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| Birthdate | December 13, 1939 |
| Hometown | Woodstock, New York, U.S. |
| Education | U.S. Air Force Academy, B.S. 1961 |
| Medals | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Leslie George “Les” Schneider (born December 13, 1939) grew up inWoodstock andStaten Island, New York. He and his younger brother Wayne were raised by their grandmother and grandfather. He attendedNew Dorp High School from 1953 to 1957 and was captain of the school's undefeated PSAL championship football team in 1956 and attended theUnited States Air Force Academy inColorado Springs from 1957 to 1961. Shortly thereafter he began his tour of duty inVietnam as the captain of search and rescue missions ("Crown Rescue") usingC-54 andHC-130 Hercules Aircraft.
Following Vietnam, Les began as a flight engineer forTrans World Airlines (TWA). He then transferred toSaudi Airlines and spent seven years there where he learnedArabic and earned hisgemologist degree. Upon return to the United States, he flew for TWA until his retirement in 1997 as aDC-9 captain.
Les Schneider's most significant professional achievement occurred on March 16, 1966. He and his 10-man sea rescue crew aboard Naha Rescue One (aC-54 Skymaster aircraft) were on emergency alert to rescue theGemini 8 capsule containingNeil Armstrong andDavid Scott in case of an emergency re-entry.
Mechanical problems forced Armstrong to do just that: he had to perform an emergency re-entry into theEast China Sea. Schneider was the pilot who saw the descent of the capsule; three pararescuers jumped from his plane and attached a flotation collar.
Although not as well known as theApollo 13 rescue, the Gemini 8 rescue proved to have great importance, since it was Armstrong who would be the one to first step onto the moon.