Lion Biographies
This page holds names and photos of fellow Lions who have submitted their biographies so that they may be shared. Other biographies are also found on the Remember page for those who have passed away.
Commanding Officer, 427 Special Operations Squadron, 2022 -
Lieutenant-Colonel Matt Snider
Lieutenant-Colonel Matt Snider joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1998 as a reservist in 20th Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery. He served as a gunner, attaining the rank of Sergeant, while attending the University of Alberta where he graduated in 2003 with a BSc in Kinesiology. In 2004, he transferred to the Air Force as a pilot.
Upon completion of training in 2008, Lieutenant-Colonel Snider was posted to 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron as a pilot on the Griffon helicopter. During this tour, he deployed multiple times with Special Operations Task Forces including to Afghanistan, North Africa, and the Caribbean as a pilot and air liaison officer.
Lieutenant-Colonel Snider was posted on exchange in 2014 to 18 Squadron, Royal Air Force, to fly the Chinook helicopter. Over the subsequent three years he supported the UK Chinook Force throughout the UK and Europe as well as a deployment as Commander of the Chinook detachment in the Falkland Islands.
In 2017, Lieutenant-Colonel Snider was posted back to 427 SOA Sqn as a Flight Commander, culminating in a deployment as Commander of a Special Operations Aviation Detachment in Iraq.
Lieutenant-Colonel Snider has served as Senior Staff Officer for Tactical Aviation and Deputy Director of Fleet Readiness at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters. He is a graduate of the Joint Command and Staff Program and holds a Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Lieutenant-Colonel Snider lives in Petawawa with his wife Angela and his children Sarah and Sam.