NAVY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ASSOCIATION “KEEPERS
of the DRAGON”ÓÔ www.navynucweps.com NNWA BULLETIN JANUARY 2004
WINTER ISSUE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
President:
Jim Hambley (757)
340-6909
Director: Ray Margeson
(607) 732-0579
jghambley@cox.net
rmargeson@aol.com
Vice
President:
William (Bill) Grizzard
(505)527-1162
Treasurer: Frank
Kelly (843)378-4026
grizzard@zianet.com
LindaK0001@aol.com Secretary:
Richard (Sam) Samsel (602)765-0381
Chaplain: Don
Fullbright (505)764-0234
uremus@cox.net
nicki6199@aol.com Master at Arms: Frank Cantrell (864) 859-3056 Historian: Michael D. Snyder (301) 570-0242
frankcantrell@webtv.net
waterdog9@comcast.net
Service
Officer:
Chuck Weber
(215) 822-4329
Director: Philip
Markin (775) 777-8637 The
Navy Nuclear Weapons Bulletin is produced by the Association’s Board
of Directors and is distributed free to NNWA members.
Edited by Sam Samsel
The
President’s Message
Shipmates
and Ladies, I
want to wish everyone a belated Happy Holidays and a prosperous and
safe New Year. I hope everyone who attended the Branson reunion
enjoyed it as much as I did. I want to thank Paulette and her crew
from McAlester for a job well done. The
membership has been talking, for many years; about a reunion cruise
and now we have finally put one together. So lets all go to sea where
we don't have to worry about who's got the duty, the next watch or
special sea and anchor detail. Now
is the time to start thinking about the reunion cruise out of Tampa,
Fl. The deadline for reservations is May 5, 2004 a lot earlier than
you would normally see for a reunion. So make your reservations
early with your refundable deposit. The earlier you make your
reservations the easier adjustments can be made to the quantity or
ratio of the cabins. The association has reserved 60 cabins (30 inside
and 30 window). Shipmate Owen C. Johnson is the host for the cruise.
Look for the flyer and registration form in this Bulletin.
I
want to thank the following members for their donations to the
association: Maurice Cheeks for "ALBERT" our newest Dragon,
Sid Hart and Doug Carroll for the autographed copy of "The return
of the Enola Gay" by Paul W. Tibbets and Sue Eisenhauer for the
cruise book in memory of her husband "Ike".
Well
it time to set our goals for the coming year and we hope to do better
this year. There were several goals that we didn't complete last year
which have been brought forward to this year. Our goals are as
follows:
The
2005 reunion will be held on the West Coast and I am looking for
volunteers who would be willing to Host the reunion. The locations
that have been recommended are: Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego.
If anyone is interested in hosting the reunion please let me know. The
World War II memorial website http://www.wwiimemorial.com
should be reviewed by all WW II veterans and their relatives. They
have a registry, which is available for all WW II vets to be
registered by themselves or by someone else. They also have the
capability to add the individual's photo for a $10.00 fee. You will
also find a link to the site on our website. This is a great way to
honor the WW II vets and let all who view the site know who they are.
I
hope to see everyone onboard the cruise ship Sensation out of Tampa,
Florida on September 27,2004. Jim
Hambley NNWA SHIPMATES: Cruise Information from our Host It
is now time to make your reservations for the 20th Annual
Reunion of the NNWA aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ship Sensation.
We will sail from Tampa FL on September 27 for a 5 day cruise.
Details and registration forms are enclosed with this
newsletter. We
would ask and hope that you would make your reservations early so that
we may determine early if we will need to reserve more cabins at the
current price. If
you make your reservations and decide not to go, you may cancel up to
the 12th of July without penalty.
We
will have a fun filled time aboard the Sensation, with activities
almost 24 hours each day, along with food available 24 hours a day.
Lots of things to do for everyone. Should
you have any questions, please call Dawn at Cruises Only,
1-800-683-7447, extension 77219, or me at 956-782-8770 until May 1,
2004. We
look forward to seeing you on board when we sail the 27th
of September. Owen
Johnson
E-Mail from Dawn at Cruises Only about Lower Cruise Costs and Advantages of purchasing cruise tickets as part of the GroupOwen,
I have just confirmed with Carnival Cruise Line that the per person
cruise rate for your group has been reduced by $35 to $235 for an
inside cabin and $285 for an ocean view. You
should advise people who think they are saving money by booking
individual cabins on line of the hidden charges. Prices
that appear on websites include port charges, but not taxes. Also,
individual bookings add an administrative fee of $15 to $25 per cabin.
These charges do appear
in the small print; but sometimes people miss them and realize only
when they get their credit card bill just how much they spent. In
your group, there is no administrative fee. And if they book into your group, they will receive $50
shipboard credit and be invited to the complimentary cocktail party. Dawn
Mangan
Click here for: Reunion Flyer or Reunion Registration HISTORIAN’S
REPORT (End of year 2003)
Again
this year many of our shipmates came through with personal stories,
histories and information; enough to fill three new binders.
Others contributed memorabilia in the form of ships plaques,
jacket patches, and even a ship’s logo sweat shirt.
Jim Hambley donated three large boxes of nuclear weapons
program technical and administrative manuals, and we have a new, very
impressive dragon to grace our display.
Many have responded to my request for lists of crew members
names and copies of cruise book photos.
In all, I received more than 300 separate pieces of
correspondence this year. Thank
you one and all for your generosity and your response.
As
always, I look forward to personal accounts of your experiences in the
Navy Nuclear Weapons Program. Anything
is acceptable: humorous, serious, poignant, dangerous, and personal
accounts are all part of the total experience the association is
trying to preserve. Please
think about your service and write about it.
Each of us has a unique view point and unique experiences that
should be remembered. Tell
us about your most notable character, your best or worst cruise, or
interesting duty stations. Please
write. We’ve begun to
post some of the anecdotes on our website.
I expect to increase the screening, selection, and posting
process as I become more accustomed to full retirement.
We
continue to request lists of shipmates you knew in the program.
Cruise book photos and captions, formal photographs with names,
etc. We’re trying to
capture the names of as many nuclear weapons personnel and their duty
stations as possible. This
is a long-term effort. Help
us populate the data base by sending the following information about
yourself and your shipmates. Name,
Rate, Rank, duty station, date at that station, additional comments.
It is possible for one person to have many entries in the data
base, depending on the number of duty stations he or she was assigned
to.
Finally,
I ask for the assistance of woodworkers and model makers to begin
renewing the Don Micco nuclear weapons model collection.
Many have begun to deteriorate and require repair or remake.
Sid Hart took a few of the “basket cases” home from
Branson. I plan to tackle
a few more over the coming year.
I think we might also begin to display nuclear capable Navy
aircraft and ships. If you are interested, please contact me.
Thank
you all. I wish you a
happy, healthy, and safe 2004.
Mike
Snyder P.O.
Box 226, Ashton, MD 20861 301-570-0242
FROM OUR WEBMASTER/DIRECTOR Our
website www.navynucweps.com
continues to evolve (we have had over 20,000 hits in our first
two years on the web) but it will take everyone's cooperation to
keep it vital and useful. If you have anything to offer for our
website let me know! Mike Snyder, our NNWA Historian, continues
to gather historical information relative to the USN nuclear weapons
program, but he really needs your remembrances. We look for
pictures that we can put in the photo
archives section. Our Staff
of the Supreme Commander listing is nowhere near as
complete as it could be, so if you know when a member passed, or know
their final rank/rate, let us know. We offer a Locator
Service that we hope will be seen by someone who can help
locate a missing
shipmate, or help to provide missing information for someone’s
search. If you have a photo
you can't identify, or are looking for
assistance with other matters, let us know so we can put it on
our Looking
for Help page. We have our Roster
of Members listings, including addresses and e-mails, to
help you become reacquainted with and contact old shipmates.
If we don't have your address, or phone number, or e-mail
address on our roster, it is because we won't post it without your
specific permission. If you want any or all of them published,
e-mail me at rmargeson@aol.com
or just click on a Webmaster link on the website. The
website is a very useful tool for our members, and others interested
in the information we offer, so let me know what changes or additions
you feel may improve the NNWA website.
Remember, it is there to be used…so, please use it. Ray
Margeson rmargeson@aol.com NNWA Service Officer’s Report January 2004 Fellow
Dragon Keepers, Sorry that I had to miss you at the Branson reunion. But, we did get the old body fixed and now I’m up and about again. A lot has happened regarding veterans matters and I have provided a synopsis below. Concurrent Receipt of retired
military pay and VA disability compensation has gained some relief in
recent legislation. However
the plan only helps those with 50% or more disability and then phases
in concurrent full pay over a ten-year period – until 2014.
When you couple this with the combat related special
compensation legislation of the year before, only about one half of
disabled retirees will gain full equity. Military Service Records are
easier to obtain. Vets
and next of kin can now request the info on line from the National
Personnel Records Center at https://vetrecs.archives.gov
. The old SF180
or a letter may still be
used for the request and sent in via snail mail. Unremarried former spouses of
retirees will now verify their eligibility for TRICARE through DEERS
by using their own SSN and
not their former spouse’s. Armed Forces Retirement Home Gulfport (formerly The Navy Home) is a retirement option for qualifying retirees.
More than half of your active duty must have been enlisted
service. Cold War Certificates are
still available for those who served on active duty between 02 Sep
1945 and 26 Dec 1991. apply
at https://coldwar.army.mil
or call 703.325.5864. Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 was
enacted at the end of the year and combines many congressional bills.
While large in scope it provides specific benefits for National
Guardsmen, Korea DMZ vets, and POWs.
Importantly, it removed the 2 year limit for payment of
benefits to spouses and children of deceased veterans.
Also, all compensations received a 2.1%
COLA increase for 2004. Project SHAD exposed thousands
of Navy vets to bio-chem hazards during tests in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Congress is considering legislation to give them priority VA
medical care. Government Grave Markers are
easier to obtain. For
veteran deaths after 9/11/01 these markers are available to mark their
graves, even those with
private markers already in place.
Visit http://www.cem.va.gov
for VA Form 40-1330 or call 800.697.6947
for information. Pharmacy Copay for retirees
has been proposed for an
increase of over 300%!! From
$3 to $10 for generics and $9 to $20 for brand names.
To express your disagreement and to send a message to
Washington visit http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/ Yours
in service, Chuck
Weber Service
Officer
-
Master At Arms – Logo Salesman –
Reports. Frank Cantrell
Sales of the logo items are going well. If memberships and sales continue at the
present rate, we may have to reorder both patches and decals again
this year. The
embroidered patches are $5.00 per logo (mix and match) plus $1.50
shipping and handling for up to 5 patches.
The 5” vinyl decal suitable for a car window is $3.25
including shipping.
Sales at the reunion were great! We had many requests for logo
ball caps, as well as a membership
card. I am making progress on both of those items. Happy New
Year to ALL! You can reach me at (864)859-3056, 2772 Greenville
Highway, Liberty, SC 29657
REUNION
2003
MINUTES
OF NNWA Business meeting, 11 Oct 03, Branson, MO. At
9:00 am Jim Hambley, President, called the meeting to order.
Mike Snyder led in prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the
flag. The
Two-Bell Ceremony was conducted by Mike Snyder and Frank Cantrell. New
members and first time attendees were introduced and welcomed. The
minutes of the 2002 business meeting were read and accepted. The
treasurer's report was read and accepted. Jim
Hambley reported on the achievement of goals as follows: (1) New membership cards completed. (2) SOP for Reunion Organizers is working. (3) Review of By-Laws is working. (4) Increased membership exceeded 10% (5) The Navy Nuclear Weapons Registry is under development. (6) Logo baseball cap selection under review. (7) Dragon logo decal procured (8) Trademark/copyright registered. (9) Web page up and running.
Frank
Cantrell reported on procurement and sales of logo items, i.e., decals
and pins. He said sales are good. Ellamae
Weaver, Secretary-Treasurer, reported as follows:
SECRETARY’S
REPORT 1
October 2002 – 30 Sep 2003 There
were three big mail outs (1) January 2003 Bulletin
with last years Board of Director’s Reports (2) February Membership
Rosters were mailed (3) June 2003 Bulletin
with Reunion information There
were 62 New Member packets mailed. In
addition to collecting and depositing the fees and dues from the new
members, dues were collected and deposited from 154 members. Public
Affairs releases and reunion notices were mailed to 67 magazines and
newspapers. There
are now 480 Total members, 11 Associates, 35 LIFE, 434 Regular.
(NOTE: as of 12
January 2004, the numbers are 500, 11, 37, 452 respectively) Of
the 445 Associate and Regular members, (as of 30september 2003)
25 have paid through the year 2001, 37 have paid through the
year 2002, and 383 members paid through 2003 and beyond. Actions
Taken by the Board of Directors: (1) The proposal passed to purchase 200 each 3 inch "Keeper of the Dragon" decals in
a quantity of 200 decals @ $2.31 ea. For a total of $462.00 plus
shipping. They will be of the same material as our 5-inch decal.
They will sell for $3.00 each including shipping. (2)
The proposal
passed for the purchase of 400 Lapel
Pins of each logo
(3)
A proposal to subsidize the Hospitality Room and door prize
at the Branson Reunion did not pass. (4)
A
proposal to give each regular member attending the Branson Reunion a
lapel pin and “Keepers of the Dragon” decal passed. (5)
The proposal passed for the purchase of materials and laminating
machine for the development of new NNWA membership cards. It
came to $128.48.
NAVY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ASSOCIATION FINANCIAL REPORT From
23 September 2002 – 30 September 2003 INCOME Balance on hand as of 23 September 2002
$18,416.69
New Associate Member
25.00 New
Membership
1,245.00
Renewal/Reinstated Membership Dues
3,640.00
Logo Sales
729.25
Misc.
18.00
2002 Reunion Income
2,116.18
2003 Reunion Income
20.00
Sub-Total
7,793.43 EXPENSES Historical
Upkeep
$300.00 Incorporation
Fee
400.00 Logo
Lapel Pins
949.00 Logo
3” Decals
463.50 Web
Site Fee
108.24 Postage
420.53 Printing
662.43 Masc.
Office Supplies
277.53 2002 Reunion Bills
8,003.00
Sub-Total
$11,854.23
2003 REUNION EXPENSES Insurance
395.00 Advance
to Paulette Picoulet
1,500.00
Sub-Total
1,895.00 TOTAL INCOME $26,210.12
TOTAL EXPENSE
$13,479.23
BALANCE
$12,730.89 Mike
Snyder, Historian, commented on the number of new members we have and
reported that he has received from 3 to 4 hundred pieces of historical
information from members, and requested that all members record their
personal history of their experiences while working with Navy nuclear
weapons, and submit it to him. He also reported he needs some
assistance with the models repair and/or replacement. Ray
Margeson, Web Master, reported that the web page had 7,400 “hits”
in 2002 and 19,000 “hits” to date in 2003. The web page
contains a new section on SWUs. He is incorporating more
pictures on the web site and solicited ideas from the members for
inclusions on the web site.
Bill
Grizzard, Director, reported that he and Frank Cantrell conducted the
audit of the Treasurer’s records and there were no discrepancies. Unfinished
Business: Branson was the first time NNWA utilized a
professional reunion planner, and comments were favorable. New
Business: There
were five Board Members up for election. Mike Snyder and Ray
Margeson volunteered to remain on the Board. Richard “Sam”
Samsel volunteered to serve as Secretary and Frank Kelly volunteered
to serve as Treasurer. Phil Markin was nominated to fill the
remaining vacancy. They were all elected to the Board Owen
Johnson made the 20th NNWA 2004 Reunion presentation. It is a
five-day cruise out of Tampa, FL, aboard the Carnival Cruise Line
Ship, “Sensation”. Prices per person for a category 4A
inside cabin $422.33, or a category 6A Ocean View cabin for
$472.33. Price includes a $50.00 shipboard credit for each
stateroom and a complimentary one-hour cocktail party. Our group
will all dine at the first sitting. There will be no dinner
dance, but dancing is available nightly in many of the lounges and
show room. Owen is taking a cruise on the “Sensation” to
work out details. Jim
Hambley announced that reunion plans should be made two years in
advance. The 2005 reunion will be held in the Western
Zone. Suggestions were made for San Diego, San Francisco, and
Seattle. The 2006 reunion will be held in the Central Zone with
suggestions for Wisconsin with Bill Beard as Host, San Antonio,
Chicago, and Corpus Christi. The 2007 reunion will be held in
the Eastern Zone with the suggestion of Niagara Falls with Ray
Margeson as Host. Sue
Eisenhauer was recognized. She donated a Cruise Book to NNWA in
memory of Ike Eisenhauer. Maurice
Cheek was recognized for his donation of the dragon “Albert”. Sid
Hart was recognized for his donation of an autographed book by Paul W.
Tibbets who piloted the Enola Gay, which dropped
the first atomic weapon on Hiroshima. Richard
Arcoleo made the suggestion that NNWA consider donating a plaque to
the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. Also consider engaging a
professional photographer to develop a reunion picture album.
The Dunning Company, which does this for many military reunion groups,
was suggested. Ellamae
Weaver was thanked for her service on the Board as Secretary-Treasurer
for the past two years. The meeting was
adjourned after the closing prayer. Submitted by
Ellamae S. Weaver CHAPLAIN’S
CORNER Let
us pray for the safety and well being of our service men and women,
Who are serving in all parts of the world. I ask our association
members to offer a special prayer for shipmate Richard G. Severance,
who has joined the staff of the Supreme Commander. May God Bless his
loved ones, comfort them, and provide their every need. Let us not
forget our Members and their Love One's who have been on the sick
list. We wish them all a Speedy Recovery Don Fullbright Treasurer Frank Kelly’s Message Greetings: First,
let me as the treasurer and keeper of the membership roster welcome
the new members who have joined our organization since October.
Thanks to our website and NNWA decals and to the efforts of a
few of our current members, we have had a very active year in new
memberships. We now have 506
members in the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association; 456 Regular
members, 37 life members and 11 associate members. Of
our membership 91 are in arrears for one year, 31 are in
arrears for two years, 24 are in arrears for three years.
If you are wondering if your dues are
paid up to date, please check your mailing address on this
newsletter. The date
behind your name shows the month and year through which your dues are
paid (if the year is 01, 02, or 03, your dues are delinquent).
If you are receiving this newsletter electronically and wish to
know when your dues are due, e-mail lindak0001@aol.com.
Some of our members find it convenient to pay several years in
advance; this can save you and our organization
postage. Past
policy has been to drop members who are three years or more in
arrears. This is an
effective policy mostly due to the expense of mailing newsletters and
reunion information. However,
with the military close-down of our program and no new prospective
membership on the horizon, we as an association need to make a
collective effort to ensure that those members who are in the arrears
are afforded every opportunity to upgrade their membership dues.
Please assist us in doing so.
Annual dues are cheap ($10.00 annually); renewals are cheap
($10.00 for renewal and $10.00 for current annual membership).
Although as an association we are financially stable this year;
however, in the near future, with the loss of members from non-payment
and the lack of new membership due to the demise of the Nuclear
Weapons Program, in the out years we will be financially strapped.
Reunions are
basically self-supporting, but not without a tremendous amount of
volunteer effort from our on-site chairperson and his/her volunteer
staff. The hospitality room is normally the major expense provided by
the association, but the registration fees and the collection jar at
the bar help offset this cost. This
year the collection jar was pitiful, only $64.00 was
collected; the cost was approximately $1066.00.
Don’t forget to drop a couple of dollars in the jar.
Let’s all play the mistake game.
Everyone, review the
NAVY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ASSOCIATION FINANCIAL REPORT From
01 October 2003 – 21 JANUARY 2004
INCOME
Transfer
of Funds from Previous Treasurer
$9,634.59 Return
from $1500 Advance Hospitality Room (Branson Reunion)
434.42 New
and Reinstated Membership (26 to date)
480.00 Membership
Dues
520.00 Logo
Sales
689.00
REUNION RECEIPTS (BRANSON) Registration
Fees
1,300.00 Hospitality
Room Donations
64.00 Bar
Stock Sold
70.00 50-50
Raffle
217.00 Raffle
(Dragon)172.00
Sub-Total
$13,581.01
EXPENSES
Advance
to Richard Samsel (Secretary)
$1,000.00
Sub-Total
$1,000.00
2004
REUNION EXPENSES
Cruise
Deposit – Refundable (President)
$3,000.00
Sub-Total
$3,000.00
TOTAL INCOME $13,581.01
NOTE:
1)
Balance includes membership dues paid in advance $2,470.00 2) Balance down $149.86 from
previous financial report |
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Updated
October 31, 2014
Copyright 2000-2018. The term "Keepers of the Dragon" and the logo (seal) depicted herein are the exclusive copyrights and trademarks of the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association and may not be used without its prior written permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |