Senior Master Sergeant Barry Timothy Bergschneider, U.S. Air Force, Retired, was born on June 19, 1969, in North Little Rock, AR, and raised in Marche. He graduated from Little Rock Catholic High School in 1987 and enlisted in the USAF in November of that year. His military service began as an A-10 aircraft weapons mechanic. In 1990, he became an airborne gunner on AC-130H SPECTRE Gunships with the 16th Special Operations Squadron. In 1992, he transferred to the 20th SOS to serve as an aerial gunner on Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low helicopters, supporting long-range special operations and combat search and rescue missions.

Bergschneider participated in Operation Southern Watch in Kuwait and in Operations Provide Promise, Deny Flight, and Joint Endeavor related to the Bosnian conflict. He supported Operation Assured Response during the evacuation of U.S. and foreign citizens from the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. In April 1996, he was involved in operations in Dubrovnik, Croatia, following a plane crash involving Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. During the Kosovo conflict, he served in Operation Allied Force and assisted in the rescue mission for F-16 pilot David Goldfein in Serbia, as described in "On A Steel Horse I Ride” by Darrel D. Whitcomb.

After sustaining injuries in June 2000, Bergschneider worked as Operations NCO for the Defense Intelligence Agency, assigned to the U.S. Defense Attaché Office at the U.S. Consulate in Pristina, Kosovo. His responsibilities included providing security for the Defense Attaché, serving as an international observer during elections, and representing the USDAO during official visits. He deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as the NCOIC of the Human-Intelligence Support Element in November 2001.

In 2003, he was assigned to the USDAO in Bern, Switzerland, where he coordinated VIP visits, and later that year contributed to U.S. missions in Iraq. In 2006, he was assigned to the USDAO in Manila, Philippines, coordinating a humanitarian mission after a cyclone. His final assignment was in Houston, TX, serving as a Human Intelligence Collection Officer and Debriefer, responsible for collecting and reporting intelligence to meet national requirements, including information presented to the President.

During his 26-year career, Bergschneider received awards such as the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, Bronze Star with Valor and one Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two OLCs, the Air Medal, and additional decorations.