NAVY NUCLEAR WEAPONS ASSOCIATION

                                                                                       “KEEPERS of the DRAGON”  ©TM

President’s Message

Buenos Dias

Since we are going to be in Albuquerque for reunion 2026 thought I’d brush you up on your Spanish! Well Just a few short months till it is reunion time again. We need to give a big shout out to John and Bethany Gray for pulling off a great reunion in Nashville, I have been busy trying to put together a good reunion this coming year. The hotel is set, the tours are planned, just a little tweaking needs to be done to put on the finishing touches. Ron and Guy our Webmaster and Assist Webmaster are doing the fine tuning on the webpage. If you have any comments or issues, please email them. As you may know Bethany Gray retired as our Vice President and Ray Margeson has stepped up to the plate to replace her, Ray brings many years of Board experience. All reunion information will be outlined in the JUNE bulletin. As we are not using a paid reunion planner to facilitate the upcoming reunion, your payment will be made directly to the NNWA Treasurer as we have done in past reunions. We are going to set the FIRST of September 2026 as the date to have your reunion paperwork in. On the issue of the NNWA Memorial, I have been working hard to get things in place to try to have it installed during this upcoming reunion but are falling short on donations. I/We currently have $6044.21 in the bank out of our $12,000.00 goal. If you wish to be part of this HISTORIC moment you can donate by visiting navynucweps.com and donate via PayPal or you can send donations directly to me at 1057 Historic Route 66, Santa Rosa, NM 88435 makes check or money order payable to NNWA Memorial Fund. We only have a couple of months left to get the Memorial stone ordered as it has a four-to-six-month lead time. We are also looking for members that want to step up and be on the NNWA board we are one director short now and we will also be looking for one of the board members to consider the position of Treasurer as our current Treasurer Don Schultz wishes to step down after many years in the position. Until the June Bulletin.

Saludo’s Amigos,

Richard E Gurule

President

Vice-President’s Message

Shipmates,

After 23 years as a member of the NNWA Board of Directors have finally gotten into the rarefied stratus as Vice President.  In accordance with the By-Laws, the VICE PRESIDENT Shall perform such tasks as assigned by the President or the Board. In case of the President’s inability to serve, resignation, removal from office, or death, the Vice-President shall fill the remaining term. The office of Vice President so vacated by ascension to President shall be filled from among the remaining Board members and by the majority vote of all Board members. In accordance with our SOP/PDL, The Vice-President will maintain the NNWA Bylaws and SOP/PDL, keeping them current and accurate. The version held by the Vice-President will be the “official” version should there be any question concerning their content. The Vice-President shall act as the focal point for accumulation of proposals for Bylaws changes and updates to the SOP/PDL. Any association member may suggest changes to the Bylaws or SOP/PDL. Bylaws changes must be vetted by the BOD and approved by the association membership. SOP/PDL changes must be approved by the BOD. Ensure that the association membership is informed of any proposed Bylaws changes at least 90 days in advance of those changes being voted on. The NNWA Bulletin is the primary method of notification. The Vice-President should conduct the Bylaws change voting process, typically during the Annual Business Meeting under New Business. I have the honor to replace Bethany Gray who was the VP for eight years and hope to do as good a job as she.

So, from you, the loyal Keeper of the Dragon, I request that you take this opportunity to go on our web site www.navynucweps.com and review both of these documents which provide the backbone of our Association. The Board will review any suggestions you have for both the Bylaws and PDL/

Next year back to our mutual hometown, Albuquerque.  Hope to see you there.

Ray C. Margeson

NNWA Vice President

Secretary’s Message

The NNWA 2025 annual reunion was held at The Inn at Opryland in Nashville, TN. What a great time had, by all that attended. Our hosts were John and Bethany Gray. I want to thank them for organizing and executing a successful event. They were met by challenges due to high prices and low attendance yet pulled off a great event. This year’s reunion will be in Albuquerque, NM. Plans are to unveil the NNWA Memorial at this reunion. Funding is coming along for the memorial, but everyone’s help is needed to reach the required funding. Reach out to your local Service Organizations, VFW, AMVETS, American Legions, etc. for donations to make this happen.  I am looking forward to seeing a good turnout in Albuquerque and hope that more people will consider donning their uniform for the dinner. We had four to wear their uniform in Nashville, I enjoyed that.

If I can be of assistance to anyone just let me know.

Tony Pass

Secretary, NNWA

434-250-6578

Treasurer’s Message

Treasurer’s Message

As treasurer and keeper of the roster, let me welcome our new and reinstated members since our last newsletter.  We have 5 new and reinstated members.  They are:

  Frederick Hofman          James Hayes

  Douglas Bock                Timothy Ledford

  Arthur Tack                                    

    We now have 402 members listed on the membership roster; 280 members in good standing; 83 life members (spouses of deceased members); 431 past members (members with unpaid dues for three years); 129 members with dues in arrears; and one reciprocal member (NAAV). 

    Past members can be reinstated by sending the $10.00 reinstatement fee plus $15.00 for a total of $25.00. They will then be reinstated as new members. There’s only three ways to pay your dues, pay on the NNWA PayPal account, send either check or money order to the treasurer or pay cash at the NNWA annual reunion. If you are unsure whether your dues are up to date and you receive your newsletter by mail, look at the date in the upper right corner of the mailing which shows the month and year to which your dues are paid.  If you receive your newsletter electronically, log onto our website and check your membership status there in the Membership Roster.  The dues date will be listed in the date column to the right of your name on the membership roster.

    The current membership roster is posted on our website.  Members who are not online can request a hard copy by calling or writing:

                Donald Schultz

                573 Beaulieu Loop

                The Villages, FL 32162

                 Phone: 352-259-1403

    Please review the roster and notify the Treasurer or any board member of any changes in your status.

Currently we have $ 11,260.34 on deposit with Wells Fargo Bank.

    Remember if you are planning on attending any NNWA Reunion, your dues are required to be current.

    When making payment to NNWA, please make checks payable to NNWA Treasurer or Donald Schultz NNWA Treasurer or Donald Schultz.  The bank will not accept checks made out any other way.  Please ensure that when sending checks to the NNWA that it is for the correct amount.

Donald K Schultz

Treasurer and Keeper of the Roster

Webmaster Message

Hello to the membership. I am currently the Assistant Webmaster, I am in training and in a turnover process with Ron Shirley, the current Webmaster. So far, the training is going well. There is a lot to running the website. We are taking it slowly to absorb all the information and steps. I am at the same time building a check sheet (just like we had working on weapons). I look forward to the challenge and serving the membership to the best of my ability. I will continue to maintain the massive database of all NW’s, GMT’s and WT’s that served. The database has 2,826 records.

Guy Clemons

Asst. Webmaster

Historian’s Message

Historian

Happy new year to everyone.

I chose the SADM to look at in this brief. Many of us have worked on W54 at an NWS. Mine was at Yorktown in 82-83.

Report on the Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM)

Introduction: The Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM), also known as the B54 bomb or by designations such as XM129 and XM159, was a man-portable nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. Often nicknamed the “backpack nuke,” it represented one of the smallest and most portable tactical nuclear devices ever fielded. The SADM was designed for atomic demolition munitions (ADMs), intended to destroy or deny key infrastructure to enemy forces, such as bridges, dams, tunnels, or mountain passes. It was fielded from the early 1960s until the late 1980s but was never used in combat.

Historical Development: Development of The SADM began in the late 1950s as part of broader efforts to create lightweight, tactical nuclear options. Earlier ADMs, like the T-4, required multiple personnel for transport. The SADM aimed to enable small teams—often one or two soldiers—to deploy the weapon behind enemy lines.

• Interim production of the B54 Mod 0 started in April 1963.
• Full production of the B54 Mod 1 began in August 1964.
• An improved Mod 2 variant entered production in June 1965

.

The core warhead was the W54, the smallest implosion-type fission warhead deployed by the U.S., weighing around 50-70 pounds (23-32 kg). The complete SADM system, including carrying case, weighed approximately 58-163 pounds (26-74 kg), depending on the variant, making it portable by a single person or small team.

Technical Specifications:

• Warhead: W54/B54 (variable yield).
• Yield: Adjustable from 0.01 kilotons (10 tons TNT equivalent) to 1 kiloton.
• Dimensions: Approximately 24 inches long by 16 inches wide (warhead casing).
• Weight: 58-70 pounds for the warhead; full system up to 163 pounds.
• Delivery Methods: Backpack carry, parachute drop (including HALO jumps), swimmer delivery (for underwater placement) or even skiing in alpine environments.
• Firing System: Mechanical timer, remote wire control, or manual detonation options.

The device was housed in a rugged H-912 carrying container for transport and protection.

Deployment and Operational Use: The SADM was primarily intended for use in Europe against a potential Soviet invasion, targeting chokepoints like the Fulda Gap to block armored advances. Teams known as “Green Light Teams” (from U.S. Army Special Forces and engineers) were trained to infiltrate, emplace the device, set a timer, and attempt escape.

• Training included parachuting with the device strapped to the body, underwater delivery by Navy SEALs, and placement in denied areas.
• Deployments occurred in West Germany, Italy, South Korea, Guam, and possibly other locations.
• Personnel from Army Engineer units at places like Fort Belvoir, Virginia, specialized in its use.

Veterans, such as Mark Bentley (interviewed in 2018), described training as involving high-risk scenarios. Many viewed missions as near suicidal due to limited escape time from ground zero and potential enemy interference. Special Forces and SEALs conducted exotic training, including submarine-launched swimmer delivery and high-altitude jumps.

Retirement and Legacy: The SADM was phased out in the late 1980s as part of broader reductions in tactical nuclear weapons. No evidence exists of its combat use. Similar concepts were explored by the Soviet Union, though details remain classified or disputed. The SADM exemplifies Cold War escalation in portable nuclear capabilities, raising ethical concerns about low-yield battlefield nukes and the risks to deploying personnel.

Sources: This report is based on declassified historical records, veteran accounts, and public sources including Brookings Institution, GlobalSecurity.org, and military history publications.

Future Reunions

The 41^st reunion of the NNWA in 2026 will be held in:

Region:              Western US

Location:            Albuquerque, NM

Host:                  Richard Gurule

The 42^nd reunion of the NNWA in 2027 will be held in:

Region:              Central US

Location:            New Orleans, LA

Host:                  TBD

Upcoming Reunion Information

Planning in progress. More information to come.