“...field commanders in Vietnam, continue to say that this [signals intelligence] is the backbone of their intelligence effort.”

 ~ General Bruce Palmer, Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

 The State of Tennessee’s Route 44 is a nondescript highway that meanders through the rural 

countryside of Sullivan County. As the road nears the town of Bluff City, it crosses onto a 50 foot 

bridge that eventually leads to the intersection of Possum Creek and Hickory Trees Roads. Most 

of those who travel Route 44 pay little notice to the sign noting that the bridge stands in memory 

of Specialist 4 Arthur Wayne Glover, a fallen Vietnam era American cryptologist and soldier, who 

once served his nation, in the words of President John F. Kennedy, as a dedicated “watchman on 

the walls of freedom.” 

 Far to the north in the Capital City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, lies the grave of Private First 

Class Donald Richard Taylor. Taylor, like Glover, was a part of the “long twilight struggle” that 

would come to be known as the Cold War. Despite the many miles that separate them today, and 

the many years that have passed since their deaths, the service and sacrifice of both men during 

their time in uniform will never be forgotten.

 SP4 Glover and PFC Taylor, like thousands of American men and women of their generation, served their nation in Indo-china, working to preserve and sustain the Republic of South 

Vietnam. However, unlike most of those fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, during their service 

Glover and Taylor worked to defeat the enemy by helping U.S. forces win the “battle of the 

electronic spectrum.”

 As members of the 3rd Radio Research Unit (RRU), both men 

were engaged in providing and protecting the kinds of information 

that helps armies to win battles and save lives. SP4 Glover was 

involved in a wide range of activities focused on the collection of 

critical enemy communications in the area of operation. PFC Taylor 

worked the other side of the cryptologic equation by working in the 

part of the unit that secured communications for vital U.S. military 

and government organizations stationed in Vietnam. 
 A year after its arrival, the unit’s work, both on the ground and 

in the air, was beginning to make a real difference. For its efforts 

in providing and protecting critical information, in February 1963, 

the 3rd RRU was presented the Meritorious Unit Commendation 

Medal, the first unit in Vietnam to earn this award.

 In addition to their military duties, Glover and Taylor also 

found time to help the people of Vietnam. Most notably, both men 

were heavily involved in raising funds and providing support to the 

Santa Maria Orphanage in Saigon. 

 As the war escalated, U.S. forces began to establish a more permanent presence. A story in the 

June 20, 1962, edition of the New York Times noted that “Americans were digging in for a long war 

in Vietnam” and that U.S. forces were adding any number of “amenities” for the troops stationed 

“in country.” Proof of this commitment was the construction of a bowling alley, softball field and 

other recreation facilities on the base.

 On February 9, 1964, Taylor and Glover were at a gathering along with a collection of 150 

soldiers, sailors, embassy civilians, spouses and children when two consecutive explosions hit the 

area. The bombs sent a hail of shrapnel flying in all directions, injuring 23 individuals and mortally 

wounding both men. Witnesses at the scene noted that before he died, Glover asked a friend to be 

sure to take care of the orphans. 

 In the complex and demanding world that America’s armed forces fight today there is a tendency 

to believe that asymmetrical warfare and unconventional attacks by terrorist forces are the creations 

of a post Cold War environment where rules no longer apply. However, our nation’s fighting men and 

women, particularly those who work in the cryptologic service, have always had to deal with mortal 

threats not only on the battlefield, but in places sometimes far removed from the front lines. 

 On the day they lost their lives, both Taylor and Glover left behind countless friends and family 

members. Their legacy of service serves as a reminder to those they loved of the vital role they played in 

helping many of their fellow soldiers achieve their objectives and to return home to their own loved ones.

 “One of the biggest historical disadvantages to any counter-insurgency program has been the inability 

to locate guerilla concentrations. The direction-finding activities of the 3rd Radio Research Unit have 

provided this headquarters with a vital intelligence advantage previously unavailable to any U.S. or 

friendly tactical force.”

 LTC Paul D. Harkins COMUSMACV

www.nsa.gov

MEMORIAL DAY 2011

NSA Creative Imaging-48657CG

SP4 Arthur W. Glover

September 14, 1939

PFC Donald R. Taylor

March 11, 1942