B-17 Pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces, 8th Air Force, 306th Bombardment Group, 369th 'Fitin Bitin' Squadron. Shot down on February 8, 1944 over Belgium. Missing in Action for 7 months. Evaded capture with the aid of the Belgium Underground for 4 months and spent 3 months with a unit of the French Resistance (Maquis) sabotaging German convoys. Liberated in Trelon, France by U.S. Troops on September 2, 1944.

His full story is depicted in the book SHOT DOWN: The True Story of Pilot Howard Snyder and the Crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth by Steve Snyder ( http://bit.ly/ShotDownBook )