2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 105
Celebrating the life of Colonel John Snider, USAF, Ret.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2026
WHEREAS, Colonel John Snider, USAF, Ret., an honorable veteran and an active and beloved member of the Manassas community, died on June 28, 2024; and
WHEREAS, affectionately known by family and friends as “Duke,” John Snider earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1971 from Duke University, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the school's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps; and
WHEREAS, following his graduation, John Snider joined the United States Air Force and went on active duty at Craig Air Force Base in Alabama; and
WHEREAS, over his distinguished military career, John Snider served as a fighter pilot, achieving the rank of colonel and the rating of command pilot while flying various aircraft, including the RF-4C, F-111F, F-15C/E, and F-117; and
WHEREAS, John Snider mentored and led his fellow pilots and officers as an instructor at the United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School and as commander of the 48th Operations Support Squadron; and
WHEREAS, as commander of the 49th Operations Group, John Snider flew combat missions in a F-117 during Operation Allied Force; he later concluded his 30 years of service as the inspector general for United States Air Forces in Europe's headquarters at Ramstein Air Base in Germany; and