Greetings Region 3!
August has been quite the ride. A publicly quiet start, as many prepared for the International Conference in New Orleans, to the highs of IC itself, and now of course the ongoing pain that is Harvey. Let’s take it one step at a time here.
IC!!! A great time, as always – when members can come together, chat, eat drink and remember why we are all family. I had a fantastic time, even if I didn’t get away from the hotel much to see the sights New Orleans has to offer. For most of Friday I was enjoying the company of my fellow RC’s and the EC in the ECAB meeting. Many thanks to my VRC, Lucy Franck who did her best to keep me sane and on topic during those proceedings. I will be making a separate report to the CO’s about many of the items discussed there, as I want to keep this article more focused.
While there was a scheduling mishap with the hotel about the Marine Mess, (now) BDR Brian Allen and the officers of the mess recovered beautifully and delivered THE BEST Mess I’ve ever been to, and I very much doubt I am alone in that assessment. What a way to start the IC! Apparently somewhere on Facebook should be several videos showcasing my flying prowess, Chief Sardeson’s excellent singing and some highly skilled fencing action from BDR Johnston and BGN ‘Tank’ Clark, and more. Exceedingly good times!
Saturday following a combined opening ceremonies and general session, it seems I was arrested by some local Klingons (really, I had no idea how invested with Klingon the region was…we need to be mindful of this!). For my various crimes, real or imagined, against the empire, I was condemned to a pie in the face. Standing with me to endure the same punishments was Ryan Case, RC of Region 2 and the CS himself, Robert Westfall. Would you believe our very own Reed Bates, and her husband Lloyd were competing with each other as to who got to pie me!? We had a great SFMC Muster, and while other panels were going on, I didn’t get to see many, as I was getting the aforementioned pie in the face.
CAPT John Gilfillan
CAPT Charlene DeRoche
Dinner was great, and it seemed the Mess Whites uniforms are really growing in popularity – self included! The auction went quite well…something about a $50 Dr. Pepper (included delivery) – it was great.
Sunday gave us closing ceremonies, always a bittersweet moment as we say goodbye. Reed Bates and I hosted the ‘dead dog party’ – where we even got in the weekly Game of Thrones fix, thanks to the efforts of Matt Hill and Brian Allen.
All told – IC was great, as it always is. Not attending, if it is at all possible for you, is a real disservice to yourself in getting the most out of STARFLEET. Much like summits, this is where the lasting friendships and bonds are forged.
Of course, as we returned, recovered, and started to regroup from IC, Hurricane Harvey struck our region. The damage is ongoing, and moving. To do what we can, we’ve started up the Region 3 Members Relief Fund again. If you are impacted by this, PLEASE let me know. If you can donate, please do so – 100% of funds collected will go direct to our members. The article about it is here: https://region3.org/wp/2017/08/29/harvey-members-relief-fund/
Jeremy Carsten
It is a shame I was unable to attend the IC, my military duties kept me away. Good luck to our people who were in Harvey’s way. As a Member of the National Guard I am doing the best I can to help as many as I can with my unit. Qa’plah!