Chief Master Sgt. Mark D. Snyder serves as the Wing Command Chief, 167th Airlift Wing, Shepherd Field, Martinsburg, West Virginia. He is the principal advisor to the commander and his senior staff on matters of health, welfare and morale, professional development, and the effective utilization of more than 900 enlisted personnel assigned to the wing. He is also the functional manager of the First Sergeant Program, administering the program for the Wing Commander. He maintains close relationships with commanders, Chief Master Sergeants, First Sergeants, the Airman and Family Programs Coordinator and other senior leaders to advise them on the care of Airmen and their families.
Chief Snyder entered the 167th Airlift Wing in July 1990 where he served as an Aerial Port Loadmaster and Rigger/Joint Airdrop Inspector. In 1992 he transferred to the Airlift Squadron. He joined the fulltime force in 1996. He has served as the Loadmaster Section Training Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC), Scheduler, Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Assistant NCOIC, Loadmaster Section Superintendent, and the 167th Operations Group Senior Enlisted Leader.
During his career, the chief has deployed in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD, CORONET OAK, JOINT FORGE, JOINT ENDEAVOR, PROVIDE PROMISE, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, INHERENT RESOLVE, ENDURING SENTINEL and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. He also deployed to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica. He performed the first ever C-5 Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA). Chief Snyder has amassed 9,000 safe flying hours aboard the C-130 E/H, C-5A/B, and C-17A aircraft. He has 928 combat flight hours and 354 combat support flight hours.
EDUCATION
1990 Basic Loadmaster Course, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
1990 C-130 Loadmaster Initial and Mission Qualification Course, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
1991 Combat Survival School, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
1995 Joint Airdrop Inspection School, Martinsburg Air National Guard Base, W.Va.
1996 Loadmaster Instructor Course, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
2004 Loadmaster Evaluator Course, Martinsburg, ANGB, W.Va.
2005 C-5 Loadmaster Initial Qualification Course, Altus AFB, Okla.
2013 Bachelor of Arts, Marshall University, W.Va.
2014 C-5 Line Operations Safety Auditor Training, The LOSA Collaborative, Austin, Texas
2014 C-17 Loadmaster Initial Qualification course, Altus AFB, Okla.
2016 Associate degree, Aviation Operations, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 C-17 Line Operations Safety Auditor Training, Synensis, Peach Tree, Ga.
2020 C-17 Line Operations Safety Auditor Training, Synensis, Peach Tree, Ga.
2021 Senior Joint PME II (SJMPE II), by correspondence
2022 Chief Master Sergeant Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Camp Springs, Md.
ASSIGNMENTS
- July 1990 – January 1992, Mission Ready Loadmaster, 167th Aerial Port Squadron, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va.
- February 1992 – March 1992, Mission Ready Loadmaster, 109th AW, Schenectady, N.Y.
- April 1992 – August 1996, Mission Ready Loadmaster/Rigger, 167th Airlift Squadron, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va.
- August 1996 – May 2004, Instructor Loadmaster, 167th Airlift Squadron, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va. (August 1996 – September 1996, Mission Ready Loadmaster 4404th Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia) (August 2002 – July 2002, Instructor Loadmaster, 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, Doha, Qatar) (September 2003 – October 2003, Instructor Loadmaster, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
- June 2004 – September 2006, Assistant Flight Chief, 167th Operations Group, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va.
- September 2006 – November 2006, Evaluator Loadmaster, 167th OG, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va.
- December 2006 – November 2016, Chief of Standards and Evaluation, 167th OG, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va. (January 2014 – March 2014, Line Operations Safety Auditor, AMC Safety/The LOSA Collaborative, Scott AFB, Ill.)
- December 2016 – June 2019, Assistant NCOIC Loadmaster Section, 167th AS, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va. (January 2018 – July 2019, Line Operations Safety Auditor, AMC Safety/Synensis, Scott AFB, Ill.)
- July 2019 – December 2022, Chief Loadmaster/167 AS Senior Enlisted Leader, 167th AS, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va. (January 2020 – March 2020, Line Operations Safety Auditor, AMC Safety/Synensis, Scott AFB, Ill.)
- December 2022 – August 2023, OG Senior Enlisted Leader, 167th OG, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va.
- September 2023 – Present, Wing Command Chief, 167th Airlift Wing, EWVRA, Shepherd Field, W.Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and two oak leaf clusters
Antarctica Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two service stars
NATO Medal
STATE AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
West Virginia Distinguished Unit Award with device
West Virginia Service Ribbon with two devices
West Virginia Emergency Service Ribbon with two devices
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS/VOLUNTEERISM
Enlisted Association of the National Guard of West Virginia
American Legion
Mentor for STEM after-school program
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic July 7, 1990
Airman March 29, 1991
Airman First Class Jan. 17, 1992
Senior Airman Oct. 9, 1992
Staff Sergeant Nov. 4, 1994
Technical Sergeant July 20, 1996
Master Sergeant April 28, 2002
Senior Master Sergeant Feb. 8, 2008
Chief Master Sergeant April 13, 2020