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The Gryphon's Beak

July, 2021

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I didn’t know her.

I’m sure I saw her at a Manticon, but honestly wouldn’t have been able to pick her out of a photo. It’s like that sometimes – it’s almost impossible to know everyone that shares an organization with you. It’s often impossible to even know everyone in the region, for large enough organizations.

I saw posts about something happening in people’s lives, and asked when the third similar post hit. It was a screenshot of the first coverage, before names had been released. Math isn’t my strong suit, but that one was easy. As the story unfolded, the details just became horrible.

Lauri Deatherage was murdered, according to reports (and the accused perpetrator), because her ex-husband couldn’t accept her being remarried.

I want to announce a fundraiser for July to honor her life. Donations were requested to help stop veteran suicide. I will be collecting funds to donate to Stop Soldier Suicide on her behalf.

Please use this link to donate.

THE TRADITION LIVES!
OAK FOREST

Oak Forest Arms

Comings & Goings

BuShips Directive 2106-04

Effective as of 0001 Hours on 15 June 2021, LAC-004 (HMLAC Superior) is to immediately stand down all present assignments and/or missions and is subsequently ordered to return to Manticore for decommissioning and crew transfer.

Upon arrival, you and your crew shall make LAC-004 (HMLAC Superior) ready in all respects for decommissioning: strike eight bells, strike the colors and secure the watch. You are further ordered to relinquish command of LAC-004 (HMLAC Superior) to the Bureau of Ships in the person of CDRE Justin Dupras, GCE, SC, OG, CGM, GS, CMB, RMN, who shall hold temporary command for the duration of the voyage to Manticore for processing and inspection.

The following personnel are hereby transferred and permanently assigned to HMSS North Star (SS-102):

  • LCDR Nicholas Sterling
  • LT(JG) Kristin Fogard
  • CPO Colin Engstrom
  • PO2 Erin Engstrom
  • S1C Jordan Engstrom
  • S1C Terry Herman
  • S1C Joy Podvin
  • S1C Robert Stenseng

The following civilians are hereby transferred and permanently assigned to HMSS Greenwich (SS-001):

  • C2 David Gsprindashvili

Upon her successful arrival at Manticore, LAC-004 (HMLAC Superior) is scheduled to be transferred to the Active Fleet Reserves, following inspection and any repairs deemed necessary. This vessel shall be made available for recommissioning at a later date.

 

Naval Directive 21JU-02

Directive 21JU-02.01: Task Group 22.4 is henceforth activated as an echelon subordinate to Task Force 22, presently under the command of CDRE Sir Justin Dupras, RMN.

Directive 21JU-02.02: You are directed and required to assume command of Task Group 22.4. Fail not in this duty at your peril.

Directive 21JU-02.03: CLAC-62 (HMS Demon) is ordered attached to Task Group 22.4 as your flagship. All previous orders pertaining to Demon’s mission, assignment, or
attachment are rescinded or overridden, as required.

Directive 21JU-02.04: In your new capacity, you are directed to inform the Commanding Officers of CA-412 (HMS Hexapuma), DD-174 (HMS Vixen), and DD-01 (HMS Havoc) to report for duty with Task Group 22.4 as permanently attached units. All previous orders pertaining to mission, assignment, or attachment for the above-named units are hereby rescinded or overridden, as required.

The above directives are issued with an effective date of 30 June 2021.

August Reports

This is a reminder that your Chapter and MarDet reports are due between the 1st and 10th. One thing I found amazingly helpful when filling them out was to use an online document (Google Docs, Word Online) to keep things organized as they happened. Then, when the reporting month hit, I could just copy and paste them into the reports form, and be done. No trying to remember what happened two months ago at the last minute!

And a reminder that Marksmanship submissions are due the 20th of the month, so we have time to correlate and get things set for the award issuance.

Marines – you now have a new online form to fill out for Bi-Monthly reports. The link is below. It will send the reports to your command triad, your Ship’s CO and to ComForceCom. Please use this form to send in your report that is due on the 5th.

There is only one stipulation with the form at this time. Please do not use autofill. Autofill does not work properly and that information is deleted in the report. You can copy and paste information into the report but forgo the autofill function.

https://buships.trmnbureaus.info/rmmc/

Upcoming Events

The Bureau of Planning is excited to announce the launch of ConStack. This cooperative project between BuPlan and BuComm is now a fabulous new tool that puts information about over 2,000 conventions at your fingertips. All members of TRMN and the public can view ConStack at:

https://constack.trmnbureaus.info/

If you see that an event is missing or has incorrect information, contact your Fleet’s BuPlan Intel Agent or Branch Liaison and they will get it updated.

ChiCon8 Take To The Stars
Crossed pulsars

Marksmanship Update

By order of CO 2nd Fleet, the following marksmanship awards are issued effective 1 July, 2021:

PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP CERTIFICATE:

  • S3C Stephen BAKER, RMN HMS Galahad

RIFLE MARKSMANSHIP CERTIFICATE:

  • LTSG Crystal BUTT, HMS Vixen

PISTOL SHARPSHOOTER AWARD:

  • CAPT Larry Dale FRENCH Sr, RMMC MARDET Demon

RIFLE EXPERT AWARD:

  • CAPTSG Samuel DIETZMAN, HMS Demon
  • MCPO Rick WATERSON, HMS Demon

The Tradition Lives!

For CO 2nd Fleet:

Issued by:

KEVIN WALSH, NS
Senior Chief Petty Officer, RMN
2nd Fleet Range Officer

Gryphon’s Wings Fleet Relief Project

On May 23rd we launched the Gryphon’s Wings Fleet Relief Project. The response has been overwhelming, and I am humbled by the generosity of our members.

We are currently in the midst of a Global pandemic. However, while we are all in the same storm, we are navigating the waters on different ships. Sometimes these waters will be more than we can handle on our own, and we need an extra hand on deck. We want you to know that the 2nd fleet is here for you. 

To that end, we are asking for donations to create an emergency relief fund to be used for TRMN 2nd Fleet members. This fund’s target is to provide immediate short term relief of an urgent crisis. For example: Sending someone grocery money for a weeks worth of groceries (as a lot of food banks are running out of food, short on volunteers, and closing), providing gas money for a week so someone can still travel back and forth providing care-giving to a family member, covering the co-pay cost of a doctors visit, and other small emergency expenses. Anything helps. I am asking for a $5 monthly commitment – the cost of a Starbucks coffee – to assist. Please join me, and those who have already donated, in making TRMN more than just a fan group. Click here, or the banner below, to donate. Meet the Test.

At the same time, we know some are being affected by the effort to combat the virus,including job loss, other reduction of income, medical difficulties, etc. This can result in a tough choice between shelter, transportation, food, or medical care. That is an impossible choice no one should be required to face, and we want to help how we can.

To apply for a Visa Gift Card for you or another member, please click here.

Only the 2nd Fleet CO will see who the requester and/or the potential recipient is.  This will never be held against you in any way. We don’t ask for or expect repayment. This is not charity, we are simply keeping the RMN tradition of seeing that a Queen’s Navy is well rested, well fed, and healthy before going into battle. And this is a battle where victory will be measured in not just survivors but in the quality of that survival.

Gryphon's Wings

To request assistance, please click here.

A Matter Of Honor RMN LARP

A Matter of Honor is a multi-day, live-action role playing event set in David Weber’s expansive literary Honorverse. Held in November 2021, the event will offer players three days of exciting adventures and full immersion within Weber’s colorful science-fiction world. Within the interior of the decommissioned USS Edson in Bay City, Michigan, nearly 200 players will serve as the crew of the HMS Ballista, a heavy cruiser of the Royal Manticoran Navy with a mission of unparalleled importance. Each player will receive a uniquely-written character whose backstory and abilities will shape the actions and relationships of the player moving through the weekend event. Participants will need to work carefully with each other – and sometimes against each other – to fulfill duties and objectives unique to their character and the mission at large.

A Matter of Honor will be held from November 12 to 14th, 2021 and will run non-stop until the conclusion of the event. Unlike other QAG events, A Matter of Honor does not have specific “lights out” times and will run continuously from start to finish. Player sleep times will still mean activity for others, and each character will be assigned a specific schedule of on-duty, off-duty, and rest periods to simulate the rigors of space-bound life in the Manticoran Navy.

A Matter of Honor is an official Honorverse event and – while produced by Quest Adventure Gaming – is being carried out in cooperation with David Weber, the BuNine Team, and The Royal Manticoran Navy. The event will closely follow the canonical universe of the books, with frequent and obvious references to source materials. While participants are not required to be familiar with the Honorverse, a familiarity with the books is strongly recommended and will certainly assist players in their understanding of their characters and the in-game setting.

Most of the Matter of Honor event will be hosted aboard the USS Edson, a decommissioned Forrest Sherman-class destroyer from the Cold War era. Now a national historic landmark at the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum in Bay City, MI, the vessel’s interior will serve as the HMS Ballista (CA-586). Players will have access to the vast majority of the ship’s sizable inner-workings, with various locales serving as key game locations and player accommodations. Many of the Edson’s actual controls will be temporarily fitted with a networked system of touch-screen panels and computer interfaces, allowing players to collectively navigate the Ascendant through a virtual simulation of deep space.

In addition, specific encounters and plot points will take place at additional sites in the Bay City/Saginaw area to serve as other vessels and planets within the Honorverse. At various points, players may have the opportunity to explore these additional locations, adding a sense of depth and scale to the overall player experience.

For more information or to register, visit https://matterofhonorlarp.com/.

A Matter of Honor Logo

June Honors – Awards

Queen's Bravery Medal

SMCPO Megan KRICK, RMN HMS Musashi

Navy Achievement Medal

LTJG Amy Louise THEISEN, RMN HMS Musashi
RADM Wayne BRUNS, RMN HMS Invincible

Marine Achievement Medal

1LT Martin Richard TIZURA, RMMC MARDET Vixen

Royal Meritorious Unit Citation

HMS Demon
HMS Enterprise
HMS Invincible
HMS Valkyrie

Survivor's Cross

1LT Martin Richard TIZURA, RMMC MARDET Vixen

Manticoran Combat Action Medal

8th Award

CAPT Larry FRENCH Sr, RMMC MARDET Demon​

 

Prisoner of War Medal

LTSG Paul SPARKS, RMN HMS Enterprise

Enlisted Space Warfare Pin

S3C Robert B HALL Sr, RMN HMS Havoc

Ranks on awards are listed at the time of award, and may have changed by publication.

June Honors – Promotions

Congratulations are extended to the following members on the occasion of their promotions as noted.

Board Promotions
Timothy Bailey, RMN, HMS Musashi, to Captain, Senior Grade
Richard Davenport, GSN, HMS Death Claw, to Captain
Sherman Day, RMN, HMS Demon, to Rear Admiral of the Red
Rick Matheny, RMN, HMS Invincible, to Captain, Senior Grade

HMS Demon

  • Danielle E Ostach to Electronic Warfare Mate 1/c, effective 24 June, 2021

HMS Enterprise

  • Cory Snedden to Senior Master Chief Petty Officer, effective 12 June, 2021

HMS Galahad

  • Shane G Eaton (RMN-6098-19) to Lance Corporal, effective 13 June, 2021
HMS Havoc

HMS Havoc

  • Robert Hall Sr to Spacer 2nd Class, effective 29 May, 2021
  • Mark Lloyd to Petty Officer First Class, effective 6 June, 2021
  • Barry L. Taylor Jr to Corporal, effective 7 June, 2021
  • William E. Nelson to Spacer 2nd Class, effective 21 June, 2021

HMS Hexapuma

  • Eric Thompson to Spacer 2nd Class, effective 25 June, 2021

Fleet Command & Staff Information

CO, Gryphon Fleet

CO, Gryphon Fleet

co@gryphonfleet.org

Rear Admiral of the Green Geoffrey Strayer, GCE, KR, SC, OG, CGM, GS

Baron Oak Forest

XO, Gryphon Fleet

XO, Gryphon Fleet

Rear Admiral of the Green Wayne Bruns, GCE, OM, KCGL, MC, OC, CR, SC, OG, CGM, GS, QBM, CBM, PC

Baron Grosvenor

Bosun, Gryphon Fleet

Bosun, Gryphon Fleet

bosun@2ndfleet.trmn.org

Senior Master Chief Intelligence Mate
Kevin Walsh, NS, QBM

Chief of Staff

cos@gryphonfleet.org

Captain, Senior Grade Zach McCauley

Flag Captain

co@hmsgryphon.trmn.org

Captain, Junior Grade Christina Swanson

Flag Lieutenant

flaglt@gryphonfleet.org

Captain Junior Grade Kerry Kuhn

Fleet Medical NCOIC

medical@gryphonfleet.org

PO2 Steven Bobula

Intelligence Specialist

intel@2ndfleet.trmn.org

Lieutenant Commander David Oliver Kling

JAG Ombudsman

Vacant

Legalman

legalman@2ndfleet.trmn.org

CPO Christina R Doane

Operations Officer

operations@gryphonfleet.org

Lieutenant Commander Patrick Giese

Personnel Officer

Captain (SG)
Jamey Salsberg
KDE, MC, OC

Range Officer

marksmanship@2ndfleet.trmn.org

Senior Master Chief Intelligence Mate
Kevin Walsh, NS, QBM

RMACS Liaison

ascl@gryphonfleet.org

Captain, Junior Grade Christina Swanson

Training Officer

bosun@hmsgryphon.trmn.org

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Derek Firehawk Sauls

Gryphon Fleet Order of Battle

Task Force 21

Covering Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Task Group 21.1 shoulder patch

Task Group 21.1

LAC Wing 30

HMLAC Gungnir, Willmar, MN
HMLAC Superior, Duluth, MN
SMLAC Arminius, Minneapolis, MN

Destroyer Squadron 265

HMS Javelin (DD-264), Big Lake, MN
HMS Lodestone (DD-64), Elk River, MN
HMS Merlin (CA-270), St. Cloud, MN

Independent Commands

HMS Hellhound (DD-446), St. Paul, MN
HMS Invincible (SD-455), Plymouth, MN
HMS Juno (BC-726), Willmar, MN

HMS Leonidas (BC-584), Grand Forks, ND
HMS Valkyrie (SD-355), Minneapolis, MN

Task Group 21.2 shoulder patch

Task Group 21.2

Independent Commands

HMS Borzoi (DD-438), River Falls, WI
HMS Gawain (DD-481), Madison, WI
HMS Musashi (BC-775), Milwaukee, WI

Task Force 22

Covering Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and the Lower Peninsula of Michigan

Task Group 22.1 shoulder patch

Task Group 22.1

LAC Wing 62

GSNLAC Lilla Björn, Marquette, MI
HMLAC Scythe, Portage, Indiana

Independent Commands

HMS Apollo (CL-80), Lafayette, IN
HMS Gryphon (SD-153), Indianapolis, IN
HMS Hotspur (DD-02), Rantoul, IL
HMS Samurai (CL-356), Goshen, IN
HMS Wolfhound (DD-437), Mt. Prospect, IL

Task Group 22.2 shoulder patch

Task Group 22.3

Cruiser Division 711

HMS Death Claw (CA-437), Cincinnati, OH
HMS Sabrepike (CA-417), Franklin, OH

Independent Commands

HMS Ajax (BC-545), Windsor, Ontario
HMS Beowulf (BC-739), Lansing, MI
HMS Enterprise (BC-480), Rochester Hills, MI
HMS Galahad (DD-478), Columbus, OH
HMS Helen (BC-570), Fruitport, MI
Task Group 22.4

Task Group 22.4

Independent Commands

HMS Demon (CLAC-62), Des Plaines, IL
HMS Havoc (DD-01), Muncie, IN
HMS Hexapuma (CA-412), Rockford, IL
HMS Vixen (DD-174), Chicago, IL

Echelon Commanders

Task Force 21

Task Force 21

RADM Wayne Bruns

Task Group 21.1

Task Group 21.1

CAPTSG Jill McTavish

Destroyer Squadron 265

Destroyer Squadron 265

CAPTSG Paladin Meyer

Task Group 21.2

Task Group 21.2

CAPTJG Timothy Bailey

Task Force 22

Task Force 22

CDRE Justin Dupras

Task Group 22.1

Task Group 22.1

CAPTSG Michael Flanagan

Task Group 22.3

Task Group 22.3

CAPTSG Jackie Snedden

Cruiser Division 711

Cruiser Division 711

CAPTJG Kevin Johnson

Task Group 22.4

Task Group 22.4

CAPTSG Samuel Dietzmann