State of the Rebel Squadrons
Friday, July 21, 2006

I. Introduction
II. State of the Fleets
III. State of the Executive Offices
IV. Current Projects
V. Recognitions
VI. Conclusion


":)
Greetings, members of Rebel Squadrons! I'm pleased to report at this time the state of our club -- pleased because things are really looking quite up right now. Projects, activities, missions, multiplayer matches, and more have been active recently, and trends indicate an improvement in the future, too. I'm addressing you because the former FC, VA Tyrell "Spokes" Borran, resigned on June 28, and this past Monday, July 17, High Command elected me as the next FC. The RS has been in a state of some suspension recently, with most projects having not been worked on in months, and general disgruntledness with the situation permeating various aspects of RS life -- but now we're starting to break out of that and really get some fine things done. And I've seen many people around recently that I hadn't for a while, which is excellent. I recommend that you think of one person who isn't in the RS anymore, and you wished they were still -- and email them asking them how they're doing, and maybe if they want to come back, they could, y'know, consider it, 'cause it might just be fun. It's great to see these returning people, but even better to see the same people that have been here every day over the last year or two, putting their time into the club even when some parts of it weren't going so well. I salute you especially for keeping the club running.

Enough rambling, I suspect -- now let's look at some units!



II. State of the Fleets


- Patriot Battle Fleet
In case you weren't aware, the Retribution Wing, formerly a Fleet, recently merged with the Patriot Battle Fleet, and PBF members now play both X-Wing and TIE Fighter. This has significantly increased the number of people who have reported on both of the missions, and, with the return of several veteran pilots to the PBF, things are looking up for one of our oldest and grandest Fleets. Tour 7 has just started, and it promises to be rather unusual and fun, so I recommend joining in on the action if you can! PBF CO Joshua Hawkins has been doing an excellent, consistent job with this fleet, and it's once again a pleasure to be in.

- Renegade Fleet
The RgF has recently experienced a surge in activity, with over 30 active pilots flying the SP mission, and many of them also playing MP on occasion. The RgF has, in fact, grown so much over the past two months that this week it has had to expand its squadrons to 15 members, because the four squadrons had all become full. This is wonderful, and I hope that the RgF continues in the same line of successes that it has been having recently. Again, this Fleet is quite enjoyable, so if you are looking for a little XvT action, this is the place to get it!

- Intrepid Battle Group
The IBG has been at a consistent level of activity recently, with a fair number of dedicated pilots flying the ITOD mission each month. Recently, the Leagues of Interpersonal Competition (LIC), a MP ladder, was re-introduced, and is available at any time for members to participate in. The IBG is preparing for a merger with the RgF, to occur either in late August or sometime in September, and this merger should make it easier to play both XvT and XWA in the RS at the same time. The IBG's "historical missions" program, allowing new members to fly any past missions for merit points, has resulted in many new pilots trying out the IBG's past missions, which most of them seem to have enjoyed. If you enjoy XWA, and aren't in the IBG, perhaps you could download the latest mission and try it out, to see what it's like!

- Aurora Force
The AF is between missions at the moment, such that the majority of the fleet is enjoying some downtime and relaxation on their home planets -- although the Command Staff have been sent on a private mission with the AF XO, Carlos DeLong. In other AF news, the "AF-Kids" -- AF Second Generation -- group has started up again, depicting the children of AF characters. If you're wondering how children of your RS character might act-- here's your chance to find out!

- Redemption Fleet
The RF has been stable for a while now, with its three major units -- RID, CD, and ABG -- steadily working towards Fleet status. Odd situations seem to follow the fleet's Command Staff, as well -- strange images and music are prone to haunt the RF website, which may perhaps be the work of the ghost of expelled member Lefty Cordad, who seems to have slipped into the RF IO position. Units in the RF:
-- Righteous Indignation Division
RID, the RS's newest unit, is having successes both in inter- and intra- club competitions. Members DaLe and Raven have taken on some of the best EaW players around -- in the recent Invasionweek I, the two of them carried the RS to 4th place overall, with Raven achieving 5th on an undefeated record and highest average score per game, and CO DaLe achieving 8th. The unit is steadily growing, currently at 33 members, and aims for Fleet status one day. If you want to try out the latest SW game, Empire at War has generally gathered good reviews, unlike some other recent SW games, and seems to be well worth your time.
-- Allegiance Battle Group
Under the leadership of ABG CO Michael Raven, this group has worked its way back up into serious contention for Fleet status, with 47 members that join IRC at various times to roleplay under the ABG's unique system. If trends with the ABG continue, we may well soon see this group become a Fleet again.
-- Commando Division
SA Super has quietly turned the Commando Division into one of the most active units in the Rebel Squadrons, with several members playing 15 matches or more in the latest week of multiplayer competitions on Ecliptical Realms. Quality, not quantity is the rule in the CD of today, and it shows in the results that the CD is achieving. If you'd like to be a member of this fine group, contact Super.

- Vanguard Fleet
Our SWG Player Association may be seldom mentioned in some parts of the RS, but when I consider the results they achieve every day in-game, they have become the most active unit in the RS, and are widely known in SWG, especially on their server Starsider. The RS is the only Rebel guild left on Starsider that was founded when SWG was released, and they -- we -- are known as the "go-to" group when it comes to Rebel space combat. If you have ever wanted to participate in a real space battle, with dozens of human pilots, our SWG PA is the place to do it, and I recommend trying SWG out and heading over to New Horizon, Rori, Starsider to get in on the fun.


I've only covered the basics, and a few of the specifics, of each fleet, as you can refer to Fleet Newsletters in the RS news section to learn more. I see good things happening in every fleet, and I hope you continue the good work!



III. State of the Executive Offices


- Fleet Commander
http://fc.rebelsquadrons.org/
I have moved in, somewhat, to my new office, located at http://fc.rebelsquadrons.org/ - here you can view projects I have planned, and a log of things I have done as FC.

Taskforces - http://fc.rebelsquadrons.org/taskforces : If you are interested, please look through and select 1 or 2 subgroups that you would like to help with, and I will add you to the list. No HTML or coding knowledge is required for most of these; just the ability and desire to do some thinking and work for the RS. Because these are all RS-wide projects, working on them will make you eligible for RS-wide medals and promotions. Contact me for more details.


- Executive Officer
Read on to find out who the new Executive Officer is!


- Internet Office
http://io.rebelsquadrons.org/
With the recent resignation/retirement of RA Snappleguy, our longtime Internet Officer, I have taken over the duties of the Internet Office and have been hard at work improving the website. Here are a few of the changes that have been made in the past month:

- Creation of Beginner's Path - http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/path/ - a new system for introducing new members to our club.
- You can now comment on RS news posts, such as this one -- so it's no longer necessary to post news on the forums, although you may continue to do so if you wish.
- A "review" function has been added to the Missions Database - http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/missions/ - allowing you to write reviews of missions you've flown.
- There is now a form for requesting a name change for your character, or changing your primary fleet. This is to prevent certain abuses of the system that have occurred.
- "On Semi-Leave" has been added, as an alternative to "On Leave". This is for when you will be around somewhat, but unable to perform your full duties.
- Changes of status now notify your Chain of Command via email.
- RSBot is now present in #rs_bar_and_grill on IRC -- you can /msg RSBot hello, then /msg RSBot help for more commands. He (it) will say a special line of greeting for you whenever you join the channel, if you set it up.
- IBG/RgF LIC - http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/lic/ - This website is now fully automatic, and IBG and RgF members may fly MP any time they wish to participate in it.
- Just a reminder that you can send private messages on the RS site -- if you have any new private messages, the notification will display at the top of the RS main page.
- You can now add your BattleStats.com user ID to your profile.
- The main page of the RS wiki - http://wiki.rebelsquadrons.org/Main_Page - was redone for easier navigation of the wiki.
- The RS medals system, which is in the process of being revamped, now displays "*" for most "important" medals, which are the most prestigious and rarest RS medals.
- RS redirects, yourname@rebelsquadrons.org, are fully operational and you can assume that they will work fine unless a special announcement is made.
- All email sent through the RS server is delayed approximately four to five hours, or less; I'm not quite sure why this is, but I'm looking into it.
- Terrak Jace, the Internet Graphics Officer, has returned and is accepting requests for various types of graphics commissions. Contact him for more information.
- There are many more small items that have changed on the RS site, but they've slipped my memory for the time being -- but I'm sure this is enough for now.

I have made the following appointments:
Assistant Internet Officer: MGN Joshua Hawkins -- well, he has renamed his position "IO Clown"...      :-P Joshua has been helping me with many smaller IO tasks, which has proved very useful, and so I am placing him on the staff.
Assistant Internet Officer: COL Rekio Corsair Tarentae. Rekio has done significant work with the RgF website, and he will be assisting with the rest of the RS website as well.
Assistant Internet Officer: RA Patrick Blastfire. Blaster returns to the Internet Office after a long absence to help out with some of the smaller tasks that would take too much time away from my fulfilling FC duties.


- Logistics Office
LCM David Vaughan has been working on a mammoth project to compile the RS' entire fictional history, including a database of every ship used in combat, every battle and war fought by our various units, and combining everything to form one cohesive RS whole. He informs me that he has written approximately 200,000 words so far for this project. He is nearly done compiling data, and will soon begin publishing it for our perusal. This is really an immense project for just one man to take on, and I highly recommend that you praise Vaughan if you see him online -- what an effort! Vaughan has also been assisting Fleet COs and storyline makers with possible future storylines, making many lives easier. Assistant Logistics Officer COL Rekio Corsair Tarentae has been helping Vaughan with his various duties, and also deserves a word of thanks.


- Training Office
Have you heard of the Beginner's Path? It is a new system that allows new members to learn about the RS and its website while earning their first two promotions. Entirely optional, the Path awards points for writing a biography, reading the bylaws, posting on the forums, voting on quotes, and more. To learn more, visit http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/path/ !


- Council of Justice
http://coj.rebelsquadrons.org/
This office has handled several cases recently, mostly related to IRC. If you have a complaint about any member of the RS, and the Chain of Command is unavailable for some reason, you may request the Council's attention on the matter. For more details, visit the CoJ website.


- Operations Office
COL Eric Skrevski has been busy with awarding appropriate RS-wide combat medals and RS MP merits for various inter-club activities, including events on BattleStats and Ecliptical Realms. The OO is also in the early stages of setting up a competition with the New Republic 5th Fleet. Other possibilities include Outer Rim War III and a multiplayer competition with the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. If you're interested in helping to set up these competitions, contact me.


- Historical Office
http://ho.rebelsquadrons.org/
COL Max Cal, the Historical Officer, has recently received a plethora of information from Fleet Admiral Mike "MacMan" McEwen, who recently returned to active service in the RS, and should be posting it shortly. Stay tuned for more updates from the Historical Office in the near future. In the meantime, it's recommended to read the old Aaron Allston/Michael Stackpole chat log that MacMan posted in the RS news section -- a RS classic!


- Publications Office
Look for this office to become active with the RS NewsLetter project getting underway soon.



IV. Current Projects

- Medals System Revamp
Several of our members have expressed dissatisfaction with our current medals system, and are suggesting various ways to improve it. In addition, a review is being conducted of current usage and medals that have fallen into disuse. If you're interested in the revamp, head over to http://wiki.rebelsquadrons.org/Medals .

- Academy / Beginner's Path improvements
Some of our members have expressed a desire to bring back the old Academy, or otherwise modify the current system so that a new member can only sign up with one game at once. Visit http://wiki.rebelsquadrons.org/Academy for a list of proposals, and comment or add your own! Other proposals include making parts of Beginner's Path mandatory, turning over control of academies to the Training Office, and more.

- RS History
The history of most of our units is largely unwritten. You can help! Do you have old emails from when you joined, or when significant events happened in your squadron, wing, or fleet? Submit them to the Historical Office, or your local Fleet Historical Officer, and it will add to a growing collection of primary data to use in compiling a complete Rebel Squadrons history. If you'd like to help write the actual histories, that's possible, too. Contact me for more details.

- Game Information
Few sites have really good information on Star Wars games, especially detailed, helpful strategy and tips. It can also be hard to find a good selection of the best links and places to find more about the game. Our aim is to build the best database of information for the games we play on the Internet, both for the use of our own members and to draw others to our website. With so many people that play each game, we can work together to make the most accurate, complete information available. Let me know if you're interested in helping!

- Missions/Levels Database
For some games, there is not even one website that has a large collection of custom missions or levels built for it-- such as X-Wing, because all such websites have disappeared. Our mission -- no pun intended -- is to 1) collect every mission and level we can find on the 'Net, and our own archives, and 2) upload them to the RS site, after contacting the creator if possible, to preserve them for posterity; then 3) assemble a group of RSers to play through levels and review them, rating them on a scale of 1-10, as well as 4) compiling a scoreboard of everyone's scores for the levels, creating what is essentialy an always-ongoing ITOD scoreboard. This project will provide RSers with hundreds of levels to play for every game, removing that one-mission-a-month blues, as well as providing endless possibilities for trying to achieve top score on missions. Our X-Wing mission database is already mostly completed -- check it out at http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/missions/list?game=xw -- and you can rate and review missions, including PBF fleet, wing, and squadron missions. Soon, submissions will be accepted for killboards -- with old scores imported, so you can compare yourself against the best from the time when the ITOD mission was active. If you want to help with any aspect of this project, simply email me.

- Website Improvement
Work on the RS website is always ongoing, but if you have a particular gripe, complaint, or feature you'd like to see, email me and we'll see if it's possible. Many updates are planned already, but there is always room for more.



V. Recognitions


While I was reviewing our RS medals system, I realized that it has not been used to its fullest potential in recent years. One result of this is that members who have been active recently have not gotten full dues for their efforts. I therefore have a large number of people to recognize. Also, I think that most of us have forgotten which medals can be awarded for what. I'll briefly list the various non-combat RS-wide medals that you may nominate your fellow members for, in rough order of importance.

Excellency of Service: "This medal is awarded on extremely rare occasions, and only on the recommendation of the Nominating Officer and the approval of the FC. The Excellency of Service is awarded for service to the RS past the 'above and beyond the call of duty'. It is awarded to members who have made a large impression or lasting contribution to the betterment of the Rebel Squadrons."
Tatooine Suns: "This medal is awarded for significant contributions in furthering the cause of the Rebel Squadrons."
Distinguished Service Cross: "Awarded to commanders for exceptional extended service at a single command position and to those commanders that leave a high level command position in good standing."
Kessel Cup: "This medal is awarded for service to the Rebel Squadrons in an unusual and difficult way."
Unit Commander's Commendation: "Must be recommended by wing COs and up to exceptional commanders (CO/XO) that display great dedication to their unit and superb leadership skills."
Fleet Commander's Medal of Excellence: "This medal is awarded for individuals or groups who directly assist the RS Fleet Commander in his daily activities, or whom the RS FC wishes to recognize for particular excellence and/or dedication."
Excellency of Duty: "This medal is awarded for excellence within the bounds of one's duty as described by their position."
Dagger of Courage: "This medal is awarded for going above and beyond the call of duty in assisting a fellow pilot or commando."
Eye of the Jedi: "This medal is awarded for meritoriously recruiting members for the Rebel Squadrons."
Merit Commendation: "Awarded for one time deeds that deserve some sort of merit. This is the smallest award in the RS but still serves to recognize members for any one time works that help their units, commanders, or fellow members."


The first group I want to recognize are your leaders, the Rebel Squadrons High Command. These six people have been remarkably consistent and attentive during their service as Fleet Commanding Officers, and all of them have served for at least five straight months, something we have not been able to say about HC for a while now. Please salute these six members who have given so much of their time to this club:
Admiral Indiana Bridger, AF
Lieutenant General Leonard Cable, RF
Colonel Joel Lance, VF
Major General Joshua Hawkins, PBF
Brigadier General Anton "Ups" Nels, IBG
Brigadier General David "Tenacious 'D'", RgF

I thank each of you for your service and dedication to doing what is right for the Rebel Squadrons. You have made some difficult decisions recently, but always acted in the best interest of the club as a whole, and may your choices prove to benefit us all!

One person selected or approved each of these people, except for Indy, and we owe at least something of our current stability to his good judgment in commanders. That man is Vice Admiral Tyrell "Spokes" Borran, who recently resigned his post as Rebel Squadrons Fleet Commander. Spokes did his job the best way he knew how, leading from the front and capturing the attention of new members directly by offering to go in-game and play together. Spokes also kept us on top of things at the inter-club level, ensuring that we were signed up for every event that our members might want to participate in. He was readily available via email to answer any questions members might have during his sixteen-month tenure as Fleet Commander. He willingly offered his opinion on any projects that members considered undertaking, and he made sure that people who came to him walked away with their concerns addressed as best he could. It was a passive approach to the position, but his heart was in it. Finally, Spokes has been on the front lines for six years now, always leading from the front, achieving the first and the highest scores in games across the gamut of the RS, encouraging others to strive on. For all his efforts in helping others in his long RS history, it's my pleasure to award Spokes the Tatooine Suns - |//Oo| - ! Congratulations!

I have only been RS Fleet Commander for four days now, but I can already feel the sudden and unexpected pressures that arise, as well as the feeling of never being able to do everything that needs to be done, that is unique to this position and no other in the RS. It is therefore my opinion that all those who have led the Rebel Squadrons for a significant length of time, and I believe Spokes' sixteen months is easily significant, have earned a Kessel Cup - ||U|| - for "unusual and difficult service to the RS". You may have heard former FCs speak of the "Big Chair" -- well, it seems more of a "Really Visible Chair", and I think that sitting in it for as long as he did earned Spokes the Kessel Cup. Congratulations again, Spokes! And thank you for your long service. ":)

I wish to acknowledge Spokes' right hand man now, the man we all know as "Blaster", Rear Admiral Patrick Blastfire. As I look back at Blaster's record of service, dating back to 1997, I recall the work I did with him when I was Chief of Staff in 2004, and he was still RSXO. He did a great many things during that time that don't show up on an official service record, including sitting down and talking with many members over the proposed fleet restructuring, assisting with other projects in their infancy, and communicating with other clubs about possible competitions. While I cannot point to any one thing Blaster has done during his time here and say that it earns him such and such, I have the feeling deep down that the time and care he has given to this club over his lifetime rivals most other Admirals you could care to mention. For that reason, and for his near-two-year service as RSXO, it's my honor to award Blaster the Tatooine Suns - |//Oo| - ! Congratulations, Blaster, and may you have a happy retirement.

You may have realized by now that this section is going to be quite long.... :-)

Moving on to High Command, there are two people that I want to recognize for unusual service to their Fleet. The first is Admiral Indiana Bridger, the Commanding Officer of Aurora Force, who has served as Fleet CO for an -incredibly- long time -- she is, without a doubt, the longest-serving CO of any unit in the RS's history. I am unsure exactly what the number is, but I believe she has been AF CO for more than 6 years. To recognize this extraordinary service, I hereby award ADM Bridger the Kessel Cup - ||U|| - for unusual and difficult service, of which I'm sure you will agree an example is leading a fleet for six years. In addition, Indiana has never received the Unit Commander's Commendation - [=*=] - in her long service, so it's my privilege to now award her that as well! Congratulations, Indy, and may your streak continue!

The other member of High Command that deserves special recognition for his command work is Colonel Joel Lance, who has led the RS to be the premiere Rebel space group in Starsider, if not SWG, and continues to uphold that status to this day. As he has personally led the RS to victory in many space battles, it's my honor to award Joel the New Republic Medal of Honor - ]]]<(*)>[[[ - for his combat prowess! And, for building the RS PA up and increasing its already impressive renown, I also hereby award Joel the Unit Commander's Commendation - [=*=] -. Finally, Joel has been leading the RS PA for a long time now, but has seen little official reward, or even acknowledgement, for it, and I believe he has earned further recognition than he has earned so far today -- so it's my privilege to promote Joel Lance to Brigadier General for his work as Vanguard Fleet CO! Congratulations, General Lance! ":)

Moving on to the Executive Staff....

First, I intend to correct an oversight from several months ago. A member of the Internet Office staff, all in one night, created a new RS logo, updated all of our fleets' designs to use it, and then made an entirely new design for our website, which was good enough to choose as our new default design! While he found himself called away from the RS shortly thereafter, he has recently returned, and has been representing the RS in multiplayer competitions. In recognition of his site design and logos that our members have all been using and enjoying for the past few months, I hereby promote Terrak "TJ" Jace to Major. Congratulations, and may your fine work continue!

Next is the Training Officer, Colonel Stalker. He has made it his mission to help all new members, and, I understand, contacts each of them personally to let them know he is available for any questions. He has done significant work on proposals to revamp the join system, including a possible new Academy, and other items outside of his job description as TO. For these actions, I hereby award Stalker the Dagger of Courage - -^†^- - for assisting fellow members beyond the call of duty. But I feel that this is not quite enough recognition. Stalker has been a dedicated member of the RS for a long time, in the PBF, AF, and TO, and has offered his opinion and time on all kinds of matters for the past few years, without acknowledgement of his efforts. For his dedication to the Rebel Squadrons, I hereby promote Stalker to Brigadier General! Congratulations!

Lieutenant Commander David Vaughan has been the best Logistics Officer that the RS has ever had, primarily due to his extraordinary efforts and dedication to his tasks. He may perhaps have put in more time into the RS than anyone else in the past four or five months, working on LO projects. He has assisted various Fleet Command Staff with help in setting up new storylines, and has generally been a better Logistics Officer than I could have hoped to find. For this and more, it seems only appropriate to award LCM Vaughan the Excellency of Duty - - for his work as Logistics Office. Congratulations! Others have also noticed the zeal that Vaughan has for his work, so he has also received a promotion recently.

Colonel Rekio Corsair Tarentae has worked on a number of tasks outside of his job as Assistant Logistcs Officer, including extensive work towards the proposed IBG/RgF merger, the RS medals system, and more. He has also volunteered to help out with the Internet Office to lessen my workload, and has been active on the RS wiki. For working towards a better RS, I award Rekio the Dagger of Courage - -^†^- - !

The Council of Justice. Since its inception two summers ago, the three-person membership of this council has never changed, and all three have been reliably acting in their conception of the best interest and judgment of the RS. Major General Randy "Archangel" Starkiller has endeavored to follow through with cases, making sure that accused and accusers are fairly treated even when the case is passed off to a fleet Chain of Command, and for this I award him Dagger of Courage - -^†^- - for assisting fellow members beyond the call of duty. Fleet Admiral Dave Trebonious-Astoris also deserves recognition for his good service on the Council, but he appears to already have every possible medal that I could award him -- except for one! Dave, it is my very great, esteemed, distinct, joyous, and privileged honor to award you the Merit Commendation - =*= - !

And the last member of the Council is Fleet Admiral Rensal Darklighter, otherwise known to us as "Biggie". He has held the position of Minister of Justice for as long as I can remember -- meaning possibly since 2001 or before -- and has always adhered to HIER admirably. His patience has been solid when dealing with cases of various natures over the years, and his length of service is remarkable. I therefore award FA Darklighter with the Distinguished Service Cross - |_/= ?=_| - for his long service in the RS justice system. Congratulations!

The Chief Recruiting Officer, Commander Damon Lightwind, is next in line for recognition, primarily because of his amazing feat of gathering every former RSer's email and contacting them to see if they were interested in returning. This occurred several months ago, but was never specifically rewarded. His efforts were at least partially successful, as several members returned because of the emails. For finding members to come back and participate with us again, I hereby award CMDR Lightwind the Eye of the Jedi - -- o -- - ! And, because one of these members, was none other than our Logistics Officer, LCM David Vaughan, I hereby award Damon the Merit Commendation - =*= - for being the person to spark the recent amazing activity in the Logistics Office. Congratulations!

One more RS member has earned the Eye of the Jedi - -- o -- - . That person is Major General Joshua Hawkins, PBF CO, for his persistence and ability to bring back a significant number of pilots to the PBF, including a few I never thought I would see in a PBF uniform again. For his passion, persuasiveness, and enthusiasm, I hereby award Josh the Eye of the Jedi! And, don't leave yet, you have one more on the way. Josh has personally assisted me every step of the way since my return in June, volunteering his services to help out with the RS website, various proposals, keeping an eye on what I've been up to and offering help where he could, and carrying on the flag of the flight fleet merger when I put it down a year or two ago. He is always on the lookout for ways that he can help the RS and its members, and is an active and friendly presence on IRC every day. His enthusiasm for my projects has helped to spur me on, and so.. my first chair will go out to him! Major General Hawkins, I hereby award you the Fleet Commander's Medal of Excellence - - . Congrats!

Getting close...

Three wing leaders deserve recognition for their long and able handling of their Wings:
- Lieutenant General Michael Raven, for the Allegiance Battle Group;
- Sector Admiral Super, for the Commando Division;
- Colonel Max Cal, for the Retribution Wing.
Each of these units has had their moments of activity and inactivity, but overall the command has been steady and inspiring, so it's my pleasure to award each of these gentlemen the Unit Commander's Commendation - [=*=] -. Congratulations, and may you continue to lead your wings to good places!

Two leaders of the Righteous Indignation Division have been driving our EaW unit to do good things, and also have been doing stellar jobs in their other positions. Major Luren "DaLe" Ketan works with the RgF Training Office, and has been offering his input on an improved TO/Academy system; and Lieutenant General Danny "David Lee Japan" Qatar, otherwise known as Cody, has been working diligently on linking the RS SWG PA with the main club. For their excellence in both the RID and their other duties, I hereby award them the Excellency of Duty - - . Good work, gentlemen!

There is a member of the Rebel Squadrons who, through good or bad, can perpetually be found in the Bar and Grill dispensing advice, witticisms, sharp remarks, and various types of rants. He has also taken over the chief responsibility of reprimanding all those who would seek to do less-than-intelligent things. You may be impressed to know that this person has said over 200,000 lines of text in the B&G during his RS career. He has also done a variety of RS work, ranging from the RF website to FC candidacy posters, that injects spice into our club. For his spice, and avoiding having the brain worms, I hereby award Admiral Kaz Falcion the Kessel Cup - ||U|| - for unusual service to the Rebel Squadrons!

Five candidates accepted nominations for RS Fleet Commander, one of them having never sat on High Command before, but still desiring to take part in the process. For his participation in the election, I hereby award General Sair Mandella a Merit Commendation - =*= -! A winner is you!

For being willing to accept the mantle of the Person In Charge of the Rebel Squadrons by accepting their nominations for Fleet Commander, and showing their commitment in the election process, three people deserve recognition: Lieutenant General Michael Raven, Brigadier General Anton "Ups" Nels, and Lieutenant General Leonard Cable. I think the commitment these gentlemen were willing to give the Rebel Squadrons has earned them the Dagger of Courage - -^†^- -. Thank you, sirs!

If you haven't seen the FC election posters yet, and you are confident in your sense of humor, I highly recommend it: http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1631 . I'm going to award a Merit Commendation to everyone who made a poster for all the laughs they brought to us.

For being concerned with the overall state of the Rebel Squadrons, approaching various command members with suggestions and an offer to help, and for seeking out those who might improve the RS, I hereby award General Wes "Gizmo" Belden with a Dagger of Courage - -^†^- - ! Congratulations!

Finally, there is one member whose dedication and service to the Rebel Squadrons has been completely commendable, who attempted to make up for oversights by the leadership, and who urged on those around him, both superiors and those under his command, to greater efforts in the RS. It may be appropriate to say that at times in the past year or two, this member was the most present force holding the Rebel Squadrons together. That person is Leonard Cable, who I am pleased to promote to full General for his efforts and contributions towards the good of the Rebel Squadrons. Thank you, Cable! ":)



VI. Conclusion

Whew! What a lot of recognitions, but I hope you'll agree with me that each of them are well-deserved. To return to the State of things in this here club, I am quite pleased with the way things are looking up, and I hope we can move forward and give the RS new chapters in history to be proud of. Again, please contact me if you want to help out with any of the ongoing projects, and I will be glad to have you. If I have made any omissions, or forgotten anyone, please let me know and I'll consider it right away.

Finally, I realize that I've been Fleet Commander for all of four days, but I have been planning a vacation to upper New England for July 21-30 since this spring, and the timing of my appointment as Fleet Commander just happened to work out so that I'll be away right after taking the job. This, then, is my final action before I'm "requested at NR headquarters for a full briefing of the galaxy's situation." The RS Executive Officer will therefore be placed in immediate command as soon as I appoint him.

Which will occur now. I received several fine applications for the position of Rebel Squadrons Executive Officer, and it's not an exaggeration to say that I pondered my decision for some hours, but the new RSXO wil be:

General Leonard Cable, step forward! I hereby appoint you as Rebel Squadrons Executive Officer, based on your past and recent record of service and dedication. Congratulations! I and the rest of the RS look forward to working with you.

I do believe I've said "Congratulations" more than enough by now, so I'll leave you all with an old saying -- Reach for the stars, and you will find that you can often catch them!

":)
Rear Admiral Licah Fox
Rebel Squadrons Fleet Commander

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The Rebel Squadrons.
A H.I.E.R. Organization -- Honesty, Integrity, Equanimity, Respect.
http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/
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