POLARIS MISSILE FACILITY, ATLANTIC 34 Years of Service to the Fleet 29 March 1960 - 05 January 1995

Website Addition - I have added a link to a downloadable and or printable version of the newsletter. It is located at the top of the website newsletter and under the title “POMFLANT Alumni Newsletter.” It is in Acrobat format and will require the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Which can be downloaded from:

Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) – SSP now has a public website with all programmatic history and facts about SSP, the Fleet Ballistic Missile Program and current initiatives (Click Here).

1. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to the update e-mail address “pomflant@multiwebs.net.”

2. Please verify that the following E-Mail addresses are in your allow list and not blocked by your E-Mail Program or Internet service provider: E-Mail 1 and E-Mail 2.

3. I would like all of your snail mail addresses, if you have not already sent them to me. This will allow us to keep in touch with you if your E-Mail address changes or has other problems. We do not release this information to anyone outside of this association. Thank you for your support.

During the summer I would rather be home spending time with my only grandchild Madison who is now nine years old. Madison, my daughter Cindy and I spend a lot of time riding our horses. It is one of my greatest joys! My husband Gene is doing well and enjoys his retirement.

Below is a second email address for me which is at home. I have also included my snail mail address as you requested. Thanks again for all that you do.

I moved from our Hanahan home of 44 years in February 2008. Mary had preceded me to the Assisted Living facility at Franke at Seaside in August 2007. More than a year ago she moved to the Skilled nursing unit and I took an apartment in the active lifestyle community at Franke at Seaside. We see each other daily for a little while and like everyone else have good and bad days; thankfully, more of the former.

When I finally retired from all work in 1993, I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxation. After awhile boredom set in and my batteries got re-charged and I thought I retired too soon. We spent our time traveling around the world, went to China to teach English at a Medical College and then took several more overseas trips, drove to Alaska, criss-crossed the United States via car and went where we wanted when we wanted.  Now, as I look back on it and consider our present unforeseen situation I am so glad I quit when I did. It afforded us the opportunity to do things, to go places, to see parts of this great world and country we would never have done had I been working a full-time job. All of this was a great experience for Mary, as well as me, and she enjoyed all of it. It gave me a good feeling to do this with her and for her. We traveled great together, stayed in some great and not so great places, ate some good and not so good food but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I do not now regret retiring when I did.

I write this to send a message to other couples to step back, take a look at where you have been and where you want to go. And do it sooner than later. Time is shorter than you think.

Good luck to everyone. My Blog can be read Here.

After 35 years, I'm shearing this personnel story, never before told to anyone. On 06 June 1974, CAPT S. Bruce Butrym relived CAPT John Green as Commanding Officer. Not since CAPT James Bailey, had POMFLANT received another Commanding Officer, where fear was instituted into the personnel at the Base. We all felt the impact of CAPT Bailey's major reorganization and procedural changes. The employees feared CAPT Butrym many times over when we all were affected by his demands for precision and especially accurate facts reported to him.

If CAPT Butrym was caught in an inaccurate fact using one's information, may the Almighty have mercy on your soul!  Because you will receive one of the most professional "chewing outs" in the presents of everyone and went on for minutes. One would never forget this and it would never happen again. We were better for this; we then paid more attention to details and questioned those who gave us out facts. When Butrym walked into a room, the silence was awesome and during conversations, people would tremble in their replies.  This continued until he was relived by CAPT Raymond Landrum, on 19 June 1981.

But, there was another side of our CAPT Butrym very few knew much about, his caring and teaching of kids through the sport of football, the sacrifices he made to be with them and giving of his most valuable time. It was in this area is where I seen our feared Commanding Office, weep with tears and was humbled that being with his football team, saved his life!  With tearful eyes, I put my arm around him, trying to console him.

It was about 1630 on Friday, 11 September 1974, as I was also an opposing youth football coach and the football league's Commissioner who certified rosters of teams. Alone, I and Butrym was sitting in the locker room at the Weapons Station Gym, we were signing his roster. Suddenly, a Navy Officer burst in and out to tell CAPT Butrym that the Eastern Airlines Flight 212 had crashed short of the Charlotte runway. Our new SSP RADM Charles Cummings was killed.  RADM Cummings had been taking a tour of POMFLANT and Butrym had taken him to the airport to catch his flight to Washington.

Our Commanding Officer was supposed to be on that flight also but, he was delayed so he could be with his team the next day, in the season's opening ceremony, and their first football game. CAPT Butrym wanted to paint his teams helmets that Friday night so his team would look good, when they marched on the field. That decision saved his life!

Our side business, Southeastern Synthetics, will continue to sponsor the Alumni Association at no cost whatsoever to the members. This includes the web, newsletter, materials and any applicable postage costs.

Since our last newsletter, I have received information that the following co-workers, co-workers family members and friends who have died:

Wilbert Ramirez – Civilian, Passed 28 April 2009

Arthur Roger “AR” Brown – Civilian, Passed 20 May 2009

Robert W. Archer (CAPT USN Retired) – Military, Passed 02 June 2009

Stephen L. Lucas – Military, Passed 24 July 2009

William Carl Shuford – Lockheed, Passed 29 August 2009

Ronald E. Gossen – Lockheed, Passed 29 September 2009

Our Deepest Sympathy goes to those and their families who have lost their loved ones.

Take Care,
Ron and Nancy