"He just wanted to be a soldier and serve his country" Marine killed in Vietnam will have name engraved on Allamakee County Veterans Memorial after recent local discovery

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the official observance of Memorial Day nationwide. On the more local level, this year's Memorial Day observance will also mark the addition of a new name engraved on the central monument of the Allamakee County Veterans Memorial located in front of the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon.

The name to be added is that of U.S. Marine Corporal Curtis Dean Snitker, and his will be the fifth name listed under the Vietnam section on the Memorial's central monument. A native-born son of Waukon, Snitker was killed in action in Vietnam in 1968, but this fact only recently became known to members of the local Veterans Memorial Committee. His story is shared below:

by Maury Gallagher

Curtis Dean Snitker, son of Benjie A. and Loretta Mae (O’Hare) Snitker, was born in Waukon March 29, 1948. The family subsequently moved to Cedar Rapids, where Curtis grew up and attended local schools. January 26, 1966, at the age of 17, and in the middle of his senior year at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Curtis enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on the “buddy” program with his long-time friend, Byron Gray.

The buddy program ensured that Curtis and Byron would serve together through Boot Camp in San Diego, CA. After Boot Camp and six weeks of infantry training at Camp Pendleton north of San Diego, both were allowed leave at home before moving on to their next duty stations.

“Although the buddy program only guaranteed that we would be together through boot camp, as it turned out, our assignments ended up putting us at the same duty stations,” Byron said. “Our next assignments were to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. I went through Ammunition Technician training and Curtis was trained as an Armorer. Armorers inventory, issue and repair weapons, mostly small arms. Our initial training was completed about the same time and Curtis transferred back to Camp Pendleton. I ended up staying at Quantico for another two months for missile testing training.”

When Byron returned to Camp Pendleton, he was assigned to the Fifth Marine Division, which was being reactivated for the first time since 1946. Curtis was still there. “They were running out of infantry guys,” Byron said, “so they reclassified Curtis into infantry and he was being trained as a machine gunner. I think that was what he did when he got to Vietnam.”

Byron was the first of the two buddies to be sent to Vietnam, about three months before Curtis, who continued training at Pendleton. In Vietnam, Byron served in aviation ordnance, performing duties such as loading bombs and missiles on airplanes.

August 26, 1967, Curtis arrived in Vietnam. In later years, another friend, Charles “Chuck” Karr, would write on the High School Class of 1967 website that “I fortunately spent the next to last night with Curtis prior to him shipping out to Vietnam. We were young and none of us really understood yet why we were even involved in this war, but Curtis didn't care. He just wanted to be a soldier and serve his country.”

“I had been in Vietnam for three or four months when I saw Curtis in Da Nang,” Byron said. “He was in Infantry. A couple of months later I got a letter from him. He had been in combat for a while. He said he hadn’t received any pay or mail for several months. His records had been lost after his last transfer. I sent him twenty dollars, a carton of cigarettes, a comb and a metal mirror. I wished him well and suggested we try to get together for an R&R trip to Japan or someplace. I never heard from him again.”

In Vietnam, Curtis was ultimately assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was ultimately promoted to Corporal, and assigned squad leader responsibility. January 11, 1968, his actions would result in his award of the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” for heroic achievement in combat. As noted below, the citation stated that his unit was conducting a patrol south of Phu Loc in Thua Thien Province when it met:

“intense small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire by a numerically superior enemy force. In the initial burst of enemy fire, one Marine was  wounded and fell in an area dangerously exposed to hostile fire.

“Quickly assessing the situation, Corporal Snitker fearlessly ran across the fire-swept terrain to the side of the wounded man and placed himself between the casualty and the enemy emplacements. Disregarding his own safety, he administered first aid to the wounded man. Realizing the seriousness of the wound he, with the aid of a companion, picked up the casualty and carried him to the battalion command post while simultaneously providing supportive fire and controlling movement of the unit.”

Three weeks later, the 1968 TET offensive was launched by North Vietnamese forces. It was a timeframe that often found Marines in vulnerable situations, frequently outnumbered. The 1st Battalion was in position in Thua Tien Province near Phu Loc. Early in the morning of February 1, the battalion command post and other outlying units came under attack with heavy mortar fire supporting the enemy troops who were assaulting the Marines’ positions. Reinforcements were sent out to assist the units that were in danger of being overrun.

Marines responding to assist one combined action platoon could not penetrate through the heavy fire and, with casualties mounting, a platoon from Curtis’ Company B responded. That platoon was ultimately successful in providing reinforcement to the besieged unit. The fighting continued on and off throughout the day.

It was that day that the war ended for Corporal Curtis Dean Snitker. On that day, 18 Marines were killed in action; Curtis was one of those Marines. Sometime later, Byron received his first letter from his father since he arrived in Vietnam, and that was how he learned of his good friends’ death.

Curtis’ friend, Chuck Karr, went on to write that “We lost too many of our classmates to the Vietnam War in one manner or another. Those of us who came home still remember the sacrifices that others made for us. It didn't take long before we learned that he was another casualty of that war. He was a very good person and I think of him often.”

During his service, Curtis was awarded the following decorations: The Purple Heart, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V”, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Curtis left behind his parents; three sisters, Connie, Michele and Kimberly; and four brothers, Carl, Douglas, Jerry and Rodney. He is buried in Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.

“He just wanted to be a soldier and serve his country.”