It’s been more than a year since the last major awards were presented. Here is our fourth Special Commendation Medal, which is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the crewmember level.
Special Commendation Medal
Awarded to Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis (previously known as Shoniara T’ghann Dex before her marriage in-story) of the USS Washington for sustained superior role playing. Using her encyclopedic knowledge of Trek, she effortlessly writes detailed posts and collaborates with others to tell truly immersive stories within the canon. In the nearly two years since her first post on August 19, 2021, she has tallied 9.33 total awards, good for 13th place all-time, which includes one MVP and five Most Posts.
It’s been 20 months since we last presented individual major awards. In that time, our fleet has seen a lot of growth and set the bar high in a number of areas. It’s also been just over two years since we launched our new website and URL. Bottom line, it’s high time to recognize a few of the individuals who helped make all of this happen.
I’m also very proud to announce the creation of the Special Commendation Medal, which will be awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the crewmember level. With that in mind, I hereby issue the following seven citations:
The Special Commendation Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the crewmember level.
Special Commendation Medal
Awarded to Lieutenant Aurora Vali of the USS Sunfire for outstanding role playing. She is the epitome of the quiet, reliable, and drama free achiever. A true team player, she is considerate of others, puts forth great ideas to the command, and introduces excellent plot twists for others to use–she does all the little things that others often don’t see.
Awarded to Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell of the USS Sunfire for outstanding writing. A role playing force of nature, she’s already second all-time with 20.43 total awards and one of the greatest simmers in IDF’s history. Durnell continues to produce posts of such high quality that one could mistake them for production level Trek.
Awarded to Commander Jonathan Grayson of the USS Washington for outstanding role playing leadership. He’s been the Executive Officer of the Washington for several years now, understanding the nuances of the Captain’s guidance and balancing it with a great pulse on the crew. He’s an excellent mentor, coordinator, and writer to boot.
The Command Excellence Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the sim Commanding Officer level.
Command Excellence Medal
Awarded to Captain Dick Sprague for commanding 10 different IDF sims, including the USS Chuck Norris and USS Albion. Sprague not only holds the record for most commands, but also the most Genesis Awards (11). In addition, he ranks third all-time among sim COs for total posts (3,198). A thoroughly unconventional CO, his sims are always unique.
Awarded to Captain Rhenora Kaylen for commanding the USS Sunfire and USS Liberty. Arguably the greatest sim Commanding Officer in IDF history, her outstanding games have garnered community wide recognition, including the 2010 Simming Prize. Incredibly, she also ranks first all-time among COs in both total posts (8,195) and posting titles (39).
The Distinguished Service Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the Admiralty level.
Distinguished Service Medal
Awarded to Rear Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh for serving as Director of Personnel from February 2020 through today. He has efficiently ensured that IDF regularly recognizes its crewmembers for their excellence in role playing, a feature not seen in many other fleets. He is always fair and his efforts showcase the best IDF has to offer.
Awarded to Admiral Ken Gillis for serving as Chief of Technology and Fleet Executive Officer from July 2020 through today. Not only does he expertly manage the fleet’s entire technology stack, but his wisdom and guidance in other areas of fleet operations have proven invaluable. He is the best fleet XO in simming, hands down.
It’s finally here: The 20th anniversary of the founding of this great club. Who knew back on July 4, 2001 that this group, launched with humble beginnings on Angelfire and YahooGroups, would not only still be around today, but standing among the titans of simming?
Independence Fleet has seen good times, bad times, and everything in between. Throughout it all, we’ve endured to create some of the best Star Trek role playing the Internet has ever witnessed. With that in mind, we have an important message from a very special guest:
In honor of this historic and momentous occasion, we hereby publish the Independence Fleet 20th Anniversary Almanac. It’s 20 pages of history, games, perspectives from the fleet, and more:
Whether you’ve been a member for one day or all 20 years, this legacy belongs to you! On behalf of the entire IDF Admiralty, we hope you thoroughly enjoy today’s message, almanac, and everything this fleet offers.
Tomorrow is obviously a big day. Not only is it our 19-year anniversary, but we’ll also officially enshrine our 2020 Hall of Fame Class. However, before we get to that, I think we need to honor two extraordinary individuals who helped get us where we are today.
Awarded to Fleet Admiral AJ Wheeler for his service as Commander-in-Chief from 2010 to 2020. Fleet Admiral Wheeler led this fleet for more than nine years, a record by far for the position. Wheeler guided the club with passion and saw many ups and downs during his time. He was a steadying force throughout and remains one of the all-time greats.
Awarded to Fleet Admiral James D. West for his service as Commander-in-Chief in 2020. Fleet Admiral West wasted no time in saving the fleet from almost certain demise and energetically led the fleet back to again being one of the leaders of the community. A hero from both our beginnings and today, he is the very embodiment of Independence Fleet.
It’s been almost four months since I assumed command of Independence Fleet back in February. It’s high time that we recognized some of the people who have made our resurgence possible. I hereby issue the following six citations:
The Excellence in Service Medal is hereby renamed the Command Excellence Medal. It is to be awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the sim Commanding Officer level.
Command Excellence Medal
Awarded to Captain Shane Youngblood for commanding the USS Chuck Norris from 2014 to 2020. Captain Youngblood kept IDF alive when its website went offline by having the Chuck Norris continue simming over email. For that action, IDF will be forever grateful.
Awarded to Colonel Steven MayTa Death for commanding the USS Sanctuary from 2012 to 2020. At the time of his transfer to fellow simming club UCIP, he was first all time in IDF with 89 command months. His tenure included 1,631 total posts and 17 posting titles.
Awarded to Captain Shran dh’Klar for commanding the USS Washington. As previously announced, Captain dh’Klar is now our Commanding Officer elder statesman with the all time lead in command months (90) and posting titles (26). He continues to be guiding light and example for his sim.
The Distinguished Service Medal is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the Admiralty level.
Distinguished Service Medal
Awarded to Rear Admiral Sadie Stanton for her service as Director of Art. Creating an entirely new graphical design and feel for the IDF website, her creative vision has been invaluable in our second renaissance.
Awarded to Vice Admiral Ken Gillis for his service as Director of Technology. He built the entire new IDF website in record time and continues to manage a first-rate, fast, and error-free IT system.
Awarded to Admiral Charles Star for his service as Chief of Fleet Operations. The glue who puts it all together, he assembled the greatest staff this fleet has ever seen and continues to lead both here and in the community at large.
Just like the Monthly Awards, the Major Awards are now back too. If there’s a theme here, it’s the three Captains who bridged the gap from the old website and leadership to the new and the three Admirals who made what we have now possible. Thanks to all and I hope you continue to serve the fleet for many years to come.
