Snyder was killed in action in Afghanistan on 7 June 2008. Captain Snyder was born on 20 December 1981 in Penticton, British Columbia. He enrolled in the Canadian Forces in September 2001.

He graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2003 and was posted to the First Battalion on completion of his Basic Infantry Officer training in August 2003.

Captain Snyder was an exemplary junior officer who was an exceptional leader. He will be remembered as a soldier’s soldier who always led from the front, regardless of the risks or hazards involved. Captain Snyder's compassion and care for his soldiers - whether they were Canadian or Afghan - endeared him to all who worked with him.

He was serving as a mentor with the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team and was conducting combined operations with a platoon from the Afghan National Army when he accidently fell into a karez (irrigation well) and drowned in Zharey District, Kandahar.

He was awarded the Star of Military Valour posthumously for his courage under fire. This was his second tour in Afghanistan in the past two years. Captain Snyder will be sorely missed by his fiancée Megan, his parents David and Anne and his brother Adam.