Special Weapons ED at Graf

3/35 FA was a nuke-capable unit of course, so a number of us got the opportunity to be on the SW (Special Weapons) Team.  Each battery had a team that was certified from time to time in all facets of storage, transport, security, preparation and delivery of nukes.  We certified on two rounds - the much more challenging 422, and the easy 753.  We all had to be NRAS (Nuclear Release Authentication System) certified as well.  It was a great additional duty in terms of responsibility and training opportunities, but it also carried with it some risk if your team botched a nuke inspection (or TVI - Technical Validation Inspection if memory serves).  In one memorable week each of our three batteries botched an aspect of a practice TVI - my team did something wrong with a dashpot I think, another battery erred on a tie-down, and the third I don't remember.  All very minor errors, but such was the life in SW.  All three of us SW LTs were at attention in the BN Commander's office where he pulled out his pocket knife and shared with the three of us, with a smile, what he did to LTs who botched nuke inspections.  It was a memorable message, delivered in a way that made the point but also further motivated us not to let him down.  (That's my way of making it clear our BN CDR didn't not threaten us with a knife.)  :)  The three LTs involved (Paniccia, Johnson, Lankes) still chuckle about it from time to time to this day.

Anyway, only the sharpest 13Bs in each battery were selected, and they were always great guys - in an out of the SW rooms where we trained.  In these shots we were practicing emergency destruction of nuke rounds at Graf.  Basically just demo training where we used det cord, C4, blasting caps and shape charges to simulate actual nuke round ED.  It was usually a lot of fun - the nice thing about your 20s is you didn't give a lot of thought to the fact that the manual told you to crimp the blasting cap to the det cord with "YOUR LEAST PREFERRED HAND"!!  :)  Happy 4th.  M