Identifications provided by Roy A. Norman
“This picture does not include the office staff or the CB’s assigned to the unit. Believe there were 6. I can not give you the names of all the people shown here but will try to list as many as I have records on.
All of the Chiefs shown here are as follows: D. L. Carter, J. H. Christensen, D. R. Cochran, A. R. Coffman, E. L. Coxen, J. D. Frazer, W. W. Garron, D. C. Gerrian, A. E. Holder, G. N. Hunt, J. J. Johnson, E. P. Kirschke, R. J. Kruger, W. T. Owens, J. L. Sisemore, H. P. Smith, E. L. Stone. The reason I have this is is because they were the ones assigning me mess duties when I made Chief. The letter is signed by E. A. Romine, LT, Head of Department. A great group of men and I was privileged to work with them. Why I was assigned this duty is anybody’s guess.
Now the picture front row from left to right with comments about each as I go. J. L. Sisemore, ETC. Unknown. Johnson, IC 2nd, was part of the Naval Research Lab Team, Unknown, Kimsel, EMC, was part of an assembly team for the weapons test in Nevada in fall of 1952. One of the weapons failed to fire and his team had to climb back up the 300 foot tower with their tools and reset it. Somebody had put the fail safe plug in 90 degrees out and the weapon was charged up the the firing relay. I was sitting about 4 miles away at the control point and we could see the men climbing the tower. Weapon was fired the next day. He told that it was a nervous group when they pulled the plug loose. Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. James W. Hoffman, ET 1st, this man is still living in Boulder, Colorado. He was part of the Naval Research Lab team. I believe he stayed in the Nuclear Weapons program until his retirement. George N. Hunt, ETC, he took over my duties as nuclear tech when I was transferred to Naval Research Lab in Feb of 1951. He was afraid of this job and I talked to his wife in spring of 1962 and he had died of lung cancer. She said he began loosing his hair quite awhile before they found the cancer. Unknown. J. J. Johnson, ICC, he was part of the Naval Research Lab team.
The middle row appears to be all officers and I can not place a name on any here.
Back row, unknown, believe he was an EM 1st. Unknown. Unknown, Unknown, Unknown. Roy A. Norman, ET 1st, tall sailor in white hat under the unit plaque. I would make chief while stationed here. Unknown. Officer in light colored jump suit is Gallegar CDR and commanding officer of the unit. He would go on to make ADM before he retired. Unknown. Unknown. Anderson, LCDR, nucleonic officer. He was always off to Los Alamos or some other place and left the assembly’s to me most of the time. when I was stationed in London with CINCUSNAVER as Electronics Warfare Officer in 1966-70 when he came to give the Admiral a briefing on the status of nuclear weapons, I was invited to sit in on that meeting. Admiral at the time was Admiral McCane, Father of Sen. McCane. I cannot place the identity of the last six men in the back rown.
P.S. – A 1st class YN, who was with the unit from the very start, John E. Johnston, still lives in Albuquerque, NM.
There were 6 CB’s and 4 office staff.”
