The Death of John Snyder

John Nealey Snyder died when the B-52D he was aboard crashed while landing at Griffis Air Force Base, Rome, NY, Nov. 2, 1967.

He was survived by his wife Lynda (Watkins) and son (John Alan); his parents, Harry [who died in 1977] and his mother Mary [she died in 1996]; two brothers, Mike (who was in USAF Intelligence at Elemendorf AFB, Alaska), and Richard (who was a senior at Troy State Teacher's College [now Troy University]); and his maternal grandmother [who died in 1968], Penelope Slay Nealey of Graceville, FL.

John was born and raised in Panama City; was a member of the Bay County High School's class of 1959; and joined the U. S. Air Force in 1961 on the Buddy Plan with Darrel Malloy and attended basic training at Lackland AFB, TX, before going to Lowry AFB, CO for specialty training. At the time of his death, he was a tail gunner in the B-52 Strafortress. Because this aircraft normally flies at an altitude of 40,000 to 60,000 feet, the seats of the crewmembers ejected downward. The airplane was landing at Griffis AFB when an in-flight emergency led to this tragic crash--none of the crew survived, and all funerals were closed casket.

B-52s had a crew of six: pilot (who flew the aircraft and was the commander of the crew/aircraft), co-pilot (who relieved the pilot as needed), navigator (who made sure that the aircraft got from point A to point B), radar navigator (the bombardier who dropped the bombs), electronic warfare officer (to jam enemy radars & surface-to-air missiles communications), and the tail gunner (who was stationed inside the tail and had a 50 caliber machine gun in case enemy aircraft tried to engage the airplane; the "gunner's nest" was moved forward after Vietnam and was removed completely in the early 90s).  

Staff Sergeant Snyder was stationed at Grand Forks AFB, ND, and was filling in for another tail gunner (they had to have a full crew to fly back then, too).

The B-52 crew that John was assigned to at Grand Forks AFB was the 46th Bombardment Squadron Heavy, and Captain B. W. Cooper was the Aircraft Commander; Capt. Cooper and his wife, Sandy, visited John's parents every year on Nov. 2 for 12 years.

John Nealey Snyder	Lynda, Alan & John	John Whited & John Snyder

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