Alex Schnell is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, serving for 8 years. He served as a Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) Handler for Marine Special Operations Command for the last five years of his career.

Alex was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota, he grew up playing sports and enjoying outdoor activities. In 2012, Alex enlisted in the Marine Corps.
During his career, he deployed three times, all with his MPC named Bass, to Iraq (2016), Somalia (2017), and Afghanistan (2019).

During his career, Alex received personal awards for his service including a Bronze Star Medal with Valor and a Navy Commendation Medal with Valor. MPC Bass was awarded The Medal of Bravery in 2019. This is the highest US award a war animal can receive. Bass was the eighth recipient of the award in its history.

Alex was honorably discharged in 2019 and currently lives in San Antonio, TX where he owns and operates Ivy League Canine Academy, a professional dog training business.

Since his separation, he has stayed in contact with many who currently serve in the Special Operations community. Serving on the Board of Directors for Talons Reach Foundation is a tremendous honor and a great way for Alex to give back to the community that he once served.