Leslie (Les) George Schneider, born December 13, 1939, grew up in Woodstock & Staten Island, New York. He and his younger brother Wayne were raised by their grandmother and grandfather. He attended New Dorp High School from 1953 to 1957 and was captain of the school's undefeated, untied PSAL championship football team in 1956 and attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO from 1957 to 1961. Shortly thereafter he began his tour of duty in Vietnam as the captain of search and rescue missions ("Crown Rescue") using DC-4 and C-130 Hercules Aircraft.