John J. Schneider was born 15 Jan 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. He entered enlisted service 07 Mar 1941 in the US Army Infantry and was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. He later was assigned to flying training (basic, primary and advanced) at the West Coast Training Center in Santa Ana, CA. He received his flight training at Luke Air Field. In April 1941 he became the Co-pilot in the initial formation of Crew 11, 712th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group at Gowen Field, Idaho in Apr 1943. In Nov 1943 Crew 11 arrived at Seething, England. He completed 23 missions from 22 Dec 1943 to 19 May 1944 as Co-pilot. He then completed 7 more missions as the Pilot of Crew 11 after 2nd Lt. Paul Helander was wounded in action on 19 May 1944. In June 1944 he completed 30 missions.