Army soldier struck by boat---(Pennsylvania)

CaptnKirk · 05-11-2006, 03:39 AM

Quote:

He was no stranger to risk-taking nor was he afraid to flirt with danger. But Beaver Falls native Joshua Paul Snyder made sure he put his family above all else.

Instead of immediately accepting a music scholarship to study at Duquesne University, the 1994 Beaver Falls High School honors graduate joined the military to support his wife and daughter.

Snyder stayed out of harm's way while training for combat and serving the Army around the world, most recently in Iraq.

But on Sunday afternoon, away from the threat of roadside bombs and scud missiles, tragedy cut Snyder's life short as he enjoyed a family outing at a lake outside Fort Hood, Texas. The 30-year-old husband and father of four died when, while riding a personal watercraft with a friend, he was struck by a boat.

Remy Bibaud of Pittsburgh called her cousin's death an irony of life.

"Needless to say, it was a shock, because we all prayed for his safety while he was at war, and we thought he had found some peace time," Bibaud said.

The Army captain had been posted around the United States, including Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort Rucker, Ala. His tours included Haiti, Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, southern Africa and the Caribbean.

Snyder was currently posted to Fort Hood with his wife, Margaret, and their children Ivy, 12, Tomas, 10, Nevan, 2, and Jana, 5 months. He was recently given command of the A Company, 15th MI Battalion of the 504th MI Brigade, III Corps, otherwise known as the Nighthawks, said his mother, Carolyn Snyder of Chippewa Township.

Snyder said her son had earned numerous honors, including a medal for good conduct, the NATO medal and the Bronze Star for his aviation services in Iraq. He was to return to Iraq next spring and was scheduled to take captain career courses, she said.

"He truly lived the code of 'Be all you can be.' He was a wonderful son, a wonderful father, he impressed people and had many friends," Snyder said.

Carolyn Snyder said her son did attend Duquesne later, and he graduated summa cum laude with a business degree and music minor in 2001.

Family members described him as a loyal Steelers fan, a humble, religious and active man, who had returned from Iraq on the Fourth of July after spending a year there.

Funeral services, which family members expect to be Monday, are being handled by Lutton Funeral Home.

Beaver County Times

orrey45 · 05-11-2006, 04:35 AM

Sorry to hear this about him and I wish his family nothing but good things in the wake of this accident but the article could have included the details of the accident

gj_fx1 · 05-11-2006, 07:55 AM

Here's another obituary.
The guy was from PA but the accident happened in TX (near Ft Hood it says)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06131/689154-122.stm

dcmomentum · 05-11-2006, 01:44 PM

Any bets that the guy whom hit him was some drunk redneck in a Ranger bass boat?

wetherby · 05-11-2006, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcmomentum

Any bets that the guy whom hit him was some drunk redneck in a Ranger bass boat?

We're not all rednecks.
And the description of the accident is a little vague on the details. It doesn't specify who was at fault.

I did a search for references to the accident, but couldn't find any more details than were given.

leon phelps · 05-11-2006, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetherby

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcmomentum

Any bets that the guy whom hit him was some drunk redneck in a Ranger bass boat?

We're not all rednecks.
And the description of the accident is a little vague on the details. It doesn't specify who was at fault.

I did a search for references to the accident, but couldn't find any more details than were given.

Slurs like redneck, the negro word, mick, wetback....all show the ignorace of the speaker. You really think all people who live on farms are stupid? I would trust my life with a redneck farmer before a city or suburbanite.

Now people spending their life savings to chase fish...these are truly a breed of their own..

Just my two cents.

dcmomentum · 05-11-2006, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetherby

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcmomentum

Any bets that the guy whom hit him was some drunk redneck in a Ranger bass boat?

We're not all rednecks.
And the description of the accident is a little vague on the details. It doesn't specify who was at fault.

I did a search for references to the accident, but couldn't find any more details than were given.

Never implied that. I took the facts given:

A: It was on a warm water lake.
B: The guy must have been moving pretty fast in the boat to both not see the guy on the ski, and have enough force to kill him.

I'd bet that alcohol is involved with the boater, too. What kind of picture does this paint to you? May or may not be what happened, it's just a theory (assuming the boater was at fault).

dcmomentum · 05-11-2006, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leon phelps

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetherby

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcmomentum

Any bets that the guy whom hit him was some drunk redneck in a Ranger bass boat?

We're not all rednecks.
And the description of the accident is a little vague on the details. It doesn't specify who was at fault.

I did a search for references to the accident, but couldn't find any more details than were given.

Slurs like redneck, the negro word, mick, wetback....all show the ignorace of the speaker. You really think all people who live on farms are stupid? I would trust my life with a redneck farmer before a city or suburbanite.

Now people spending their life savings to chase fish...these are truly a breed of their own..

Just my two cents.

Would you trust your life in Harlem with a redneck farmer? OK then. My comment is based upon the assumption that someone on a PWC was killed by an at fault boater. If the assumption is correct, and it was someone in a bass boat traveling at high speed unsafely (see my reasoning for the assumption above), then my comment would seem pretty accurate.

Regardless, it sucks that a veteran lost his life doing something fun and recretational.

dcmomentum · 05-11-2006, 09:20 PM

To clarify, rednecks aren't from a specific location in the US or anywhere. They are people acting in an ignorant manner. I've met/seen rednecks everywhere.

jetskiking · 05-12-2006, 01:03 PM

Just to clarify Rednecks are Farmers or anybody that works outside for a living. Where do you think the word came from. Duh. Being a redneck is not a bad thing. Im a redneck and proud of it!!! I love it when yuppies try to make rednecks look stupid and make themselves look stupid doing so.