"PB" Snyder was born in Vernon, Texas in June 1927. His father was an independent drilling contractor and moved the family around Texas's oil patch in the early years of Snyder's life before settling in the suburbs south of San Antonio [Annotator's Note: San Antonio, Texas]. He attended school in the public school district throughout his education. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], he remarked that his family lived well because they lived in the country. He had chickens and vegetable garden. He says after Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] he and his family became very conscious of his eventual involvement in the war. When the war began, both Snyder's mother and father volunteered their time to civil defense - his mother as a neighborhood air raid warden and his father as a sector warden. Almost immediately, everyone was obligated to ration. Depending on your job, you received coupons for various goods. If you did not have an essential job, you were rationed pretty seriously. He was only 14 years old and a freshman in high school when the war started. He and his friends would go around the neighborhood with a wagon, gathering up scrap iron, and scrap rubber. Snyder was aware of the hostile tensions in Europe and knew America was supplying war materials to England. He was at home when he first heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and immediately knew they would be involved in war. People were very patriotic because America was fighting two wars. His older brother volunteered for the Army Air Corps and became an aerial gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber], and later an instructor. Snyder was very interested in the Navy and various ships. They learned about the progress of the war through radio news updates. America was getting their tail whipped [Annotator's Note: slang for losing the fight] early in the war. School buses ran until they ran out of tires and gas, so families began to carpool, or kids just walked to school.

[Annotator's Note: Snyder pauses the interview several times and repeats statements frequently in this segment.] In March 1945, "PB" Snyder, just 17 at the time and with his parent's permission, volunteered for the Navy because he was eager to join the fight. On the home front everyone was patriotic and supportive of the war efforts. He wanted to join the Navy because it was involved in both theaters of World War 2 and his older brother was already serving in the Army Air Corps. As America was making great progress, he became eligible to serve in the Navy. With several of his school friends, he was sent to basic training.

[Annotator's Note: Interviewee pauses the interview several times, struggles to remember events, and repeats statements frequently in this segment.] After completing his Pacific training, "PB" Snyder was assigned to a ship as a radarman. Snyder is relieved that he has written down his story because he struggles to remember some important events. [Annotator's Note: Interviewer becomes concerned for Snyder and pauses the video at 0:37:56.000]. Snyder joined the Navy in March 1945. He had no desire to join the Army or be in hand-to-hand combat. He did not want to sleep in a dirt hole at night either. At 17, and receiving his parent's permission, he enlisted in the Navy with some of his high school friends. Upon initiation, they were sent immediately to the Naval Training Station in San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] for training. They were in blackout conditions at night. When his train arrived at the station, he was given uniforms, blanket, and other equipment. He sent his civilian clothing home. He received all his vaccinations and physicals. He was then assigned to his quarters and began training. For six weeks his training consisted of different exercises. His group was then sent to Camp Shoemaker [Annotator's Note: in Dublin, California] to wait in receiving barracks until he was assigned to USS Arenac (APA-128) as a radarman. He worked in the communication and navigation division. He began as a trainee by standing and watching others in the division.

[Annotator's Note: Snyder pauses the interview several times and repeats statements frequently in this segment.] On 10 August 1945, "PB" Snyder, assigned as radarman on the USS Arenac (APA-128), was underway to the Pacific taking thousands of troops and equipment to the Philippines. Upon arriving in Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Philippines], General MacArthur's [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area] 25th "Tropic Lightning" Infantry Division boarded the Arenac for transport to Japan for occupation duty. Snyder had a 19-day layover in Japan while waiting for mines [Annotator's Note: stationary explosive device triggered by physical contact] to be cleared at the port of Nagoya, Japan. From Nagoya, the Arenac took on troops to be transported back to the United States. He participated in two roundtrips. [Annotator's Note: Video break at 0:52:07.000.] Snyder' most memorable experience of World War 2 is those two roundtrips. He was at sea when he heard that the war was over. Following the decommissioning of the Arenac at Yorktown, Virginia, Snyder was discharged on 25 July 1946. He was sent home by train and resumed his life as a civilian. After a couple of weeks of relaxation, he attended Trinity University [Annotator's Note: Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas] in the spring of 1946. He used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to pay for his college education.

[Annotator's Note: Snyder pauses the interview several times and repeats statements frequently in this segment.] "PB" Snyder fought in World War 2 because it was the thing to do. He was a patriotic American and anxious to defend his nation. The service changed his life because he learned to be a dutiful citizen and recognized authority. He became a solid patriotic American. After his service he earned a bachelor's degree and master's degree and served in several different patriotic organizations such as the American Legion [Annotator's Note: nonprofit organization of U.S. war veterans] and the Veterans of Foreign Wars [Annotator's Note: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, a nonprofit organization of U.S. war veterans]. He serves as a volunteer docent at the Pacific combat zone at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, which he enjoys. He is a little disappointed in the current political situation [Annotator's Note: at the time of this interview], but people are very active in defending the nation. There should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. It is an opportunity to educate the American youth. Youth patriotic organization are important including ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps]. He is happy he had the opportunity to share his story.