KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaJune 23, 2010 - Joy Snyder

June 23, 2010 - Joy Snyder

June 23, 2010 – Joy Snyder 

By John Bridges - bio | email 

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - Welsh native Joy Snyder still remembers her interesting job in the U.S. Marine Corps back in the days of the Korean War.  Yes, Snyder was a Marine. Make that still a Marine and had the rank of corporal. 

"I think people were scared," said Snyder.  "They had just gotten over not too long ago World War Two and now this was going on.  So it was kind of scary."

 "I had all my uncles in the service and I always wanted to be in the service, so I went.  They swore me in on my 19th birthday:  July 21, 1951 in New Orleans." 

After being rushed through a six week boot camp, Snyder wound up in a Cherry Point, North Carolina Marine Base.  Her job:  carrying around top-secret information in a brief case to offices on the base.  She packed a 45 caliber pistol.

"If anyone tried to take a briefcase away from me, I was supposed to shoot them or else I was going to go to prison."  

She said she never lost one. 

"Some smart guy thought he was going to be smart and he said, "What would happen if I tried to take that briefcase?"   I said, "Why don't you try and see?"  He didn't." 

Joy Snyder, this week's KPLC Billy Navarre Hometown Patriot.

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