The name Thomas B. Nelson is synonymous with the small arms community of the last 60 years. Since Tom’s first book, The World’s Submachine Guns Vol. 1: Developments from 1915-1963, hit the small arms community in the early 1960s, his influence has been immeasurable. But where did this book come from, and is that the extent of Tom Nelson’s contributions?

A contemporary of Lt. Colonel George M. Chinn as well as one of his friends, Tom Nelson was brought into the small arms community due to his pre-existing fascination with the mechanisms and history by another small arms great, Col. George Burling Jarrett. Col. Jarrett had his Ordnance Museum on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ, in the post-World War I era and was instrumental in throwing Rommel’s armies back across North Africa by re-purposing hundreds of thousands of rifles, handguns and cannons to use other calibers, thus re-arming the weary fighters against the Nazis. In the post-World War II era, Col. Jarrett ran and advanced the Aberdeen Proving Ground Museum. The museum was a magnet for students of small arms, and in the mid-1950s when Col. Jarrett met a young soldier named Tom Nelson who was headed for the 82^nd Airborne, he shanghaied Tom over to the museum.

Tom Nelson’s time at Aberdeen was a crucible that forged him into one of the most influential small arms people of the last half century. His unrestricted access to the thousands of firearms and accessories at the Ordnance Museum fed the curiosity he had since his youth. Trips to Europe to study the firearms prototypes and oddities in the factories and museums just tossed more kindling on the fire. At Aberdeen, Tom’s contributions to the Foreign Weapons Intelligence knowledge are legendary.

That is where the first book came from, leading to similar tomes on machine pistols and assault rifles. Tom’s publishing company, Ironside International, searched the world for small arms books to publish in the U.S… Few readers of this magazine have not felt his influence.

However, like most Chinn Awardees, that’s just the beginning of Tom’s contributions. He worked on international arms deals with Sam Cummings, eventually doing some of the most important work in that field in the 1960s to 1980s. He was close friends with Eugene Stoner and chronicled the M16 and Stoner 63 designs from the genesis forward; he was friends with General Kalashnikov; with Gordon Ingram; with Uzi Gal; and many other famous designers. Tom was a confidant and worked with many U.S. Government and military groups. Captain William “Shep” Shepherd, U.S. Navy SEAL, astronaut and Commander of the First International Space Station supplied a recommendation for this award, reminiscing about Tom’s help with the SEAL Team weapons and many other small-arms-related services to U.S. forces.

From importing amazing piles of surplus arms and ammunition for the American shooting public, to Foreign Weapons Intelligence; from chronicling the historical and modern small arms designers and their work to supporting the designers, Tom Nelson’s influence is extraordinary.

One short story to illustrate Tom’s influence in the modern world—in 1963 Tom Nelson brought an Uzi submachine gun to the U.S. and gave it to General Decker, who though impressed, didn’t continue with purchases because “It’s not made in the U.S.” The U.S. Secret Service did, however, adopt the Uzi. That’s one story of many.

A testimonial from another Chinn Awardee (1996), none other than C. Reed Knight, Jr., puts it all in perspective:

“I could not agree more with your nomination of Tom Nelson. I have known him for over 40 years and have known Tom to be one of the best brain trusts of firearms knowledge in the world. He has written many books and papers that have educated many of our firearm designers. His relentless searching for innovative designs has helped to proliferate firearms technology.”

A polling of the 16 past recipients of the Chinn Award we could locate resulted in unanimous votes of confidence for Thomas B. Nelson to become the 2019 Lt. Colonel George M. Chinn Awardee. Combined with letters of recommendation from numerous industry icons and military personnel, it was a unanimous decision by the Small Arms Committee to elect Thomas B. Nelson as the 2019 Chinn Awardee.

NDIA started out in 1919 as the Army Ordnance Association and through various mergers over the last century, in 1997 was finalized as the NDIA. There are a variety of divisions, and the Small Arms Group has several Executive Board/Steering Committee meetings per year, and an annual meeting that rotates around the United States. The Small Arms Committee of the Armaments Division is dedicated to insuring that the U.S. Military men and women have the weapons they need for direct use on the battlefield. The small arms family of weapons extends from self-defense handguns to offensive, longer-ranged, crew-served systems. Through continuous interchange of information in regularly scheduled conferences and direct assistance to users and suppliers alike, the Committee insures the continued improvement of the weapons themselves along with their associated ammunition and support devices. The Committee’s primary concentrations are individual and crew-served weapons, ammunition, ancillary support equipment, training devices, and new technology. www.ndia.org

NDIA Small Arms Group’s Col. George M. Chinn Award:

“The George M. Chinn Award is presented annually to honor a government or industry individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Division Executive Board, has made significant contributions to the field of small arms and/or infantry weapons systems. A significant contribution is considered to be a creative invention, new design or innovative concept in small arms weapons, ammunition or ancillary equipment that provides an advancement in the state-of-the-art or capability enhancement that clearly benefits the warfighting or general military capability of the United States. The Chinn Award may also be conferred as recognition to an individual who has performed sustained superior service in a career field of science, engineering, test & evaluation, manufacturing, program management, academic study & research, publishing or maintenance relating to military small arms or infantry weapons. The Chinn Award is named in honor of Lt. Colonel George M. Chinn, a career Marine Corps officer who dedicated his life to the study, development and refinement of machine gun mechanisms. Lt. Colonel Chinn is remembered for his work as a gun designer and for having compiled a five volume reference work entitled, The Machine Gun.”

Past Recipients of the Chinn Award:

1988: Thomas E. Cosgrove
1989: James Ackley
1990: John S. Wood, Jr.
1991: Roderic A. Spies
1992: not awarded
1993: Edward C. Ezell
1994: Richard E. Brown
1995: Joseph Unterkofler
1996: C. Reed Knight, Jr.
1997: Robert A. Trifiletti
1998: George E. Kontis
1999: Vernon E. Shisler
2000: Salvatore A. Fanelli
2001: L. James Sullivan
2002: Ernst Mauch
2003: Phil Baker & Georges Chauveheid
2004: Ronnie Barrett
2005: Rich Audette
2006: Richard Swan
2007: Bill Dittrich
2008: Troy Smith
2009: Joel M. Goldman
2010: Frank Puzycki
2011: Chuck Buxton
2012: Dan Haywood
2013: Rudy Nedelka
2014: George Niewenhous
2015: Jim Schatz

2016 Chinn Award goes to Dr. Philip H. Dater:

Dr. Philip H. “Doc” Dater started his military service as a physician in the early 1960s, but began his career in suppressor/weapon design much earlier than that. His first designs in the 1950s were rudimentary in nature, related more to suppressing his collection of machine guns than industry oriented work. In the mid-1970s, Doc started in seriously on improving the performance of suppressed 22 caliber pistols and rifles, and formed AWC- Automatic Weapons Company- in 1976. His intention was to improve performance in the suppressors, and he succeeded in that- rebuilding countless 1960-70 era suppressors that were in existing inventories with his newer, innovative designs. By the mid-1980s, AWC had expanded, and formed up into AWC Systems Technology, with the late Lynn McWilliams. He later formed up Gemtech with Greg Latka, and continues Antares Technologies, his R&D company. “Doc” was always a presence at military and civilian shows worldwide, wherever suppressors were being tested or sold.

Dr. Philip H. “Doc” Dater

Some Highlights of “Doc” Dater’s career regarding the small arms community:

Redesigned the Vietnam use, disposable MAC integrally suppressed .22 Ruger pistol for improved sound signature, significantly enhanced accuracy, made a more compact design, and added the ability for the end user to easily rebuild to new performance standards with simple tools and readily available materials. (1976-1977). Although archaic technology today, it remains one of the most compact and quiet integral .22 auto pistols. This was produced from 1977 through 1993.

Designed and built several prototype disposable (and flame consumable) suppressors in both .22LR and 9mm. The project never moved forward due to lack of demand in the civilian market with the $200 tax and the small military use possibility. All were destroyed by incineration after prototype testing and information gathering.

Pioneered the inclusion of a detailed use and maintenance manual for suppressor users, increasing awareness of how to extend the life and use of the suppressor.

Pioneered the use of high speed video cameras (capable of 150,000 frame/sec but usually shot at 5-10,000 frame/second with microsecond shutter speeds for best resolution) for analysis of the effect of suppressors on their host weapon and documentation of the effect of the suppressor on bullet flight. It was through the use of this camera that Doc verified how the recoil booster (Neilsen Device or Linear Inertial Decoupler) actually works, and analyzed the split chamber functioning of the Russian PSS captive piston assassination pistol.

”Doc” Dater has traveled extensively throughout the world and had access to numerous non-public collections to examine, study, and test silencers and silenced weapons. Many of these weapons had never been seen in the Western world and very few had been subjected to accurate sound testing utilizing equipment specified in MIL-STD-1474D.

He produced numerous papers describing the testing results of some of these weapons as well as basic silencer principles. Doc shared his knowledge and experience with many in the community, on the quality and effectiveness of foreign suppressed weapons our troops are facing, as well as using.

Dr. Philip H. “Doc” Dater

For the past nine years, Doc has conducted 2-day seminars several times per year, discussing the history and identification of various silencers. The seminars also include the principles of operation, testing protocols, material analysis, and issues involving the design process. The seminars target primarily forensic scientists, armorers (military and law enforcement), and procurement personnel, and numerous of Gemtech’s competitors have attended. In a true spirit of being an elder statesman, “Doc” taught all who came to the courses in the hope of serving the end users better, and shared the knowledge with all. The seminars do not instruct how to build, but rather emphasize the thought processes necessary for design, along with history, technology, and testing protocols. There is live testing involved.

In 1996 for a solicitation, Doc took a basic design with Gemtech partner Greg Latka and tweaked the design to significantly improve the sound signature and life expectancy on a major government competition, creating the M4-96D suppressor, one of the most popular M16 suppressors in use by police and foreign military groups. Although Gemtech did not receive the award on the US contract, this was their most popular 5.56x45mm quick-detach suppressor until it was replaced with a slightly lighter and more compact version in 2006.
Pioneered the concept of actual port peak pressure measurements in suppressor entrance chambers to determine suppressor safety factors when using various weapon/ammunition combinations and duty cycles. Gemtech will not release for production a suppressor that does not have a safety factor of at least 2 on what is determined to be the minimum barrel length of a host weapon, and “Doc” has championed the safety aspects for all manufacturers and end users.

Using his experience with port pressure measurements in suppressor entrance chambers, Doc undertook a study to determine the peak pressures of the 5.56 M855 round.   The studies determined that M855 performs best in a 20” barrel, and has less than ideal performance within a 14.5” barrel, confirming the results of a USMC study on the same issue.  Within the same study, the effects of port pressure, perceived muzzle blast (when measured in decibels) and the effects of a short barreled weapon was examined.  The outcome showed that short barreled rifle coupled with a suppressor require different physical requirements (of the suppressor) than a longer barreled weapon, thereby empirically confirming industry opinions on the issue.
“Doc” has also helped publicize and explain the debilitating effects on our veterans and police officers of firing weapons unsuppressed. It has been his mantra for many years now, to publicize the Veterans Administration’s issues with veteran’s hearing loss. Preventing loss through proper use of firearms sound suppressors is one excellent alternative, and “Doc” has been tireless in promoting this information to the benefit of our veterans.

“Doc” Dater has mentored many in the small arms community over the last three decades, and today is a senior partner of Gemtech working in Research & Development, and testing. He is the owner of Antares Technologies Inc. which consults in small arms and suppressor design, and is a writer for Small Arms Review and Small Arms Defense Journal. In the spirit of the Chinn Award’s namesake, Dr. Philip H. Dater has been a designer, innovator, teacher, writer, mentor, and explorer in the world of small arms. “Doc’s” willingness to share with others the knowledge he’s distilled of principles, history, and technology (including some of his competitors) over the last half century, and his ability to explain principles in a simplistic manner, is proof of this gentleman’s fitness for inclusion as NDIA’s 2016 Colonel George M. Chinn Awardee.

If you enjoy a good read, then go online to www.smallarmsreview.com and search for The Interview: Dr. Philip H. Dater. It’s in four parts and includes a rollicking, rambling world traveling adventure with Doc.

NDIA Small Arms Group’s Gunnery Sgt Carlos N. Hathcock Award:

“The Hathcock Award is presented to recognize an individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Division Executive Board, has made significant contributions in operational employment and tactics of small arms weapons systems which have impacted the readiness and capabilities of the U.S. military or law enforcement. A significant contribution is considered to be a superior performance of duties in an operational environment or the development of tactics or training. The Hathcock Award is named in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock, II, USMC, a career Marine who dedicated his life to the service of this country in both the military and law enforcement communities. He was honest, tactful, considerate, courageous, quietly proud and determined in all things and all places from the range to the battlefield. “The Gunny” not only distinguished himself in combat as a scout-sniper, but also as a competitive marksman and trainer. In his capacity as a trainer, he not only significantly impacted the current United States Marine Corps Scout-Sniper Program, but also influenced the sniper programs of the other military services and similar law enforcement programs nationwide.”

PAST RECIPIENTS OF THE HATHCOCK AWARD

1999: Carlos Hathcock
2000: Charles B. Mawhinney
2001: Bart Bartholomew
2002: Jim Owens
2003: Larry Vickers
2004: Steve Holland
2005: Pat Mitternight
2006: Allen Boothby
2007: American Snipers.org
2008: J. Buford Boone
2009: Lt. Commander Robert J. Thomas
2010: Jeff Hoffman
2011: SGM Jason Beighley
2012: MSgt Craig R. LaMudge, USAF (Ret)
2013: MSG Jim Smith
2014: not awarded
2015: SGM Pete Gould, USA (Ret)
2016 Hathcock Award goes to W. Hays Parks:

W. Hays Parks entered federal service as a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps. His initial service was as a reconnaissance officer. He served in the Republic of Viet Nam (1968-1969) as an infantry officer and senior prosecuting attorney for the First Marine Division. Subsequent assignments included service as a congressional liaison officer for the Secretary of the Navy, and as Chief, Law of War Branch, Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

W. Hays Parks

Mr. Parks became the Special Assistant to The Judge Advocate General of the Army for Law of War Matters in July 1979. He has served as a legal adviser to U.S. Special Operations Forces since 1979. He was a legal adviser for the 1986 airstrike against terrorist-related targets in Libya. From 1978 to 2006, he was a United States representative for law of war negotiations in New York, Geneva, The Hague and Vienna, during which time he was the senior U.S. representative in international experts’ meetings and diplomatic conferences for military small arms ammunition issues, defeating every proposal by other governments or non-governmental organizations for new treaties to regulate or ban military small arms ammunition projectile design based upon ill-conceived or economically-driven arguments of proponents. He joined the International Affairs Division, Office of General Counsel, Department of Defense, in August 2003 as the senior DOD law of war subject-matter expert.  He chaired the DOD Law of War Working Group until his retirement in 2010.

Mr. Parks occupied the Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Law at the Naval War College for the1984-1985 academic year.  In 1987 he served as a staff member on the Presidential Commission established to examine security breaches in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.  In 1989 he prepared the U.S. Government’s legal opinion defining assassination.  He has testified as an expert witness in cases against terrorists in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Provisional Irish Republican Army and, in 2015, former Russian Army Major Irek Ilgiz Hamidullin, captured in Afghanistan in 2009 while commanding Taliban forces. Tried and convicted in federal district court in Richmond, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Hamidullin to life imprisonment plus thirty years.  A retired colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, he earned Navy-Marine Corps, Canadian and British Parachutist wings, U.S. Army Master Parachutist wings, and 82nd Airborne Centurion wings during his military career.

Mr. Parks has lectured on the law affecting military operations at the National, Army, Air Force and Naval War Colleges; the service staff colleges; and other U.S. and foreign military schools. In 2001 he became the sixth person in the history of the United States Special Operations Command to receive that command’s top civilian award, the U.S. Special Operations Command Outstanding Civilian Service Medal. In 2006 he was awarded the USSOCOM Major General William F. Garrison Award for a career of service to Special Operations Forces.

Notwithstanding the above resume, Hays has been a well-known figure in the small arms community, championing the cause of the warriors. His support and work behind the scenes has been a part of every major small arms ammunition improvement in recent history. But for Hays Parks’ efforts, there is a strong possibility our military and law enforcement snipers in harms’ way would not have gained access to “Open Tip Match” (OTM) ammunition.

Interestingly enough, the first military inquiry Hays answered regarding use of this type of projectile was for competition only. Hays’ approval included a strong indication that OTM would receive a favorable review for combat use, if requested. Once the DOD got around to asking for approval of the OTM projectile for combat use (a decade later), Hays wrote the legal opinion approving it. This was initially in 7.62×51 but has also spread to other cartridges. This review set the precedent that the American warfighter is legally entitled to use the most precise ammunition available in the military system, previously prohibited solely because of its appearance.

The projectile has an opening at the tip. This opening is a byproduct of manufacture. It had never been requested for combat because no one in the military (much less the JAG Corps) prior to Hays Parks had the combination of current and historical legal knowledge, extensive ballistic experience, bulldog tenacity and articulate grasp of the English language to “fix” a misapplied treaty standard not binding on the United States.

W. Hays Parks

His fundamental philosophy: “To provide maximum support for the first Marine across the beach, the first assaulter through the door, the sniper taking the cold bore shot, and other US military and law enforcement personnel operating in or likely to operate in harm’s way.”

Colonel Parks set the groundwork for his later opinions regarding OTM versions MK248 Mod 0 and Mod 1, M118LR, AB39, MK262 Mod 0 and Mod 1, SOST, MK255 Mod 1 and many more, including several that some of our readers may have used but discussing in this arena is not appropriate. His work to make these rounds available to our troops has resulted in more effective fire on our enemies and fewer chances for those enemies to fire back or ever again pose a threat to US forces. These actions saved American lives. Hays did more than just answer paper requests. He encouraged innovation, provided careful guidance to those responsible for development, and used articulate, masterful analysis to meet our treaty and policy obligations, successfully defeating challenges to existing military small arms ammunition, such as the 1999-2000 challenge of legality by the International Committee of the Red Cross of the Raufoss 12.7mm Multipurpose Projectile, while at the same time giving the most effective, lawful ammunition to our troops, and confidence as to its legality.

He always sought personal challenges, such as infantry and recon command, airborne and similar schools. Serving as an infantry company commander at Camp LeJeune, he volunteered for Viet Nam and combat assignment when he could have avoided it. He volunteered for every school he could attend, and the tougher the school, the better. This philosophy continued even after his assignment to the Judge Advocate General’s Office, when rank and position might have made such schools seem superfluous. To Hays, it was important to know the job intimately. To do his job at the level his pride demanded, he needed the perspective of the guy on the ground, pulling the trigger. In summary, Hays Parks’ efforts have had a positive influence on
the success of every U.S Military sniper in recent history.

He has had similar influence on the success of most of those of our closest Allies. For the above reasons, Hays Parks was chosen as deserving of the 2016 Hathcock Award and the eternal gratitude of all of us, especially those whose lives he saved. There are countless US servicemen alive right now because Hays Parks put more accurate, reliable
and effective ammunition into their hands and the hands of their fellow warfighters.

W. Hays Parks is also one hell of a shot, and spends a lot of trigger time working out with like-minded shooters.

The Chinn Award is named in honor of Lt. Col. George M. Chinn, a career Marine Corps officer who dedicated his life to the study, development and refinement of machine gun mechanisms.  Lt. Col. Chinn is remembered for his work as a gun designer and for having compiled a five volume reference work entitled The Machine Gun.

PAST CHINN AWARDEES:
1988: Thomas E. Cosgrove
1989: James Ackley
1990: John S. Wood, Jr.
1991: Roderic A. Spies
1992: not awarded
1993: Edward C. Ezell
1994: Richard E. Brown
1995: Joseph Unterkofler
1996: C. Reed Knight, Jr.
1997: Robert A. Trifiletti
1998: George E. Kontis
1999: Vernon E. Shisler
2000: Salvatore A. Fanelli
2001: L. James Sullivan
2002: Ernst Mauch
2003: Phil Baker + Georges Chauveheid
2004: Ronnie Barrett
2005: Rich Audette
2006: Richard Swan
2007: Bill Dittrich
2008: Troy Smith
2009: Joel M. Goldman
2010: Frank Puzycki
2011: Chuck Buxton
2012: Dan Haywood

2013 Chinn Award: Mr. Rudy Nedelka
The recipient of the 2013 Chinn Award is Mr. Rudy Nedelka.  Mr. Nedelka has spent over forty years working on small and medium caliber ammunition/weapons testing and evaluation.  During his career as a U.S. Government employee, he was involved in numerous programs and served in several key positions, which allowed him to develop a tremendously broad knowledge of many aspects of small and medium caliber ammunition/weapons testing.

After receiving a Bachelors of Science Degree in Mathematics in 1968 from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Nedelka began his career with the Department of the Army at Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  For the period from 1968 – 1977, he was responsible for the automation of twenty-five indoor test ranges, including the computer management for the data acquisition and the analysis of ballistic information.  In addition, he assisted in writing the small caliber ammunition pressure specifications and evaluating the electronic pressure transducers used by all NATO countries for small arms ammunition testing.  He became the NATO Proof Officer responsible for the testing of United States and Canadian ammunition to ensure that they met the NATO battlefield interchangeability requirements.

After Frankford Arsenal was closed in 1977, Rudy transitioned to the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Test Site at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  During Rudy’s seventeen years at Fort Dix, he served in various positions working on small and medium caliber systems.  From 1977 – 1989, Rudy served as a Test and Evaluation Engineer and as Deputy Director of the Small Caliber Testing Branch at the ARDEC Test Site.  His work involved the development of test procedures used in the evaluation of small caliber weapons and ammunition from 5.56mm through 40mm.  From 1989 – 1994 he served as the Chief of the Small Caliber Testing Branch at Fort Dix and was responsible for the management of the small arms weapons and ammunition test facility, overseeing the testing of several weapon systems fielded by the U.S. Army including the 5.56mm M16A2 Rifle and M249 Machine Gun and the 7.62mm M24 Sniper Rifle and M240B Machine Gun.

In addition, for over a ten year period from 1981 – 1991, Rudy also served as the Superintendent of the NATO North American Regional Test Center (NARTC) for Ammunition Interoperability which reports to the NATO Army Armaments Group (NAAG).  As the NARTC Superintendent, he was responsible for the quality certification of all NATO small caliber ammunition produced in the United States and Canada.  He represented the United States at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium at regularly scheduled meetings of several NATO groups.

Rudy’s testing experience ultimately lead to his involvement as part of the U.S. Delegation in developing and drafting several NATO STANAGs and their accompanying test procedures for small and medium caliber ammunition.  These included the STANAG on 25mm ammunition and the STANAG on 5.56mm ammunition.  In addition to these NATO Standardization Agreements, Rudy also was an integral part of creating a standard for the establishment of new methods of ammunition and weapons testing as a principal member of the NATO Working Group on Ammunition Testing Technology.

Upon the closure of the ARDEC Test Site in 1994, Rudy continued his government service as a Senior Test Director in the Combat Systems Test Activity at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

Following his retirement in 1996, Rudy stayed involved in the small caliber area and continued to serve as a member of the National Defense Industrial Association Small Arms Systems Division Executive Committee, having previously served as its Secretary for many years.

In 2003 Rudy was hired as a consultant, to assist ARDEC with the multitude of ongoing efforts concerning NATO standardization.  One of the largest of these was the creation of the Multi-Caliber Manual of Proof & Inspection, designed to consolidate all testing methods of small caliber ammunition (5.56mm through 12.7mm) into a single document.  Rudy also began to re-attend meetings at NATO Headquarters where his knowledge and experience were welcomed back with great enthusiasm.  He soon became known as the NARTC Information Officer.  Rudy was also asked to update the 25mm MOPI to bring it in line with current test methods and equipment.  Rudy performed this task almost single handedly and this 492 page document consisted of twenty-five different test procedures and sixteen other sections associated with qualifying ammunition to meet NATO interchangeability requirements.

Recently, Mr. Nedelka has assisted the U.S, U.K., France and Belgium by creating new drafts of the 5.56mm, 7.62mm, 9mm and 12.7mm NATO STANAGs with updates due to the completion of the Multi-Caliber MOPI.  In addition, his experience was invaluable during the NATO Certification of the European Regional Test Center in the UK for 12.7mm and the NATO Certification of the Netherlands National Test Center for 5.56mm and 7.62mm.

Rudy has continued to provide his support to ARDEC for both the LCAAP and Olin-Winchester small caliber ammunition contracts during 2012.  His support includes assisting on failure investigations, EPVAT equipment and procedure audits at U.S. test locations, providing on-site assessment of test set-ups/ranges, review of data and test procedures and equipment.  His depth of knowledge and experience is truly an asset to the International Small Caliber Community, ARDEC and the U.S Army.

Throughout his long and distinguished career, Rudy Nedelka has been instrumental in helping to formulate, maintain and improve the test procedures and equipment that are used today for small and medium caliber ammunition testing.

In recognition of his many accomplishments and tireless efforts for the good of not only the U.S. forces but also the forces of our NATO partners and all those who have benefited from his tireless work, Rudy Nedelka has been selected as the recipient of the 2013 Chinn Award.  (Submitted by Angelo Mancini) 

Carlos N. Hathcock II Award
The Carlos N. Hathcock II Award is presented to recognize an individual, who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Section Steering Committee, Armaments Division, National Defense Industrial Association, has made significant contributions in operational employment and tactics of small arms weapons systems which have impacted on the readiness and capabilities of the United States military or law enforcement.  A significant contribution is considered to be: superior performance of duties in an operational environment or the development of tactics or training.

The Hathcock Award is named in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock II, a career Marine who dedicated his life to the service of this country in both the military and law enforcement communities.  He was honest, tactful, considerate, courageous, quietly proud and determined in all things and all places from the range to the battlefield.  “The Gunny” not only distinguished himself in combat as a scout-sniper but also as a competitive marksman and trainer.  In his capacity as a trainer he not only significantly impacted the current United States Marine Corps Scout-Sniper program but also influenced the sniper programs of the other military services and similar law enforcement programs nationwide.

PAST RECIPIENTS OF THE HATHCOCK AWARD
1999: Carlos Hathcock
2000: Charles B. Mawhinney
2001: Bart Bartholomew
2002: Jim Owens
2003: Larry Vickers
2004: Steve Holland
2005: Pat Mitternight
2006: Allen Boothby
2007: American Snipers.org
2008: J. Buford Boone
2009: Robert J. Thomas
2010: Jeff Hoffman
2011: SGM Jason Beighley
2012 Craig R. LaMudge, MSgt, USAF (Ret)

Presentation of 2013 Hathcock Award to: MSG Jim Smith.
Jim Smith began his military career in the US Army 2ND Ranger Battalion, and served both stateside and abroad in challenging NATO assignments.  He served as a Long Range Reconnaissance Soldier, a mountaineering instructor, and instructed at the NATO International Long Range Patrol School.  He later earned a spot in Army Special Operations and served as an assaulter and sniper for several years.

Early in his special operations career, Jim was selected to attend the special operations sniper course, and this turned out to be a watershed event in his career and life.  Jim trained as a sniper and worked to perfect his skills, which would later become one of the deciding factors in the outcome of a significant battle and the lives of the men involved.  During his career, Jim was involved in many combat operations, most notably the Battle of the Black Sea; known to many as “Blackhawk Down.”

During this incident while serving as primary aerial sniper on board Super Six One, his job was to provide over watch and lethal fires interdiction in support of the Task Force Ranger Mission on October 3rd, 199s in Mogadishu, Somalia.  Well into the battle, Super Six One was shot down by an RPG and crashed into a hostile section of the city.  Jim was wounded, but still secured and defended the crash site until it could be reinforced.  He was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star for his actions in this incident.

After his Special Operations career, Jim served in many challenging assignments including the Asymmetric Warfare Group where he was instrumental in developing a training plan that revolved around a combat carbine course, which actually had the effect of changing the way the Army trains its soldiers.  The instant effect was training that made the soldiers more creative while arriving at the correct solutions during stress based training that inoculates them for combat.  The true impact of this efficient, reality based combat training is now being felt at all training levels throughout the Army, and will continue to produce the most survivable, effective soldiers possible for many years to come.

After retiring, Jim started Spartan Tactical, and dedicated his efforts to training the military and law enforcement in both the United States and select foreign countries.  He is heavily involved in training counter-terror operators, law enforcement, and military forces in other countries as well as the United States, passing on the hard learned lessons of his career as a counter-terror operator in U.S. Army Special Operations.  A partial list of these countries includes Israel, Jordan, Greece, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

Jim was also called upon to create a firearms training program for the Air Marshall’s Service subsequent to 9/11 and went on to supervise that program afterwards… he was also instrumental in creating a firearms program for Immigration Customs Enforcement, which is still in use today.  Jim has trained SWAT teams from some of the larger municipalities in Texas and is heavily involved with the Texas Tactical Peace Officers Association.  A short list of the agencies Jim has trained includes SWAT officers from Irvine, CA, San Diego, CA, Los Angeles, CA, FBI SWAT Teams from NJ and NY, SWAT officers from NYC, Austin and Dallas PD, and several agencies in Oregon and Washington.  His contribution to American Law Enforcement is daunting, and the legacy effects of his efforts will be seen for years to come.

Jim regularly trains Special Operations forces from both the Army and Marine Corps, both in sniping skills and combat marksmanship; to include MARSOC, 5th and 19th Special Forces Groups, although most of his focus is the conventional force.  Jim has previously trained battalion sized units from the 75th Ranger Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, 101st Airborne Division, and others.  His program was so well received by the 82nd he ended up spending a year at Fort Bragg training all the battalions in the Division, at the request of General Petraeus, the Division Commander at the time.

He is currently heavily involved in pre-deployment sniper and combat marksmanship training for the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard.  In fact, the pre-deployment training he has done for the 36th Division since 2009 has been so successful, the program is now poised to go statewide, with every deploying Texas Unit receiving Spartan Tactical training before going to theater.  This will ultimately affect 20,000 soldiers in the state of Texas alone.

Jim Smith has also significantly impacted the industry through his work with Leupold and Stevens.  As a consultant Jim took full advantage of the opportunity to contribute to the design of cutting edge optics and reticles that are currently being used out on the sharp edge of U.S. military operations in both theatres, as well as domestic law enforcement tactical operations in the United States.  Jim has been involved from the conceptual phase of a project to test and evaluation and placement of these optics for our military and enforcement.  Jim leverages his extensive background and experiences as a Special Operations combat sniper to provide relevant input into the research, design, and manufacturing process, resulting in the most efficient, intuitive optics ever made available to the modern warrior.  Several current Leupold tactical offerings benefit from his knowledge and experience.

MSG Jim Smith’s past service, willingness and to continue significantly contribute to the success of our warriors worldwide, both in training and combat, qualify him to be this year’s Awardee of the Carlos Hathcock Award.  (Submitted by MSG Russ Clagett)

2009 Chinn Award:  Joel M. Goldman
Each year at the NDIA Small Arms Annual Meeting, the George M. Chinn Award is presented annually to honor a government or industry individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Systems Division Executive Board, has made significant contributions to the field of small arms and/or infantry weapons.

Joel M. Goldman has devoted almost forty years in the pursuit of better ways to design, develop, and manufacture small arms weapons, ammunition, propellant and explosives.  Joel has had a long and diversified career working for the US Government.  His career began working as an engineer working on research and development related to small arms propellants.  He worked on the development of a Pilot Line for ball propellant at Badger AAP.

Other notable programs that Joel was involved with as Chief of the Joint Service Small Arms (JSSAP) Program Office included: the Advanced Combat Rifle Assessment, in which four weapons concepts were tested against the baseline M16A2 rifle.  Ammunition Concepts included a caseless ball concept, a brass-cased flechette concept, a duplex concept and plastic-cased flechette concept.  The results of the test failed to demonstrate an increase in hit probability over the M16A2 under the stress conditions of the test.

The next major programs Joel was involved with as the Chief of the JSSAP Office were Technology Objective Programs such as the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) and the Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW) Program.  The OICW introduced technology such as miniature electronic time fuzes and small caliber air-bursting munitions.  It also introduced integrated range-finding, sensors, ballistic computer fuze setter technology and adjusted aim point fire control.  The OCSW introduced technology to include air-bursting munitions in a crew-served configuration, new recoil mitigation, self-correcting fuzing, and Laser Steering target tracking.

Under Joel’s direction, JSSAP conducted a series of assessments for technology work to include: modified bullets and propellants; alternate cartridge case materials; alternate weapons mechanisms; miniature electronic time fuzes; advanced laser range finders; individual/vehicle mounted fire control systems and MEMS safe and arm devices.

The current major project under Joel’s direction at JSSAP is Lightweight Small Arms Technologies.  The joint program is an effort to design and develop lightweight ammunition and weapons, while maintaining or improving the lethality and reliability over the current small arms weapons.  The program is evaluating caseless ammunition and case telescoped ammunition being fired from a lightweight machine gun.  Modeling and simulation are being used extensively throughout the program for designing, prototyping and testing the ammunition and weapons concepts as well as the integrated system.  Value to the warfighter include: weight reduction of 40% for the ammunition and 35% for the weapon as well as reduced volume, improved training and maintenance and a decreased logistics burden.

Joel M. Goldman has devoted almost forty years to making significant contributions to the field of small arms.  He starts each day thinking of ways to improve the equipment in the hands of our soldiers.  His life-long commitment to small arms is evident and therefore is a deserving recipient of the 2009 Chinn Award.

What is the Chinn Award?
The George M. Chinn Award is presented annually to honor a government or industry individual who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Systems Division Executive Board, has made significant contributions to the field of small arms and/or infantry weapons systems.  A significant contribution is considered to be a creative invention, new design or innovative concept in small arms weapons, ammunition or ancillary equipment that provides an advancement in the state-of-the-art or capability enhancement that clearly benefits the warfighting or general military capability of the United States.  The Chinn Award may also be conferred as recognition to an individual who has performed sustained superior service in a career field of science, engineering, test and evaluation, manufacturing, program management, academic study and research, publishing or maintenance relating to military small arms or infantry weapons.

The Chinn Award is named in honor of Lt. Col. George M. Chinn, a career Marine Corps officer who dedicated his life to the study, development and refinement of machine gun mechanisms.  Lt. Col. Chinn is remembered for his work as a gun designer and for having compiled a five volume reference work entitled The Machine Gun.

Past Chinn Award Winners
1988: Thomas E. Cosgrove
1989: James Ackley
1990: John S. Wood, Jr.
1991: Roderic A. Spies
1992: not awarded
1993: Edward C. Ezell
1994: Richard E. Brown
1995: Joseph Unterkofler
1996: C. Reed Knight, Jr.
1997: Robert A. Trifiletti
1998: George E. Kontis
1999: Vernon E. Shisler
2000: Salvatore A. Fanelli
2001: L. James Sullivan
2002: Ernst Mauch
2003: Phil Baker and Georges Chauveheid
2004: Ronnie Barrett
2005: Rich Audette
2006: Richard Swan
2007: Bill Dittrich
2008: Troy Smith
2009: Joel Goldman

2009 Ambrose Industry Award:  Otis Technology Inc.
At the tender age of 15, when most girls are more concerned about their looks and boys, Doreen Marks Garrett, founder and CEO, was enjoying one of her numerous interests; hunting with her father, Jerry Williams.  It was during this hunting trip that she missed a step, stumbled and fell.  The muzzle of her rifle impacted the soft ground and was plugged with dirt.  Not being able to clean the rifle, her day of hunting was ruined.  But this misadventure has changed the way the armed forces and hundreds of thousands of sportsmen and women world wide clean their weapons.  Garrett was determined to find a way to prevent any possibility of having another hunting trip ruined, so she set to work trying to develop her own gun cleaning kit that she could carry and have available when and if she needed.

In 1985 when she was 16, and after numerous trials and failures, Doreen Garrett designed the first breech to muzzle cleaning kit; the first of the numerous Otis cleaning kits to be developed.  This first kit was called “The Whole Kit and Caboodle”.  This same year, Garrett attended her first SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida.  Unable to gain access due to her age, she returned to her hotel and changed clothes, added makeup and returned to the convention center.  Access was granted and when she departed, she did so with orders for three hundred kits.  Doreen Garrett, her mother and father sat to work at the kitchen table manufacturing the kits so she could fill the orders.  In 1990, Garrett got her first Small Business Administration loan for $97,000 to renovate her parent’s barn enabling her to move the expanding operation from the kitchen table.  1997, with six employees, Garrett moved the operation from the family barn to an abandoned hardware store in Lyons Falls, New York.  Then in 2005, production moved to a new 43,000 square foot plant.  The plant has since expanded twice: a 23,643 square foot addition was added in early 2008, and most recently, finalizing a 16,000 square foot, state of the art warehouse and automatic warehouse system.

Today, almost 25 years, since that fateful slip and numerous pitfalls, Garrett, with the help of her family, has revolutionized how we clean our weapons and has become one of the premier producers of firearms cleaning products in the world.  Otis Breech-to-Muzzle Cleaning systems are widely regarded by experts as the most advanced gun gleaning systems in the world.  Their product is in service today with the US Armed Forces, Law Enforcement professionals, and the worlds’ best hunters and marksmen.  Otis Technology, Inc. has been operating for 25 years and Garrett has received numerous awards along the way, including:

2007: Fast Track 50, ranking 3rd in the over $10 million category;

2007: Automated Best Value System Award presented by the Defense Supply Center Columbus;

2008: recognized as the fastest growing company in Central New York by the Fast Track 50;

2008: Proclamation in Recognition at the Lewis County Court House, Lowville, NY.

Otis Technology currently has specialized cleaning kits for the US Armed Forces that are designed to clean all weapons from caliber .22 up to and including 40mm grenade and supplies tens of thousands of these kits through an active GSA contract to our warriors yearly. Garrett is a customer focused business person and ensures that customer’s desires or concerns are addressed as soon as possible and new items are designed and manufactured, customer tested and made available as soon as possible. Otis’ Breech to Muzzle cleaning philosophy has all but made the old cleaning rods obsolete. The Otis cleaning kits are designed to be inexpensive, compact, light (about 1/2 lb), portable and easy to use, thus ensuring every soldier has the right equipment to keep his weapon clean, lubricated and ready to fire when and if the need arises and, as an added plus, proper cleaning can actually prolong the service life of the weapon.

In 2006 Otis Technology opened a $1.3 million on-site day care center to provided low cost day care for their employees as well as reduced day care cost to residents in Lyons, NY.

Otis Technology has made vast advancements over the past 25 years to become the largest manufacturer of gun cleaning products in the United States. Otis holds more than 35 patents, 14 trademarks and sells gun cleaning kits worldwide to military and law enforcement agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Their annual sales were in an excess of $40 million this past year.

Otis has demonstrated that they are deserving of the prestigious Ambrose Industry Award.

2009 Hathcock Award:  Robert J. Thomas, U.S. Navy (retired)
(Picture not available at press time)

Robert J. Thomas is considered by many to be the Founding Father of Joint Special Operations Weapons.

In the late 1970s, Special Operations Forces (SOF) first began using flashlights and infrared aiming lasers on guns, in addition to limited numbers of night vision goggles and night vision sights provided by the parent services.  Not until 1986 would Congress require the President to create a unified combatant command specifically for global special operations roles, missions, and tasks, and, unique among other combatant commands, that would control its own resources, research, development and acquisition.  Until USSOCOM unified Army, Navy and Air Force Special Operations units, the weaponry allocations for units were a systemic nightmare.  Every SOF unit had its own allotment of non-standard peculiar weapons and accessories; more than 120 different varieties of small arms existed in Special Forces, Rangers and SEALs.  Their “homegrown” lasers, flashlights and silencers were rudimentary and most could not stand up to weapon recoil nor combat environments.  Most commercial aiming accessories of the time were not “ruggedized” and often failed firing combat insertions and gunfights.  In short, SOF small arms and aiming devices were ineffective and unsupportable.  The first USSOCOM Commander, General James Lindsay, U.S. Army, set about resolving small arms and aiming equipment inconsistencies.  He established the joint SOF weapons and aiming systems that would be standardized across SOF forces.  A destructive Capabilities Master Plan unified ground combat weapons, ammunition and sighting systems under a coherent joint roadmap.  Robert J. Thomas was instrumental in the formulations of this plan, particularly for Sniper Rifles, the SOF Offensive Handgun and Stand-off Weapons.  Following this capability planning effort, USSOCOM developed joining requirements documents for united systems.  During the next 15 years, USSOCOM established several Joint Special Operations small arms and weapons programs at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, that would directly address the Operational Requirements articulated by Robert Thomas.

MK23 Mod 0 Offensive Handgun Weapon System (OHWS) “SOCOM Pistol”
Robert Thomas was the operationally experienced shooter behind the requirement for the Mark 23 handgun.  Over 2,500 weapons were fielded to US SOF units as a result of this successful program.  While the Mark 23 handgun was not accepted by many SOF units (due to its size and bulk), Thomas’ contention that to be effective, a handgun must deliver a larger surface area, higher in velocity projectile than the 9mm NATO and the .45 ACP ammunition has been recently validated.  Current commanders and forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are demanding a more compact handgun that will deliver the accuracy and lethality of the MK 23.  Additionally, another result of the OHWS program was the AN/PEQ-6 Laser Aiming Module, a standardized handgun aiming module that is still thriving today and is the foundation for all modern light and laser aiming device.

MK11, MK12, MK13, and MK15 Sniper Systems
Robert Thomas was the person that shaped the requirements for the SOF family of sniper rifles.  His experience as a champion long range shooter and operational sniper formed the basis for writing Operational Requirements for light, medium and heavy sniper rifles.  His early articulated Sniper Rifle Operational Requirements were the genesis of the currently proliferated Joint SOF Sniper Rifles and have resulted in the U.S. Army adoption for semiautomatic sniper systems chambered for the 7.62mm bolt-action .300 Winchester Magnums and bolt-action rifles for the .50 caliber BMG.  Robert Thomas could well be called the father of the modern family of SOF joint sniper rifles.

Continued Service to the Global War on Terrorism
Robert Thomas continues to serve with distinction fully researching weapon trends and aiming devices being utilized in current conflicts.  Thomas has evaluated SOPMOD and SOF weapons aiming doctrine through the eyes of a SOF operational sniper.  His experience in long range shooting and marksmanship in all operational arenas from the Arctic mountains, to Equatorial jungles, through the deserts of the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, has provided invaluable insight as to the most effective employment of current weapons and technologies.  Robert Thomas is presently employed in both the SOPMOD Program for small arms training and doctrine development, as well as the SOF Weapons Program, providing expertise to the Precision Sniper Rifle project.

The operational experiences that Robert Thomas gained as a Naval Special Warfare Sniper (and father of the NSW Sniper Course), Officer in Charge of the Navy Rifle and Pistol Team, military competitive shooter and weapons development officer, provided him with unique insight into the operational requirements for Special Operations Forces long-range weapons and aiming devices.  His dedication to duty and contributions to United States Special Operations Forces small arms capabilities are unmatched.  The years of Naval Special Warfare operations and depth of knowledge that Robert Thomas brings to all of the SOPMOD SOF Weapons programs is superb, but perhaps his greatest contribution lies in the stream of graduates of the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Course, who continue to perform superbly in all operational theatres of the world.  These snipers best represent the Robert Thomas philosophy: “A SOF warrior cannot carry enough ammunition to ever miss a shot.”  Robert Thomas most recently was entrusted with the new USSOCOM development project for sniper laser aiming and range-finding.

Awards
Navy Cross: Armed action RVN;
Bronze Star (Combat V): Armed action RVN;
Purple Heart: Wounded in action RVN;
Navy Commendation Medal (Gold Star in lieu of second award) in recognition for development of NSW small arms, Navy JSSAP representative and leadership of Navy Rifle and Pistol Team;
Meritorious Service Medal for development of Strike-Naval Special Warfare Tactics and Doctrine;
Distinguished Master Rifle and Pistol Shooter;
President’s Hundred Rifle Shooter (four times)

Combat and Military Accomplishments
1967: Graduated Underwater Demolitions Team (UDT/R) training and assigned to UDT-22;
1968: Assigned SEAL Team 2; Ordnance Petty Officer; Stoner Armorer;
1969: Deployed to the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) as Detachment ALPHA Seventh Platoon Ordnance/Platoon Sniper;
1969: March – shot down by enemy ground fire while conducting sniper reconnaissance aboard a Navy Seawolf and awarded Navy Cross for subsequent defense of helicopter crew;
1970: Instructor SEAL Team 2 small arms training, selected for the All Navy Rifle and Pistol Team;
1977: Navy Representative to JSSAP and validated Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) requirement;
1978: Attended Army (Rock Island) and Navy (Crane) Armorer’s Courses;
1979: Wrote Operational Requirement and developed the .50 caliber Special Application Sniper Rifle (SASR);
1980: Wrote Operational Requirement for Naval Special Warfare .300 Win Mag Sniper Rifle and developed final loads within Judge Advocate General (JAG) guidelines;
1981: Developed and instituted Special Air Service, Australian Army Sniper course;
1983: Developed and instituted Naval Special Warfare Sniper Course;
1984: Wrote Naval Special Warfare Patrol Leaders hand book;
1984: Wrote Operational Requirement for Sniper Security Rifle and developed an effective, rugged, scoped M14 Sniper Security Rifle;
1985: Wrote Naval Special Warfare Sniper Manual and Winter Warfare Manual;
1986: Wrote Operational Requirement for Naval Special Warfare Stand Off –Weapon Systems and validated the Carl Gustav 84MM recoilless rifle;
1993: Wrote Operational Requirement for Mark 23 SOF Offensive Handgun and associated special ammunition and validated the handgun and ammunition through final acceptance;
2007: Wrote the new field combat manual for the M4A1 Carbine using SOPMOD accessories.

Marksmanship/Match Accomplishments
1970: Atlantic Fleet/All Navy/Inter-Service/National Matches and earned points toward Distinguished in Excellence-In-Competition Rifle Matches at all levels;
1971: Pacific Fleet/National Championships; Distinguished Excellence-In-Competition Rifle;
1978-81: Won Pacific Fleet/All Navy Rifle and Pistol Championships and Distinguished Excellence-In-Competition Pistol;
1982-1983: Won Western Australian Service Rifle and Pistol Championships;
1984-1993: Won Pacific Fleet and All Navy Rifle and Pistol Championships.

The Carlos N. Hathcock II Award is presented to recognize an individual, who, in the opinion of the Small Arms Section Steering Committee, Armaments Division, National Defense Industrial Association, has made significant contributions in operational employment and tactics of small arms weapons systems which have impacted on the readiness and capabilities of the United States military or law enforcement.  A significant contribution is considered to be: superior performance of duties in an operational environment or the development of tactics or training.

What is the Hathcock Award?
The Hathcock Award is named in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock II, a career Marine who dedicated his life to the service of this country in both the military and law enforcement communities.  He was honest, tactful, considerate, courageous, quietly proud and determined in all things and all places from the range to the battlefield.  “The Gunny” not only distinguished himself in combat as a scout-sniper but also as a competitive marksman and trainer.  In his capacity as a trainer he not only significantly impacted the current United States Marine Corps Scout-Sniper program but also influenced the sniper programs of the other military services and similar law enforcement programs nationwide.

Past Winners
1999: Carlos Hathcock
2000: Charles B. Mawhinney
2001: Bart Bartholomew
2002: Jim Owens
2003: Larry Vickers
2004: Steve Holland
2005: Pat Mitternight
2006: Allen Boothby
2007: American Snipers.org
2008: J. Buford Boone
2009: Robert J. Thomas