This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Michael D. Withers (Mike), OSCS
to remember
Glanville, John Turner, Jr., LCDR.
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This Sailor has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
On 13 June 1966, Lt. Cmdr. John Glanville, pilot; Lt. JG George Gierak, co-pilot; and Chief Bennie R. Lambton, photographic intelligenceman, launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CVA-19) to conduct a night low-level photo reconnaissance mission. Since the Skywarrior's mission deep in enemy held territory, it was provided with fighter escort as protection against enemy aircraft attack.
As the Skywarrior approached the North Vietnamese coastline, Lt. Cmdr. Glanville, radioed his intent to commence their photo run. He descended to necessary altitude and as the aircraft crossed the coastline, NVA anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) batteries opened fire. The pilots of the escort aircraft observed the AAA tracer rounds directed toward the Skywarrior before seeing a bright orange flash near the mouth of the Gia Hoi River. The escort aircraft pilots immediately attempted to establish radio contact with the Skywarrior's crew, but all attempts met with negative results.
The location of loss was right at the shoreline that was marked by rocky outcroppings to the east of the mouth of the Gia Hoi River approximately 5 miles north-northwest of Tuan Thuong, 40 miles southeast of Vinh and 63 miles north-northwest of Dong Hoi, Ha Tinh Province, North Vietnam. The location was also 4 miles northeast of Highway 1, the primary north/south road that ran nearly the full length of Vietnam that connected the major cities of Vinh and Dong Hoi.
The escort aircraft initiated a visual and electronic search and rescue (SAR) operation. Unfortunately, they saw no parachutes and heard no emergency beepers. Because the loss location was in a densely populated heavily defended region, no ground search was possible. Further, the crew's escape system in the Skywarrior does not include ejection seats. That makes high speed bailout extremely difficult and low-altitude bailout virtually impossible. At the time the SAR operation was terminated, Bennie Lambton, John Glanville and George Gierak were listed Missing in Action.
On 15 June 1966, US intelligence intercepted a Radio Peking broadcast that described the shootdown of a photo reconnaissance jet. The broadcast matched the general timeframe and location of the Skywarrior's disappearance. The report also stated that the crew was killed in the crash. On 17 June 1966, after carefully evaluating all the known facts and circumstances surrounding RA3B's loss, the squadron's Commanding Officer determined there was no chance the crew could have survived and changed each man's status from Missing in Action to Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.
