#Battalion Training and Educational Classes

[seoul-bros]

Jimin found his IG account password 🎉🎊💜🎉🎊💜🎉🎊💜🎉🎊💜

Army Veteran Award - 2025.06.11 Major General, 5th Infantry Division Commander

Best Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare Education in the second half of the 24th year of listing

Commendation (Cold Weather Training) - 2024.02.07 Lieutenant Colonel Battalion Commander

Best in Class (New Recruit Training Course) - 2024.01.17 Major General, 5th Infantry Division Commander

cr. to Jimin Record for translations of awards

and J-Hope was one of the first to react

He also posted an IG Story with the caption “kookoo-ah , you worked hard ㅜ i don’t have an account to tag, but…” and with JK's Still with You

These two are just shouting from the rooftops at this point.

Post Date: 12/06/2025

[lboogie1906]

Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. (June 4, 1922 – October 22, 2004) was a Navy officer who pioneered the way with many firsts for African Americans in the military. Some of his most notable achievements included being the first African American Navy Vice Admiral, the first African American to command a Navy warship, the first African American to command a warship during combat, the first African American to command a Navy Fleet, and the first African American to obtain Flag Rank in the military. His decorations include the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Navy Commendation Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal.

He was born in Richmond, Virginia. He attended Virginia Union University for three years, where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1942 where he trained as a fireman apprentice.

He was commissioned an Ensign following his successful completion of a rigorous Midshipman education. He attended UCLA, Pre-Midshipman school, and Midshipman school at Columbia University. He became the first African American commissioned as a Naval Reserve Officer.

He was stationed at Camp Robert Smalls, where he served as the Assistant Battalion Commander for recruits. In April of 1946, he was released from active duty, recommencing his studies at Virginia Union University, where he earned a BA in History.

He was recalled to active duty and was assigned as a recruiter. He was stationed aboard the Battleship Iowa and the Cruiser Toledo where he served as a communications officer during the Korean War.

He was transferred from the Naval Reserve to the regular Navy. He was promoted to Commander of the USS Falgout (DER-324). He became Commander of the USS Jouett (DLG-29). He was elevated to the appointment of Rear Admiral. He assumed control over the entire Third Fleet.

He served as Director of the Defense Communications Agency. He served 38 years in the Navy. The Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer DDG-107 has been named in his honor. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[yourreddancer]

My Story & Why I Switched From Republican to Democrat

It wasn't just because of Trump.

Ron Filipkowski

Jan 13

A few stories have been written by others about my journey from a former Republican Club President, attorney, and Rick Scott then Ron Desantis political appointee to activist Democrat and independent journalist. Although I thought those stories did a pretty good job covering the basics, I wanted to explain things more in my own words. I also don’t really like to talk about myself or promote myself - I prefer for my work to get recognition rather than me personally. But I think since so many of you follow me and read my work without knowing my story, it would be useful to tell it.

I was born in western Massachusetts - my dad was first generation born in Germany right after WWII to parents displaced by the war who were sponsored to come to America when he was a child. My mother is 13th generation American whose family came to the US in 1636 and was mostly Vermont farmers. Needless to say, there was quite a contrast between each side of my family - from the language spoken, culture, food, history, etc.

My parents married when they were 21 and 18 and divorced when I was 4. My mother took myself and younger brother to Cape Cod which is where I grew up. My dad was a welder and moved to Florida, where I ended up spending most summers until I started high school and decided Cape Cod was more fun in the summer than FL. We lived in a very small house in a rural part of the Cape and my mom stayed single and cleaned houses. On an income level, I was definitely one of the poorest kids growing up in my town - but that is something you don’t really notice much until you get older.

One of the best things about growing up in a place like the Cape is the public education. I’m so thankful for it, because it allowed a working class kid like me to be able to compete against kids later in life who grew up wealthier because I got the same education they did. My teachers in school growing up went to Ivy League schools, or colleges like UMass, Williams, Boston College, Amherst. They could have taken other jobs and made more money - but they loved teaching. It was amazing. It is also why I place so much value in our public schools and the dedicated people who work in them.

That said, I was much more interested in sports and girls growing up than school. Since academics was always pretty easy for me, I never had to work very hard at it, was frequently bored, and rarely applied myself. I also worked every job imaginable since I was 12 years old - delivering newspapers, shoveling driveways, chopping wood, washing dishes, waiting tables, landscaping, on and on. If I didn’t work those jobs as a kid I would’ve had no money, no car, no nothing. But those jobs taught me many valuable lessons - and also gave me a deep appreciation today for the people who do those jobs.

When it came time to graduate high school, I had no money for college and didn’t really want to go into deep student loan debt. I also knew at that point in my life I would have been pretty undisciplined and unfocused and would have underachieved. So I joined the Marines and went to Parris Island four days after I graduated high school at age 17. I never intended to make a career out of it - I mostly wanted the GI Bill for college - but I also knew it would give me an opportunity to see the world. I was also patriotic and thought everyone should serve their country in some way. Why the Marines? That’s simple - it was the toughest challenge!

I ended up in an infantry battalion at Camp Pendleton, CA and deployed to Okinawa and South Korea. The time that I was in (1986-1990) was pretty quiet relatively speaking for our military. Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait six months after I got out and was in college. So I didn’t do any of the Middle East stuff. I had two near-death experiences in training. I got bacterial meningitis when I was in a very remote area of Okinawa at Jungle Warfare School. They didn’t know what it was for quite a while before I was eventually rushed the hospital where I remained for 3 weeks and almost didn’t make it. Two years later, I had a lost HUMMV drive over the middle of my back at 3 AM while I was face down sleeping in some soft sand during a training exercise. I was flown by helicopter to a trauma center and luckily survived.

There wasn’t much to do in our down time at our camp in Okinawa. Most of they guys played cards or hung out in bars, but that was never my thing. I discovered a small but wonderful base library and started holing myself up there for hours and hours. I was 18 years old and had never been that interested in politics. But I began reading everything and gravitated to history and politics. This is when I self-educated myself. I read everything from across the ideological spectrum - from The Nation to National Review. From William F. Buckley to Noam Chomsky. I wanted to learn different perspectives on everything since I really didn’t know whether I was conservative, liberal, or something else!

Eventually, I gravitated towards conservatism and became a Republican. Why? That would be a topic for a separate article, but I think the most valuable thing is that I arrived there on my own without anybody pushing me or influencing me in a particular direction. I think that gave me critical thinking skills and also made me a very independent thinker when it came to politics. I wasn’t interested in dogma or indoctrination - only ideas. And I didn’t think that either side had a monopoly on good ideas. I think the best illustration of that is that I was fascinated and obsessed with the lives and ideas of both Gandhi and Churchill - although two people could not possibly be more opposite. But I saw value in many things both had to offer and say - while recognizing their shortcomings.

I jumped into night school. I took classes everywhere I could as much as I could - nights, weekends - all while serving as an active duty infantry Marine. When I visited our “Education Officer” to sign up for the tuition assistance program which paid 70% of your tuition, he didn’t know he was the battalion Education Officer because nobody had ever come to sign up for that since he had been there (officers wear many hats and have many titles). I thought that was odd - and sad that so many young Marines could go to college for nearly free but didn’t. I guess our daily jobs were so difficult they didn’t have the time, energy, or ambition. I did.

When I got out of the Marines, I was 21 years old and had 2.5 years of college credit. I got a job as a night room-service waiter at the Marriott, enrolled in college full time in San Diego, and had my bachelors degree a little over a year later. So I had just turned 23, had a bachelor’s degree, served 4 years on active duty in the Marines, and paid every penny of my tuition with my own money and the GI Bill. I also got 37 As and 3 A-minuses and graduated with a 3.97. I knew wanted to go to law school and go into politics by running for Congress someday.

While I was in the Marines, my mother and entire extended family also moved to FL. Now both sides of my family all lived in FL while I was in Marines and CA, so I no longer had any connection to Cape Cod. I also felt if I stayed in CA and went to law school there with student loans and no money, I would not be able to buy a home for a very long time. So I applied to Florida, Florida State, and Miami and was accepted to all 3. I chose FSU for politics - I wanted to intern at the state capital and I got a coveted legislative intern position where I had to work 20 hours a week in the House and they paid all my tuition. There was never a single time during my college career when I was not also working a job at the same time I was going to school.

But the summer before I started law school I decided to return to the Cape one last time. I rented a room in a big boarding house in Hyannisport and got a job scooping ice cream cones. I will never forget that job interview. The manager said - ‘you are a college graduate, did 4 years in the Marines, heading to law school, and you want to scoop ice cream cones? I can make you an Asst. Manager for the summer.’ I told him that this was my last chance to go back and be a kid a little bit after a lot of hard work and I wanted no responsibility. So I spent that summer making $8 an hour and had a blast.

That was also when I met my wife, Jackie. She was 20 years old, from Rhode Island, and had just finished a year of college while working at a nursing home. She was also from a working class family with a strict German-immigrant mother and it was her first time away from home and I was her first real boyfriend. It was one of those situations where we both just knew right away. Yes, we were very young at 23 and 20, but at the end of the summer I asked her to come with me to law school and we got married after the first semester. Five kids and 33 years later we are still very happily together.

I graduated near the top of my class but never wanted to work for a big law firm. We started having kids right away and I had 4 by the time I was 28. I often joked that I could walk by Jackie in the hallway and she would get pregnant! I wanted my kids to have a great childhood and do all the activities that I was never able to do growing up and wanted to be very involved in their activities, and working 60-70 hours a week as a junior associate at big firm wasn’t going to work. So I became a prosecutor. A lot less money, but mostly 9-5 and very rewarding.

I also got into politics and started hitting the Republican Clubs and chicken dinner circuit. But the things you had to do to claw your way up the ladder in politics when you have no family connections was time-consuming and not for me. It was also pretty slimy and so much of it was inauthentic personal relationships from self-obsessed climbers. I decided it was much more important to be a good dad and husband than it was to set myself up to run for Congress someday.

But I still did quite a lot professionally and politically. I was a state prosecutor, then a federal prosecutor, then a Police Academy Director. I was General Counsel for the Sarasota Republican Party. Little League President. Then elected twice as president of the largest Republican Club in our area. I was appointed by Rick Scott and then reappointed by Ron Desantis to the Judicial Nominating Committee. I had no higher ambitions for myself at that point.

It was in the mid-2000s that my political views began to change, but it was a gradual process. I went into private practice doing criminal defense because I needed to make more money for my young family and I was coaching the sports teams of my kids, so I needed a job where I was my own boss and could make my own schedule. I was never going to get rich - but I had the right balance between work and family.

But in that job I started working with people every day who had struggles - growing up in abusive families and tough neighborhoods, drug addictions, mental health issues, stuck in abusive and dysfunctional relationships. I also worked with a lot of migrants because they were unable to get driver’s licenses in FL, which led to unnecessary legal troubles for them. I began to see with my own eyes the disconnect between how many of my fellow Republicans viewed people with these struggles and their reality.

I began to develop empathy really for the first time for other people. I was always one of those “up from your bootstraps” Republicans. My thinking was - if I could do it anyone can. Well, some people had it much tougher than me and were dealt a different hand of cards. I just needed to live that experience because it isn’t something you are going to learn from a book. Yes, I grew up in a family that didn’t have much - but I also got a magnificent education, grew up in a neighborhood with little crime, was healthy and not abused (although my mom did like the belt!).

Then Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, and that was another thing that was a factor in my eventual exit from the Republican Party. I was President of a huge Republican Club during that time - and I watched and listened to the things that were said in those meetings about him. I will just say that is when a lot of ugliness came to the surface. It mystified me why it was so personal and nasty. Although I disagreed with him on some policy issues, he was a family man, christian, scandal free, hard working - all the things Republicans promote and are supposed to admire. But their hatred of Obama was something visceral. Something different. It wasn’t about policy differences. I began to realize that race was the main reason why.

I have often looked back on my time as an active Republican pre-Obama and asked myself if the racism was always there and I just didn’t see it? Probably. Maybe I didn’t want to see it. But I saw it in 2008-09, and I didn’t want any part of it. When John McCain had that event where he told a questioner in the audience that he wasn’t going to go there on the birtherism and Muslim stuff and that isn’t what the party should be all about - that really hit home for me because I had many of those moments myself as a Republican Club president.

Eventually, I just simply had enough of it because it just kept getting worse not better during Obama’s presidency. I left my position and checked out of most political activities with the Republican Party. I still showed up for some things when asked out of obligation, but my kids were entering High School and I just decided they were a better use of my time than the GOP.

Then 2015 came along, and Donald Trump ran for president. Everyone who grew up in the northeast in the 1980s knew who Trump was, and most of us couldn’t stand him. I was also a fan of the USFL football league growing up, and I watched Trump come in as an owner and promptly wreck the league with his dishonesty, self-aggrandizement, arrogance and incompetence. I really didn’t think there was any way that the party was going to nominate someone like Trump - I supported Marco Rubio in that primary.

Trump was everything conservatives said they were against in every way. In his personal life, his business dealings, his character, personality - everything. He was obviously racist, pretending to be religious when he was not, pretending to be a brilliant businessman when he was not. Not a good father or husband. A draft dodger. Misogynist. You know the list. I simply could not reconcile how grass roots Republican activists could despise Obama and love Trump when one lived his life in every way how Republicans say it should be led, while Trump did the exact opposite. That is when I realized that their principles and ideals meant less to them than they did to me. They cared about power and winning much more than policies and ideas. So I checked out completely.

I did not vote for Trump in 2016. I voted ‘None of the Above’ for president and voted for Republicans down-ballot. In hindsight, I wish I had voted for Hillary, but I also still did not expect Trump to win - especially after Access Hollywood. So it was more of a symbolic protest for me. But I still sleep better at night knowing that I never once voted for him even though I was a lifelong Republican. One of the few.

I checked out until 2020 and covid. Up to that point, I avoided watching TV or reading news. I did stuff with my family and watched sports. I didn’t want to see or hear anything from Trump. What disgusted me even more than Trump himself was watching people I liked and respected, who I knew never liked Trump at all, sell out to him because of their own personal ambition. People I respected and thought I knew. I have often said that is why I ultimately left the party - not because of Trump, but because of what everyone else in the party did in response to Trump. They surrendered everything they believed in and stood for - or at least what they claimed to believe in.

But in February 2020, just like everyone else, I was at home not knowing how many of us were going to die or lose our jobs during lockdowns watching Trump conduct his covid briefings where I was looking for facts and information. And I was horrified. Day after day, when I wanted to hear from scientists and public health officials, I listened to this blowhard ramble on about his grievances, Hillary Clinton, Obama, North Korea, Benghazi, Russiagate, the Perfect Phone Call, how great he was - I was furious. I was screaming and yelling, throwing things at the TV. I absolutely could not believe this buffoon was in charge of our country at a critical time, and my friends helped put him there.

That is when I made up my mind that I was going to do everything I could to help defeat him, but I didn’t know how. I was watching CNN one day that March and a commercial came on from ‘Republican Voters Against Trump.’ It was started by Bill Kristol, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller. I knew who they were and respected them. They were asking Republicans who were against Trump to go to their website and make a video stating their reasons why. I was pretty stunned because I didn’t realize there were prominent Republicans out there just like me who couldn’t stand Trump and were still willing to stand up to him. Then I saw some of the people from Lincoln Project, who I also knew, on TV trashing Trump and I knew there was a small movement out there I wanted to be a part of.

But it was still hard. I stewed on it for 2 weeks. I knew once I did that, I would leave a lifetime in the GOP behind, burn bridges, lose friends. But I did it. I wrote out a script, listed 27 different reasons why I despised Trump, and made 4 minute video. A short time later, I was contacted by RVAT to do more. So I did. They put me on billboards and in some ads. I got on Twitter for the very first time - which I swore I would never do. I did it to try and convince as many moderate Republicans to vote for Joe Biden, and I did it tirelessly.

I didn’t have many followers and not that many people noticed me until the Rebekah Jones situation. Ron Desantis had agents raid her home. I didn’t know much about her or her case - we have never met. But I was appalled that he would use state law enforcement in an effort to intimidate someone. What I was most upset about was I felt he was hiding important health information from the public, and was using Jones to intimidate others inside the state government to keep quiet. So I sent him a letter resigning my appointment to the Judicial Nominating Commission, which I had held for 10 years, and posted that resignation on Twitter.

I had no idea that was going to result in huge national news. I had interview requests from national and international media from everywhere. Over the next two weeks I did as many interviews as I could - that also helped me go from 200 followers on Twitter to 10,000 and gave me a slightly bigger platform to get my anti-Trump message out to reasonable Republican voters.

My plan was to remain an anti-Trump Republican or switch to independent after the election. If Trump had conceded the election gracefully and walked away, that is probably what I would have done. But he didn’t, and I didn’t expect him to. I predicted he would never concede because he has never admitted that he lost anything in his life - despite many failures. What I did not expect was to watch a post-election press conference where Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis were going to claim that there was an international conspiracy between people in Venezuela, Italy and China to flip votes in the machines to steal the election.

Then came the Stop the Steal protests, the lawsuits, the audits, the mania. All culminating in J6. That two month time period in November-December 2020 really set up where I am today and what I am doing now. Because when I heard the stuff Rudy, Sidney & Jenna were saying I was stunned. I just didn’t understand how far the Right had gone into the world of conspiracy theories and disinformation. I was just unaware. So I dove into that world - into different platforms, following different groups and people. Some tech and social media-savvy activists saw what I was trying to do and offered to help me - and they did. Tremendously.

That is why, leading up to J6, I repeatedly warned there was going to be violence and it was going to be very ugly. I saw what they said they were going to do. They talked about wearing body armor, bringing improvised weapons, wearing masks, coordinating with other groups - doing whatever was necessary to stop the electoral count that day. When J6 played out largely like I predicted, I then gained a much larger following on social media from people who figured I might be someone who was good at figuring these people out and keeping track of what they were up to.

I also decided to switch parties, and registered as a Democrat on January 7, 2021. I felt the Republican Party was irretrievably broken and being independent was just straddling the fence when the Democratic party desperately needed clear-eyed leaders who were fearless about confronting MAGA. Although there are times when being a Democrat can be frustrating because there are different sensibilities in many areas I was not used to, I would rather have the occasional person scold me for my choice of a word than associate with insurrection apologists and habitual liars.

Throughout 2021-22 I started going to Trump rallies and events hosted by various MAGA influencers and activists. I mostly wanted to talk to the people, watch them, listen to them. I would walk through the parking lots and read all the bumper stickers on their cars. I checked out the merch booths to see what they were selling. I easily blended in because I came from that world. But I also saw that Trump brought a lot of new people into the party who were never Republican before 2016, had no loyalty to the party, and didn’t become Republican for the reasons I did - because of policy ideas. They were Republicans because they worshipped one man. And that man was repulsive.

One day I had a conversation with a very smart MAGA activist who knew who I was. Up to that point, I always believed that most Trump fans were just misguided, conned and duped and if you just gave them enough facts and reality about Trump they would come around. That was pretty much conventional wisdom among many who covered and observed MAGA from the outside looking in. But this activist explained to me that thinking was exactly wrong. He said that Trump fans were very well aware of most of the Trump traits and behavior that I abhorred - and those things are exactly what they loved about him.

I was really surprised by that take, but the more I thought about it and plugged it into my own experience with a fresh set of eyes it made perfect sense. He was exactly right. Although there are certainly misguided sheep in the MAGA movement, the vast majority are very well informed about Trump and they love all the obnoxiousness, boorishness and awfulness. They know that he lies but they don’t care. The way they see it - he lies to win and he has to do that to defeat his many diabolical enemies. Once you learn this simple truth about most Trump fans, you realize that you are wasting time trying to argue with them or convince them. You just have to defeat them.

I covered the right-wing mania at school board meetings and so many other places. Eventually, I realized that the mistake most Democrats make is that they thought they could defeat this phenomenon by defeating Trump - either in court or at the ballot box. But I felt that the focus needed to be on the movement behind Trump - the MAGA cult. The activists, influencers, media, grifters, podcasters, etc. These are the people who really drive the Trump train. And I saw in so many of them so many weaknesses - their checkered backgrounds and past positions, barely disguised racism and misogyny, lack of education, perversion of christianity, greed and shameless grifting, and how much many of them disliked each other.

So I devised a plan to combat and take on the MAGA movement heading into 2024. I put that plan in writing and pitched it to the same former Republican groups I worked with in 2020. While they saw the value in what I had in mind, they are PACs and political consultants. They make their money by raising huge sums from big donors and making ads. The project I had in mind to fight back against MAGA wasn’t going to make them any money - it was going to cost them. But I felt that the money they would have invested in my project would have been far more effective than throwing another million down the cumulative $2 billion dollar rabbit hole of ads during that cycle.

After 6 months of being unable to persuade any of them to invest in the team I wanted to put together to go after MAGA, I eventually expressed my frustrations on Twitter that I really had a great plan, wasn’t a grifter or trying to get rich, I thought that plan was a hell of lot more effective than anything else being done for a fraction of the cost, but it didn’t fit neatly into any box that would fit into a consultant’s business model. The main problem was that I was a busy full-time practicing lawyer and the only way I was going to be able to do it was to walk away from that after 29 years. I just needed someone to replace that income and hire the team I wanted.

A few months went by and Ben Meiselas called me. He said that he read what I wrote and had been thinking about it a lot. He also wanted to leave the practice of law and do this full time by starting a pro-democracy independent media company with his brothers. He had been thinking about a way to merge that idea with my plan, where the team would take on MAGA and do many of the things I had in mind, but also writing about it and chronicling our work hoping that people would support it and we could fund it with grass roots support.

I didn’t really want to work for a PAC or political consultants, because they have their own agenda that is a bit different from mine. Even though Ben’s concept wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, it was pretty close and made a lot of sense to me the more I started thinking about it. But the most important thing for me was knowing that the brothers were authentic and had their hearts in the right place. This was a big move for me and I was only going to make it if everything was right. I hate phonies, grifters and frauds - as you can probably tell from my writing. It is one of the reasons why I despise MAGA.

What I learned over time in watching them and listening to them was that the Meidas boys were the real deal. They were honest, extremely hardworking, dedicated, principled and fearless. I felt that I was those things as well and it was a perfect fit. I would not have gone to work for them if I ever felt they were any different. So we began to assemble a great team of similar people who brought different skills to the table, and got to work.

Eventually I seized upon the idea to focus on writing the daily bulletins after the election. While it is a tremendous amount of work every day, I felt it was the best way to give people a snapshot into the world that I have monitored every day since 2020 across many different platforms. I also did it because I did not see anyone else out there in any media company doing anything like it. With my column you really get such a broad spectrum of political news and events that you simply cannot find anywhere else. That was my goal.

I hope now you have a better perspective on where I am coming from and how I got here. We may not agree on everything, but I bet we agree on most things - the things that really matter. Hopefully, even when you disagree with something I write or say, you will also now recognize that it comes from a place of good intentions, and it is not that important that we agree on everything.

That is why I don’t necessarily make heroes or villains out of current or former Republicans who stand up to Trump because of their past positions. The political landscape in America continues to change rapidly. I believe that a serious realignment has been happening between the parties and will continue to happen. Some demographics and groups who have been taken for granted by each party continue to move away from them for a variety of reasons. The party that shuns people because of their past positions or current differences on one or two issues will be the party that loses this battle over time.

I think ultimately we are all trying to get to the same place, which is returning our country to some sense or normalcy and decency by relegating this toxic political movement called MAGA to a fringe party by relentless truth telling to discredit it. It is a long and difficult path, but one we at Meidas have chosen to take with you. Unlike many, I never viewed any one election cycle as being decisive in this struggle. It will take at least a decade, maybe two. But I’m in this for the long haul because I know we are on the right side of history.

[petervintonjr]

"We still have and will have what the Defense Department describes as institutional racism. [Discrimination] happens. It's there. In many cases, it's inadvertent. In some cases, it's deliberate. We're never going to eliminate racism in the Army. As long as we do everything to reduce it, we're making some legitimate progress."

Another biography that appears to be temporarily unlocatable on official Dept. of Defense websites, is the remarkable life and career of Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers. Born in 1929 West Virginia as the youngest of five children, Charles's father Clyde Rogers was himself a World War I veteran. Rogers excelled academically at Dubois High School in Claremont, WV --not only earning honor roll and being elected class president, but also played starter quarterback his senior year. He took an ROTC Army commission at West Virginia State College (now University) in 1951.

His Army career was marked by a number of firsts --he graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College as a major, and served several tours in Germany, at a time when much of the Army was still largely segregated despite Executive Order #9981 (see Lessons #68 and #132 in this series for more on this directive). At one point Rogers became disillusioned with a systematic pattern of blocks to his Army career path, and went as far as to submit his resignation in 1954, but his commanding officer did not accept it, insisting that Rogers had in him the makings of a good commanding officer. After two successive smaller battery commands, in 1967 Rogers was promoted to Captain and was assigned leadership of the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery, 1st Infantry Division. This 300-man battalion deployed to Vietnam later that year.

On October 31, 1968, now-Lt. Col. Rogers was in command of his artillery unit in Southern Vietnam close to the Cambodian border and the Ho Chi Minh trail. Notified of enemy activity in the area, he ordered his unit to hold fire. However only a few hours later (technically November 1), the NVA opened fire on Rogers's battalion. Rogers directed the counterattack, and his troops returned fire with howitzers. Rogers was himself wounded twice in this action but he nonetheless led a return ground assault, driving back NVA troops and giving the Americans time to restore a defensive line. Another enemy attack breached another part of the line, and Rogers redirected his troops' artillery fire and rallied to defend another howitzer position. Rogers was then wounded a third time, taking him out of the fight but still in a position to relay orders. Ultimately the enemy retreated with heavy losses. U.S. forces had themselves lost 12 men with 68 injured, but were able to resecure the base. Rogers was treated and returned to the U.S. in 1969. In 1970 President Nixon presented Lt. Col. Rogers with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony, the then-highest-ranking Black soldier in the U.S. military to receive this honor.

Rogers would later graduate from the Army War College in 1971, earning a Master's in vocational/educational guidance. He assumed several more command positions while in Germany, among them the 42nd Field Artillery Group, and later headed up the Infantry Basic Combat Training Center at Fort Lewis in Washington state. In 1976 he served as deputy chief of staff for Army ROTC. He finally retired in 1984, after 32 years of Army service. As a civilian he opted to remain in Germany (principally in Heidelberg) to support his troops, but now as an ordained Baptist minister. He died in 1990 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In 2013 the Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers Memorial Bridge was dedicated in Cotton Hill, West Virginia.

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Thomas Fountain Blue

Thomas Fountain Blue, the first African American to head a public library in the United States, was also a civic, educational, and religious leader. Blue was born in Farmville, Virginia, on March 6, 1866, to Noah Blue, a carpenter, and Henry Ann Crawley Blue. They were parents of two other children, Alice Blue and Charles Blue.

Blue enrolled in Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, in 1885 and graduated in 1888. In 1894, he enrolled in Richmond Theological Seminary (now Virginia Union University) in Richmond, Virginia, finishing in 1898 with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. One week later, when the United States declared war on Spain after the sinking of the USS Maine off the coast of Cuba, touching off the Spanish-American War, Blue joined the Sixth Virginia Volunteers battalion comprising African American soldiers and was stationed first in Camp Poland in Tennessee and later at Camp Haskell in Georgia.

In 1905, Blue was selected to lead the Western Branch Library of the Louisville Free Public Library on South 10th and Chestnut Street, the first Carnegie Library in the nation to serve African American patrons with an exclusively African American staff. The facility cost $31,024.31 to build and when completed had over 4,000 books and 53 periodicals.

In 1914, Blue opened Louisville’s second Carnegie Library for African Americans, the Eastern Branch Library. During World War I, Blue was drafted, left the branch, and was appointed the Education Secretary at Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville, one of sixteen national Army training camps created across the nation. Blue worked with Black troops who mostly had supporting and laboring roles in the United States.

After the war ended in 1918, Blue returned to Louisville, and a year later, in 1919, he was named head of the “Colored Department” for the city’s public library system and supervised eight African American assistants. The Colored Department was the first in the United States to have a staff which served multiple Black library branches.

In 1922, Blue was a presenter at the American Library Association Conference in Detroit, Michigan, where he gave a paper titled, “Training Class at the Western Colored Branch,” and led the subsequent discussion with the Negro Roundtable composed of other African American Library staffers from across the nation.

On June 18, 1925, Blue married Cornelia Phillips Johnson from Columbia, Tennessee, and they parented two children, Thomas Fountain Blue, Jr., and Charles Blue (named after his younger brother). Two years later, in 1927, Blue founded the Negro Library Conference and conducted its first meeting at Hampton Institute.

Later becoming a minister, Reverend Thomas Fountain Blue—who held membership in the American Library Association, the Special Committee of Colored Ministers of Louisville on Matters Interracial, and was a charter member of the Louisville Chapter of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History—died on November 10, 1935, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was 69.

At the 2003 joint conference of the American Library Association with the Canadian Library Association Annual Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Blue was posthumously honored when the organization passed a resolution recognizing his leadership in promoting professionalism among the staff of African American libraries across the United States. In 2022, a headstone honoring Blue and his wife, Cornelia Phillips Johnson, was placed at Eastern Cemetery in Louisville by the Frazier History Museum.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/thomas-fountain-blue-1866-1935/

[sorrow-already-spoiled]

A Light Touch

The planet of Maliv was a shining beacon of light and technology across the vast galaxies, a crowning achievement of human advancement. A billion lights glowed across its surface, rivaling a small sun. Home to the Empire’s monarchy, and its central seat of power in the universe, Maliv was a utopia, casting its shadow long and far. 

The beating heart of the planet was undoubtedly Stellaris Academy, home to only the top 0.01% of candidates. Cadets move with precision, each step and breath calculated and practice-perfect. Neat black cut uniforms adorn their forms, boots and gold buttons polished to a shine. Three colors of arm bands were visible amongst the students. The carmine of sentinels, the azure of nulls, and the vastly outnumbered ivory of guides. The academy produced generals, politicians, cutting edge engineers, diplomats, pilots… Any alumni of the Academy was most assuredly worth something. 

Students of the Academy were hand picked at age 18 to spend the next four years preparing for the rest of their lives. Half of those students would not graduate from the program, the intensive demands of the curriculum leaving them husks of their former selves, dropping out in shame. 

Vellin was a special case. 

“We’re pleased to have you join our ranks Cadet Lawrynce. Please let me know anything I can do to help you adjust.” Dean Astin smiled. “I will do my best to see you succeed here.” Vellin only nodded in response. Dean Astin seemed like a nice woman, but he was not keen to trust her. Trust didn’t seem to go well for him. The freshly upgraded cybernetics in his arm ached on cue.

The non-lethal blaster pistol on his hip felt like a ridiculous toy after the reality of his previous few years. He hadn’t expected the engineer who did the preliminary work on his arm to send a video of his rehabilitation training to the Academy, and certainly hadn’t expected them to come to collect. He wouldn’t care at all, if the Academy couldn’t offer him what he wanted. 

A guide. 

Vellin’s battalion had one. A handsome, but chronically twitchy thing with deep set circles under his eyes. He had been a tall, muscular thing, good structure for a guide. It hadn’t saved him. Auxiliary guides were ineffective things, they died easily. Vellin wanted something more than that. He was going to need more than that. He had things he needed to do, and he couldn’t afford to lose himself to a powerful zone. He needed a bonded guide - a good match. Only the academys could provide that. 

Vellin was at a disadvantage already. He was 23, the last year of eligibility for Stellaris Academy. He lacked the educational basis that the rest of the students had, though he had not been recruited for his intellect. His schedule was full of specialized courses, ready to prime him for a military position on the front lines. His evenings were to be filled with one-on-one meetings with guides. He was going to need them all. He had no pre-existing connection to a guide, so any match would have to be strong without any chance of conditioning. 

He could feel eyes on him as they passed through the halls, the dean herself escorting him to his first class. He could hear every whisper. 

Who’s that?

A new student at this time of year?

He’s a sentinel. 

He looks strong. 

Vellin only cared about the ivory armbands. He would get what he came for. He squared his shoulders and followed Dean Astin. 

—-----------------------------------------------------------

After the seventh guide broke down sobbing, or became catatonic after trying to guide him out of a shallow zone, Vellin was beginning to become a bit disillusioned with the whole process. 

“The bombs… why are there bombs? It’s so loud…”

“It’s a mindscape, how can it be that dangerous?”

“I can’t, I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Vellin was not the typical sentinel. For one, his mindscape reflected the things he’d seen, and it wasn’t pretty. Second, he had absolutely no faith in guides. 

Vellin threw himself into guilt, and hauled himself out the the zone. Dean Astin raised an eyebrow, and he avoided her gaze. He knew sentinels couldn’t typically end a zone on their own, but he dismissed her curiosity with an excuse of the zone being shallow enough it ended on it’s own. 

In reality, it was a skill learned under fire, and one he didn’t care to discuss. 

—-----------------------------------------------------------

Vellin sat with his back against one of the massive birch trees in the courtyard. His arm was aching, a throbbing pain lancing through artificial veins. At least it numbed him to the noise of the academy. It was easier to ignore the hundreds of footsteps and conversations filling the air. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to actually focus on the pain. He could feel where the oil and blood were mixing at his elbow joint, kept apart by only a thin carbon fiber sheet. He could feel the electric currents running through each individual copper wire, and where the wire was fraying and diffusing the current into his muscles to cause a twitch in his arm. 

A gentle warmth pressed unexpectedly against his shoulder, and it was warm, it was gentle, it was warm, it was gentle, it was warm, and Vellin descended into his own mind, spiraling into a true zone for the first time in over a year.

—-----------------------------------------------------------

This room was too familiar. Sterile. Only the small window at the top of the room, too tall to see out of, gave him any indication of the passage of time. Light came and went, day and night, again and again. The glow of bomb-light was brighter at night, turning the darkness to a red glow, as the foundations shook. Vellin stayed in the corner, knees pulled to his chest, the warmth on his shoulder burningly gentle. That couldn’t be right, he couldn’t be warm and safe here. He couldn’t be in anything but agony here. He didn’t know where this feeling went, where could it go?

Quiet steps echo from the hallway, somehow audible through the gray steel door. It was not the steps of the warden, not the steps of his brother, he did not know these steps. Soft but sure. The door swung open without a key, inviting the unknown guest in. 

He’d never seen this woman before. She wore the academy’s uniform, with an ivory armband around her bicep. Half her hair was dyed in a bright kaleidoscope of colors to create a purple holographic effect, and caring caramel eyes looked at him from the doorway. Her features were delicate and etched with concern. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a zone. Honestly, I was checking to see if you were still alive. Your breathing was so slow, I was worried you’d fully died in the courtyard.” 

Vellin blinks as a bomb goes off in the distance. The girl does not flinch, or take her eyes off him. 

“What are you doing here?” His voice is hoarse.

“I was planning on helping you out of your zone, if that's alright? My name is Staziya.” Vellin blinks again, nodding slowly. 

“You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“No, I’m not. Where am I supposed to be?”

“Somewhere safe. Away from the war. Away from the compound.” 

“Take me there then.” Staiya reaches out her hand, and he takes it. He follows her down the hallway. “Look back for a moment?” He does, and the warmth on his shoulder becomes bearable. He blinks again and she slips out of his mind, dragging him to the surface with her.

—-----------------------------------------------------------

Her hand was still on his shoulder when he opened his eyes. She was crouched down in front of him with that same look of concern he’d seen in his mind. 

“Seriously, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine.” Her hand left his shoulder, and she stood up, preventing the sun from shining right in his eyes, creating a halo effect around her. 

“I guess I know you aren’t dead or dying then. What’s your name?” 

“Vellin Lawrynce.” 

“Oh, you’re the new student right? The mysterious fourth year?” 

“Yeah. Who are you?” 

“Anastaziya Kingsley.”

“You’re a guide.” The corner of her lip curved up as she tried to prevent a smile from taking over.

“How did you know?!” Vellin stared at her. He couldn’t be mad, it had been an obvious answer. “I’m more than just a guide though, for the record. I was extraordinary before I ever came to the academy.” Somehow her tone sounded more like she was rattling off a statistic than bragging of her abilities. “Not that it matters much now.” She shrugged. “Anyways, seeing as you aren’t dead, I should get back to the lab. Have a good rest of your afternoon, Vellin.” Vellin blinked. 

“I will?” Staziya smiled, warm enough to take his breath from him, and turned on a polished heel to head towards the labs.

She was a guide. A guide who did not cry, or go catatonic, or flinch at his mindscape. He hadn’t even felt her moving about, and the door to his cell had opened for her. The defenses that pushed out other guides had not only allowed her in. They had escorted her. She had pulled him from a true zone without any side effects, or trace of exertion on her part. 

Vellin didn’t know much about auras, or about guides in general, but he knew what a touch that light could mean. They were a match. A perfect match. 

[detectivehalliday]

— BASICS

Name: Reese Halliday

Age / D.O.B.: 8/22/1986 ; 38

Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: cisfemale, straight, she/her

Hometown: NYC

Affiliation: non corrupt law enforcement

Job position: Detective

Education: High School, Army, Police Academy, Detective School

Relationship status: Estranged marriage

Children: Remington Halliday (5)

Positive traits: loyal, adaptable, tactical, resilient,honorable

Negative traits: Stubborn, Reckless, Distant, obsessive, workaholic

— BIOGRAPHY

Triggers: mentions of death, 9/11, violence 

Reese was three when her father skipped town abandoning her, flynn and their mother. With his departure from their lives, her uncle Rowan stepped up became the father figure and someone she looked up too. 

Prior to graduating high school Reese joined the military (shortly after 9/11). Reese excelled in the army - she trained hard, fought hard and it wasn’t long before she started moving up the ranks. Reese found herself one of the only females to have had the ability to call herself an Army Ranger. Reese had excelled with hand to hand combat, but give her a rifle and there wasn’t a shot she hadn’t been able to make. 

Reese had a successful career in the military. An ambush that took out a majority of her unit would leave the Sergeant First Class honorably discharged and hospitalized. Being stateside left Reese feeling without a purpose. Reese found herself in the police academy and it wasn’t long before she was quickly picked up for the Detective unit. 

In between one of her deployments she married an old friend and military buddy. The two are still married on paper however they don’t currently speak and haven’t in years. If they had he’d know that they shared a kid together. Reese loves her son and wouldn’t trade him for the world but she often worries that his father not being in his life would cause him to resent her. Though her reasons for staying away are to keep him safe. 

Reese works in the Detective bureau and has for five years. She enjoys it and feels as if she's making a difference. She often relies on her mom to assist with child care which she knows her mother enjoys. Reese only lives a few houses down which allows her to spent time with her family pretty often. 

— HEADCANONS / PLOTS

Reese had left the US Army with the rank of Sergeant First Class. She served two tours in Iraq with the 3rd battalion. 75th ranger regiment. 

Reese enlisted with a waiver at 17 right after September 11th occurred. 

During her final tour her team was ambushed, killing a majority of her unit and leaving her hospitalized. As a result she was honorably discharged.

Though she hides it it extremely well; Reese has PTSD and often doesn’t sleep at night which works out well with a kid who still sometimes is awake at night. 

Though they don’t always see eye to eye she’d do anything to protect Flynn. 

She doesn’t drink a lot of caffeine - no energy drinks, but enjoys coffee and black tea. 

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

The Danny to her Biaz - her partner on the force. They’ve been together for the last 5 years. 

Estranged husband/ father of her son - their complicated, on again off again due to his involvement in things she doesn’t agree with. I imagine he’s involved with illegal shit. They grew up together though and maybe even served in the same unit. 

[the-outer-topic]

Battletech: Viktor Starkov, Military Life (2)

Performance Evaluation Report

Subject: Captain Viktor Starkov, Black Riders (Mercenary, Lyran Contract) Period of Evaluation: 3024 Evaluator: Colonel Erik Lindstrom, Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces, Periphery Command Date: December 31, 3024

Leadership and Command

Captain Viktor Starkov excels as an officer risen from the ranks, using his enlisted roots to inspire loyalty. His insistence on formal House uniforms, salutes, formations, and bugle calls fosters discipline, though some find these rituals eccentric. His infantry and commando experience drives precise small-unit tactics, and his Trebuchet missile/laser accuracy, earning callsigns “Katyusha” and “Polar Bear,” enhances unit effectiveness. Magnanimous to enlisted troops, he is demanding of officers, causing occasional friction. His survival of Black Widow encounters (3015, 3019) underscores combat leadership.

Strengths:

Tactical Brilliance: Led the 3006 Coventry raid, crippling Lyran production, and defeated a rogue Lyran Atlas (3024), earning “Atlas-Slayer.”

Resilience: Endured severe injuries (3022, Marlette) and elite encounters, maintaining operational focus.

Camaraderie: Segregated messes and generous rations build cohesion, reflecting his risen-from-the-ranks ethos.

Weaknesses:

Class Stigma: His Dispossessed infantry origins and lack of academy training draw skepticism from MechWarrior aristocrats, undermining joint operations. Heavy drinking and occasional servant beatings reinforce “low breeding” perceptions.

Insubordination Risk: Defection (2996), rebellion (3015), and mutiny (3024) suggest disregard for authority, though charges were not pressed.

Fatigue: Mild PTSD and combat fatigue (3025) occasionally disrupt composure, requiring monitoring.

Technical Proficiency

Starkov is a skilled Trebuchet pilot, adept at missile salvos and laser targeting. His pre-service test pilot experience (2996) informs technical knowledge, though he relies on technicians for complex repairs. SAFE covert training (3003) equips him for sabotage and intelligence, but he lacks formal staff officer skills, limiting strategic planning.

Potential for Advancement

Starkov’s field promotions (Lieutenant, 3002; Captain, 3005) and rare awards (Distinguished Service Award, Regulan Ankh) reflect merit, but class stigma and no formal academy education cap conventional prospects at company command. His SAFE transfer (3003) and mercenary role (3024) bypassed this, and his 3025 Major commission suggests battalion command potential. Aristocratic bias and turbulent record make further advancement contentious. His reputation (Atlas-Slayer, medals) attracts recruits, strengthening mercenary leadership.

Recommendation: Retain as Captain with Black Riders, review for Major (battalion command) . Monitor psychological health and aristocratic tensions.

[kingofthewebxxx]

Star Wars Verse- The Inquisitor

A new verse has been added, please like if you would be interested in interacting in this verse

Basic Information:

   - Name: Jacen Moryn 

   - Age: 38

   - Species: Human

   - Affiliation: Sith, Galactic Empire, Inquisitorius

   - Gender: Male

Background:

   - Homeworld: Corelia

   - Family background: Middle-class, Jacen does not know them due to the Jedi training process 

   - Training or education: Jedi training, inquisitor training including one session with Darth Vader 

Personality Traits:

   - Moral alignment- Dark Side

Skills and Abilities:

   - Combat skills: Lightsaber skills 

   - Force abilities: Telekinesis, force dash, force lightning, choke, telepathy, force scream, throw lightsaber 

   - Technical skills: Piloting, computer skills, first aid, awareness, some repair ability 

Equipment:

   - Lightsaber: Double-bladed spinning model, red crystals 

   - Blaster or other weapons: None

   - Armor or clothing: Black/ grey bodysuit 

   - Gadgets or tools: Comlink, midi-chlorian samplers attachment, holoprojector, some medpacs

   - Ship: TIE Advanced v1 line

Allies and Relationships:

   - Companions or allies- ID10 Seeker droid

   - Mentors or teachers- Doma Cardar (former Jedi master), The Grand Inquisitor

   - Friends- None 

   - Romantic interests- None

   - Enemies or rivals- The Rebel Alliance, Jedi

Motivations and Goals:

   - Short-term goals: Continue to learn all he can about the dark side, successfully complete next missions 

   - Long-term aspirations: Find an apprentice, become the Grand Inquisitor, find a way to restructure the current Inquisitorius to his favor 

Backstory:

Born on Corelia Jacen barely got to learn about his parents, being force sensitive he was taken as an infant to be trained at the Corelia Jedi Temple. Like most Jedi from the planet he was determined to do things his own way, often getting into arguments with other younglings and often didn’t like being wrong, he did however greatly savour any victories he had at that young age, making sure the others knew that with just a look. With time he managed to become more controlled with his reactions, so the others couldn’t be sure what he was thinking when he looked at them, it allowed him to get away with more of an attitude than the others for some time. It was at this age that he learned his parents had left the planet after sensing an argument that had turned out to be them being unable to say goodbye to him before they left, he had no idea where they went.

Becoming a padawan to Jedi Knight Doma Cardar soon changed things for him. She picked up on the attitude that he suppressed and soon told him the importance of letting go, as well as the importance of not letting anger guide him. It was a difficult few years, at times he was close to the edge of being thrown from the order yet he always seemed to redeem himself, he had lost his family and he didn’t want to lose anything else so he showed the council he had changed, instead suppressing his anger which would have consequences for later. On one particularly deadly mission to Naboo whilst the Jedi duo were sent to help the local Gungan population as escorts to the capital they were ambushed by Separatist forces, cutting down many droids Jacen decided to leap in front of a small battalion not just to shield a group of Gungan’s but also thinking he would have no problem, instead he failed to deflect a bolt from a droideka, his master saved him and after they managed to get the Gungan’s to safety they returned home after his wounds were treated. It was an experience he never forgot, leaving a scar on his left upper arm. 

Order 66 was initiated two years and seven months into his knighthood, he and his master had parted on mediocre terms, and Jacen had been questioning the actions of the Corelia Jedi Order as well as the Order in general. The anger he had for so long buried as well as the questions about the force he had been given no answers to had been resurfacing, whilst he was slightly above average in lightsaber skills he had a much better understanding of force abilities than most, one that had been heavily monitored throughout his training, his thirst for knowledge was capped. It was something that came to the attention of the latter who would be Grand Inquisitor. A few weeks before Order 66 Jacen and his former master were sent to Courscant in an attempt to reconcile with the other temple. They didn’t support the idea of remaining separate like the rest back home. During order 66 Doma defended him and encouraged him to escape as they like the other Jedi ultimately failed to protect the temple. Told to return home to send the message it wasn’t safe he escaped for some time, going into hiding on the planet, he was however later found by the now Grand Inquisitor who told him that they shared much in common, and the Jedi lied and he could have what he sought or he could die. Jacen decided to join, agreeing to go through the training process, being broken and torn apart until he became something new, the dark side soon became his ally, he was glad to finally be given the chance to explore this side of the force and soon became consumed.

Moryn became a bloodthirsty Jedi Hunter known as Fourth Brother, killing many without mercy and enjoying the pain that he caused. He spent the rest of his time learning the ways of the dark side, he had one session with Darth Vader and managed to survive, yet not without more scars to add to the collection he had received through the process of becoming an Inquisitor which was extreme torture. Jacen also eagerly helped turn other Jedi to the dark side, as well as carrying out other operations asked of him by those the organisation answered to. Later discovering his parents had joined the Rebel Alliance he was eager to be sent out on a mission to hunt them down, waiting until an encounter on a burning freighter and a dead Jedi at his feet two other Inquisitors watched as he cut them down. From then on Jacen had a much more feared and sinister reputation from the Rebellion, even for an Inquisitor. 

(In the latest Star Wars era, Jacen is a Knight of Ren, trained alongside Ben Solo and defended and helped him escape when Luke Skywalker had tried to kill him, he had joined the Knights to get revenge on the rebellion since it was connected to Skywalker and also be able to stay close to Kylo Ren who he sought some lessons in the force from, it is later discovered that Jacen’s higher infinity in the force than the other knights was because he is descended from Darth Bane. The Sith had done all that they could do hide the family, even Snoke was swayed from discovering the truth, he is a secret weapon Sidious has had plans for from the beginning in case his other plans failed.)

[lboogie1906]

Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. (June 4, 1922 – October 22, 2004) was a Navy officer who pioneered the way with many firsts for African Americans in the military. Some of his most notable achievements included being the first African American Navy Vice Admiral, the first African American to command a Navy warship, the first African American to command a warship during combat, the first African American to command a Navy Fleet, and the first African American to obtain Flag Rank in the military. His decorations include the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Navy Commendation Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal.

He was born in Richmond, Virginia. He attended Virginia Union University for three years, where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1942 where he trained as a fireman apprentice.

He was commissioned an Ensign following his successful completion of a rigorous Midshipman education. He attended UCLA, Pre-Midshipman school, and Midshipman school at Columbia University. He became the first African American commissioned as a Naval Reserve Officer.

He was stationed at Camp Robert Smalls, where he served as the Assistant Battalion Commander for recruits. In April of 1946, he was released from active duty, recommencing his studies at Virginia Union University, where he earned a BA in History.

He was recalled to active duty and was assigned as a recruiter. He was stationed aboard the Battleship Iowa and the Cruiser Toledo where he served as a communications officer during the Korean War.

He was transferred from the Naval Reserve to the regular Navy. He was promoted to Commander of the USS Falgout (DER-324). He became Commander of the USS Jouett (DLG-29). He was elevated to the appointment of Rear Admiral. He assumed control over the entire Third Fleet.

He served as Director of the Defense Communications Agency. He served 38 years in the Navy. The Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer DDG-107 has been named in his honor. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[yukipri]

Clone File: Stabber (YukiPri OC) Basic info:

Name: Stabber

Number Designation: CT-9111

Generation: 1

Rank/Title: Assistant to the Chief Clone Medical Trainer (former), Chief Medical Officer of the 212th Attack Battalion

GAR Affiliation: 212th Attack Battalion

Character status: YukiPri Original Character

AUs: The Prime Override, Mando Back, A Million Bites, Take Flight

Backstory beneath cut!

Warnings: the following backstory contains spoilers for multiple AUs. Also non-explicit mention of decommissioning.

~~

Background:

Stabber, or CT-9111 was never meant to become the 212th's chief medic, or even a medic at all. He was decanted as a standard 1st Generation CT-class clone, and that's all he was ever meant to be.

He had no hopes of ever becoming an officer, and knew he was lucky to even be alive. His batch all had the cosmetic mutation of gray eyes and slightly inferior vision, but these differences were minor enough that they were above the cutoff for decommissioning. Likewise, Stabber had average scores in most of his training and education, but was a relatively poor shot with a blaster. He still passed the Kaminoans' standards of an acceptable trooper (barely), but he lived with the understanding that he was on thin ice.

That thin ice cracks when as a young cadet, an accident during training injures the left side of Stabber's face, taking his left eye with it. It's the kind of injury that could swing his fate in either direction: a generous medic could fix him, given that the Kaminoans have more than enough technology and resources to do it, but landing a less generous medic would mean immediate decommissioning.

Stabber's luck continues to worsen: the medic who takes his case is none other than Nala Se herself. The Chief Scientist rarely handles such basic medical cases, but apparently she'd just come out of a more serious examination, and Stabber was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Stabber already knows his fate as she skims dispassionately over his file, seeing the notes on his mutation and his scores. She orders him to be decommissioned, and leaves the room.

Stabber realizes there are two other figures left in the room: a clone who looks slightly older than him, who he recognizes with a chill as the infamous Decommissioner, the Kaminoan's pet and medic-in-training. The other is a tiny blond clone child with haunted eyes, who'd been tasked with taking Stabber's body to the morgue when they're done.

Stabber feels himself getting sleepy as the drugs the Decommissioner gave him hit his system, and he never expects to wake up again.

Except he does--and he can see out of both eyes.

He can hear too, and what he hears is the chilling voice of a furious Kaminoan--Nala Se, he realizes with terror. She seems to be reprimanding a clone--the Decommissioner--who is calmly explaining that he'd wanted to upgrade himself to be of better service to the Kaminoans, and saw an opportunity to prevent his bio-matter from going to waste. He says he understands that what he did was still against a direct order from Nala Se, and that he'll accept punishment for his actions, as well as responsibility for the clone who remains alive due to his actions. The Decommissioner--Ashe, Stabber learns later, his name is Ashe--says that while Stabber may not have been the best in his standard training class, his scores show that he may have great potential as a medic. Ashe requests permission to train Stabber to become his personal assistant, which after great contemplation, Nala Se grants.

When Ashe enters the room, he's got a patch over his own left eye, which he later reveals is now bionic. He tells Stabber that he's being switched to the currently in-development medic track, and that from now on he'll be answering to Ashe personally for training. Ashe coldly tells him that Stabber doesn't have a choice, and that he expects him at medical training at the start of the next rotation. He leaves before Stabber can thank him for saving his life and giving him a second chance.

Stabber joins the medical track, which at the time had around one thousand Generation One clones. After classes, rather than following his brothers to training, Stabber follows Ashe and learns as his assistant. In their down time, Ashe tutors him to catch him up on the rest of his education, and also demands that Stabber be his sparring partner. Stabber quickly realizes that Ashe's schedule means that he has little time to interact with other clones, and that his reputation means that those who are available want nothing to do with him.

It also means that Stabber becomes involved in Ashe's operation of faking decommissioning, and sneaking brothers away from certain death. Stabber quickly learns that Ashe is not the Decommissioner that most think he is.

When Stabber asks Ashe why he had sacrificed his own eye for him, instead of sneaking him out like the others, Ashe says Stabber was just extra unlucky. Nala Se had been there, so there was no other way to save him. That's all.

While Stabber does better in medical training than he had in the standard track, it's not effortless to him like it is for some of the others. But Stabber knows he has to excel, because Ashe had vouched for him in front of Nala Se. The weight that comes with knowing his savior might pay the price if he fails makes Stabber push himself even harder.

His proximity with Ashe means that Stabber eventually even meets Cody--the real vod behind Kote, who actually exists, and isn't just a whispered legend--who takes him aside and makes him promise to look after Ashe when Cody can't be there.

By the time the war breaks out, Stabber is one of the top medics, not out of any talent or potential, but sheer stubborn willpower. When Ashe announces that he's staying behind on Kamino, Stabber plans to do the same. After all, he'd promised Kote.

But then Ashe assigns him to the 212th--to Kote's division. Ashe asks him to look after their Glory, to keep him alive out on the field. Stabber knows the weight of that request, and what it means that Ashe is asking him, when there are other medics out there. With regret at leaving Ashe behind, Stabber goes.

~~

General info:

Outwardly, Stabber is loud and expressive. He loves chattering, and can hold a conversation with himself easily if no one else wants to talk to him (a habit he'd developed because Ashe was often too shy to talk). His facial expressions are also often exaggerated and ridiculously easy to read (another habit he'd developed, when he realized how much Ashe struggles to read their brothers emotionally, having spent so much time away from them and in the company of only Kaminoans).

Stabber considers himself friendly, but his brothers think "crazed" suits him better. He carries himself like a cheerful thug, itching for an excuse to pounce and let loose some energy, often in the form of violence. If asked to pick out the medic out of a group of clones, his brothers doubt anyone would pick Stabber.

He has a reputation for being pessimistically optimistic, and says things like, "Wow you look like shit, this operation's gonna suck! But eh, it's not as bad as the last guy," or "You might lose the arm, but hey! You'll keep your head, congrats!" or "You probably won't make it out of this. But look on the bright side, the rest of us have to slog back through this mosquito-filled swamp!"

Stabber isn't the best shot with a blaster (his reputation says he's terrible, but he was still good enough to pass trooper training, barely), but he makes up for it by excelling at hand-to-hand combat, specifically with small knives and wrestling. Combined with his love of sharp pointy things and the acting of stabbing with them (hence his name), many feel this is a dangerous set of skills for a medic. Stabber cheerfully agrees.

Obi-Wan once gifted Stabber a small beskar knife. Most of his men don't think this was a wise move.

Stabber's preference for physical contact isn't limited to fighting. He's a very physical guy overall, often using pats and touches outside of checkups and even full on hugs without any hesitation. If he senses any brothers suffering from lack of contact, he'll grab them and sit on them.

Despite his eccentricities, Stabber is well respected and good at his job. His demeanor alarms many who aren't used to him, but the 212th find a strange sort of comfort in his way of handling medical treatment. He doesn't exactly have the best bedside manner in a traditional sense, but they trust in his honesty. And under his boisterous exterior, he's surprisingly good at reading his brothers, and always seems to know what they need to hear.

Stabber doesn't believe in avoiding the medics, and he doesn't care what anyone else believes. If a patient is being uncooperative, he believes in, "Stab first, ask questions later," and all of the medics who work under him quickly learn to adopt this policy as well. Given that the only clone in the 212th who can consistently beat Stabber at wrestling is Cody, Stabber is relatively confident in his ability to get most of his brothers to medical.

The General is a special case. After a few initial hissy situations, Stabber gets it out of him that one of the reasons why Obi-Wan dislikes going to medical is because he can sense the echoes of pain and death there, and it makes it difficult for him to focus on his own recovery. Stabber has him agree to the compromise that if an injury is serious enough that it requires machinery that can't be moved from medical, like a bacta tank, Obi-Wan will go without a fuss or otherwise consents to have a clone drag him there. But in other cases, he can retire to his own chambers, as long as he'll allow Stabber to look over him there.

While Stabber has been with the 212th since it was formed and still retains his Chief Medical Officer position, the arrival of Ashe as the CMO of the 7th Sky means that he's technically the 2nd highest ranking medic in the 212th. Many of the 212th are at first confused why Stabber isn't upset or doesn't fight for his top medic position when they'd all support him, but he seems very happy to be second to Ashe. They later learn that it's because of their history--any other medic, and it may have ended in a fist fight (that Stabber would have won).

Stabber is intensely protective of Ashe and doesn't tolerate bad-mouthing or spreading rumors about him. Any brother who does is personally dragged to a storage closet for a one-on-one, and emerges later, shaken. They don't speak about what Stabber told him, but leave Ashe alone.

Whenever they travel with the 501st, Stabber is known for constantly teasing Kix. Kix, according to Ashe, is one of the best medics he's ever trained. Others are worried that Stabber is harassing Kix out of jealousy, but it's actually a weird form of pride for his Prodigy Medic little brother. Kix pretends to hate it, but is actually flustered by the attention from his protective bear of an older brother, and knows that Stabber's laying it on extra heavy because Ashe can't get himself to show affection.

Appearance-wise, Stabber's whole look is designed to showcase his love of sharp pointy things. His hair is an undercut, with the longer hair at the top styled to point to a tip at the front of his face (or as much as it can, given that it curls). His armor paint is covered in sharp points. He has two downward pointing triangles tattooed under his eyes, and two upward pointing triangles shaved out of facial hair at the back of his jaw. He has simple lobe piercings, and would honestly get more except he's very aware that having piercings while wearing a bucket on the field is a horrible idea, and vows to get more piercings if the war ever ends.

His eyes are different colors. His right eye is gray, his original eye color, and his left eye is standard clone golden-brown, and was originally Ashe's. He is incredibly proud of the eye he got from Ashe, and calls it his "CC-class eye." The color of his tattoos, piercings, and some of his paint reflect this right-side silver, left-side gold asymmetric coloration.

The left side of his face was also horribly scarred from his accident as a cadet, but many years of continued deep bacta treatment from Ashe has reduced them to barely-noticeable scars around his left eye.

~~

Related links:

Clone File on Ashe

Clone File on Morbs

OR

Read them all on AO3

~~

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, EDIT, TRANSLATE, OR OTHERWISE USE MY ART. To share, please reblog! Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated!!!

❀ You can see the rest of my art through the Masterpost pinned to the top of my blog!

[ciceroprofacto]

Enlisted and Officer ranks

Because I’m Tired.

Extremely basic Army & Marine ranks under the cut- Continental Army and modern translations. I will not be covering the Continental or modern Navy because...I just. can’t with the Navy’s rank structure.

Enlisted

Private (modern rate E1)

would have very limited experience and wouldn’t be assigned responsibility for tasks unless they’re supervised

Private First Class (E2)

still would not take lead on tasks unless absolutely necessary

Lance Corporal (E3)

a little more experience but still developing their leadership abilities, mostly just taking care of basic tasks and sometimes stepping up to lead their peers.

Corporal (E4)

first rank of Noncommissioned Officers (NCO), the rank at which enlisted soldiers are expected to assume assigned leadership roles over juniors. In Continental Army ranks, a Corporal and a Sergeant would’ve been the lead NCOs in a platoon, advising the Lieutenant Officer in Charge (OIC).

Sergeant (E5)

second rank of NCO, far more-trusted than a Corporal. In Continental Army, would’ve been the senior enlisted in a platoon, in modern ranks, they’re likely most senior in a squad (2-3 squads per platoon)

The rank of Staff Sergeant (E6) follows Sergeant in the modern military. The Continental Army did not have a distinct rank of Staff Sergeant

Sergeant First Class (E7 Army) or Gunnery Sergeant (E7 Marines) follows Staff Sergeant in the modern military but again- not in the Continental Army

First Sergeant (E8)

The senior enlisted advisor at the company level (modern military) or the battalion/regimental level (Continental Army)

Modern Army and Marines have an equivalent E8 rank of Master Sergeant which is a technical specialist in their designated field

Quartermaster Sergeant (discontinued) or Sergeant Major (E9)

Neither Army nor Marine Corps still have a rank of Quartermaster Sergeant, but this would have been the enlisted supervisor for acquisition and distribution of supplies to a battalion/regiment.

Sergeant Major was the most senior enlisted rank in the Continental Army and would’ve been an enlisted advisor at the battalion-level (modern) and at the brigade and division levels (Continental Army).

The equivalent rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant (E9) is for those who previously held the rank Master Sergeant.

In the army the Command Sergeant Major (E9) follows Sergeant Major, then Sergeant Major of the Army (E9) or Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (E9).

Officers

*have always been specifically commissioned by Congress with special trust and confidence. Modern officers require a minimum bachelor’s degree and undergo specific officer training prior to receiving commissions. In the Continental Army, these individuals were either the wealthy, well-connected, well-educated, or prominent militia leaders who gained attention through notable leadership actions.

Ensign or Cornet (Continental Army) Second Lieutenant (modern O1)

Ensign and Cornet were considered “Subaltern” ranks- or junior officers

The rank of Ensigns (infantry) and Cornets (cavalry) would have been the flag-bearers for a company and would assume command of platoons if a Lieutenant could not.

Lieutenant (replaced with rank of First Lieutenant O2)

Platoon commanders (Continental Army) up to company executive officers (modern) who act as essentially the right-hand of the Company Commander.

Captain (O3)

Company Commanders- in both the Continental and modern military. This rank is the balance of leadership to the enlisted ranks and influence to the higher ranks of officers and is often considered a pivotal point in an officer’s career.

Captains may also assume many special assignments and staff positions at the battalion-level depending on their specialties.

Captain was the highest rank of Continental Marines with the whole two battalions under the command of Captain Samuel Nicholas.

Major (O4)

Executive Officers, Operations officers, or special staff officers at the battalion-level or higher. The lowest rank of field-grade officers, Major is where officers careers become more political in nature as they transition from tactical leadership positions to operational to strategic roles.

Lieutenant Colonel (O5)

Battalion Commanders or special staff to generals

Colonel (O6)

Most senior field-grade officer rank. Equivalent to a Navy Captain and extremely political. Colonels command a battalion or regiment, or are senior staff to generals.

Brigadier General (O7)

A modern 1-star general, Brigadier General is the lowest general officer rank. They command a group or brigade.

Major General (O8)

A 2-star general, commanders of divisions in both modern and Continental ranks.

There were 29 total Major Generals over the course of the Revolutionary War. 

After the rank of Major General in the modern army, there are additional ranks of Lieutenant General (O9) which didn’t exist in the Continental Army, 4-star general (Army and Marines O10), and 5-star general (Army O10)

Commander in Chief (General of the Armies O10)

The title “General of the Armies” and a 6th star was granted to John J. Pershing following WWI and was conferred on George Washington posthumously in 1976.

some resources x x x 

Older posts for helpful context: military vocab, Continental Army structure

[theramblingsoldier]

So a long time ago I had made a post dedicated to my Great Great Uncle Frank Rodriguez but I’d figure that it would be fitting to make another one for him that is better researched than the first one going more into his personal life. I would like to thank the people from “Durham at War” who have made this wonderful website full of information about ranging from the individual soldier to the whole city’s efforts during the war, without them such great knowledge about Frank would not be available. Frank Rodriguez or Fernando Francisco Rodriguez if you want to be formal was born in Byker, a suburb of Newcastle on the 29th of November 1882 to Mr. Manuel Rodriguez and Mrs. Frances Ann Fawcett. He was the second eldest of four children with his youngest sister Elvira being my Great Great Aunt. His father Manuel was a coal merchant who was one of the three founders of a prosperous coal company in Newcastle, this company allowed Frank and his family to live with comfort and ease. Frank would go to boarding school, something typical of upper class children and his school, Barnard Castle is still in operation to this day. After receiving his education there he joined the coal industry himself and worked as a foreign correspondent in Spain representing his father’s company. This career was cut short when war broke out, Frank left Spain and returned to Newcastle where he enlisted into the Army Reserves. In 1916 he was mobilised with the 10th Durham Light Infantry and would reach the rank of Lance Corporal during this time, when the Battalion was in training over in Rugeley he reached the rank of Acting Corporal but was not fully promoted due to a lack of combat experience. His time on the front would come on the 21st of April 1917 when his battalion landed in the French town of Etaples, the Arras Offensive was in full swing by then and the 10th Durham was about to take part in it. Unfortunately for Frank he did not see this, on the 10th of May 1917 an artillery shell struck his trench and the blast of shrapnel from the shell killed him. Frank was only 35 years old. There are many stories like Frank’s, men who had good lives and jobs before the war but gave them up to serve their King and Country. Let us never forget the sacrifices made by them in a war which ended so much for reasons that are still debated over today. I would like to show you all the result of some internet sleuthing, the photo of Frank is owned by the family that still resides in England where he is in a more comfortable position with his cap removed and his legs crossed. I found a very similar photo of a man in the same pose but with his regimental cap on, I have yet to confirm this man to be Frank but I do believe heavily that it could be him.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, it’s a rather long post but one that I thought was worth making especially around this time of year. I hope you guys can contribute to this as well, I’d love to read the stories that you guys have as well!

[a-funeral-pyre]

Sharing my writing #4

This one is about the project of mine I’m currently most passionate about (”Secrets of Lunyan”, a fairly standard fantasy trilogy with lots of angst and slightly cosmic horror implications that I look forward to actually write now that I have invented tons of characters. Incidentally, it’s where the OCs from my quiz come from).

I wanted to start with the geography. It’s pretty semplified for storytelling purposes, but so far we have:

-Othanar, in the west. A very vast territory, technologically quite arretrated (the main inspiration is medieval/Renaissance Europe), but with the largest number of trained wizards. The most powerful among these wizards form the ruling class. Othanar is a theocracy, since said wizards are also the priests of Falham, the main divinity of this universe, protector of humankind. Its main economical strenght, apart from trading, is its monopoly over magical education. 

-Agzym, in the south. A very wide territory, but mostly barren. It’s not an unitary state like Othanar, but in city-states in the shape of towers moving through railways or crawlers or of airships. They have the lowest number of mages, trained or born, but they compensate by being the most technologically advanced area of the world (steampunk style). Every city-state forms a tribe, every one with its own sacred animal, but with very diverse cultures and costumes. Occasionally there are conflicts between cities, but it’s actually quite rare, and usually the relations are peaceful. The main danger are the wraiths that haunt the land, especially in the north, near Lunyan.

-Uaxhakil, in the south-west. Its original population was the most numerous Agzym tribe, that inhabitated the most fertile part of the territory and decided to convert to a sedentary lifestyle and form its own political entity. It’s a monarchy. One of its last bonds with Agzym is the worship of a sacred animal - in their case, a butterfly. Around nineteen years before the beginning of the story, the former king attempted to expand its territory by waging war to Agzym. The army managed to conquer several territories, but the tribes of Agzym united and ended up taking back their lands. The amount of deaths, including several slaughters of civilians, was extremely high on both sides and as a result, while peace was signed, the two lands still see each others as enemies. Uaxhakil was always a secluded country anyway, although it’s got a faithful trading partner in Othanar and before the war peaceful contact with Agzym was not uncommon. They underwent a technological revolution for a few decades before the war, starting to use firearms (mainly imitating Agzym’s technology, although the results are less efficient and the army still mostly uses bladed weapons as is the tradition) and small airships (originally created for exploration purpose, but converted to military purpose when the war started). Occasionally there are wraiths attacks, but less commonly than in Agzym. However, there are several trained mages. Some of them, as Falham priest, are the most powerful entity after the king (along with the army). Some others form élite battalions.

-Deorhnem: in the north. Its mainly inhabitated by two different people. One came from Agzym but moved north several thousands of years before. They are now very different than their southern ancestors, apart from keeping the tribal structure and the cult of their sacred animals. Every tribe has at least one wizard, be it trained or born with magic, that acts as the leader. The other people is native to the north and organized in republican fortress cities. Most of the population receives military training and those that form the army have the task of defending Deorhnem from the dragons and monsters that have been threatening it for millennia. There are very few wizards among them, but it’s not really a problem. Their technology is mostly on par with Othanar. They actually trade with Agzym and have tried using firearms, but it turns out they are mostly useless against the dragons, since they are mostly blind and hunt in packs and loud noises only make attacking difficult.

-Pawyr: in the east. Its inhabitants are not human but madil (children of humans and nymphs, or descendants of these children with enough nymph blood). As such, all of them are born with magic (except for first-generation madil, that have a 50% chance of being able to use magic, but can pass it down to their own children). Most of them don’t really have a wish to train in magic (although magic learnt by training is different than the one they are born with). Politically it’s formed by small independent monarchies. The main dangers are two demi-gods/demons, but I’m probably going to talk about them in another post.

-Lunyan, east of Othanar and the center of the whole story. Several thousand years before the story begins it was a sort of steampunk Atlantis (but on land), inhabitated by powerful trained wizards (every knowledge about how to learn magic comes from here), but it was mysteriously destroyed. However, its magic and knowledge remained, at least in part. Near the ruins there is the studying center, managed by the Othanar Falham priests, where people can go to train as wizards. Those that manage to learn enough either go back to their own lands, and if they are powerful enough they usually become part of the ruling class, or they go to another to help fighting whatever is the problem there (wraiths, dragons, etc.). However no one dares walking through the actual ruins. Space and time are quite distorted in there. There’s a reason why.

[coochiequeens]

(CNN)Members of the Women's Army Corps' all-Black 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion had to fight racial discrimination, gender discrimination and the war itself during World War II.

After traveling overseas in 1945, the unit, nicknamed "Six Triple Eight," survived encounters with Nazi U-boats and a German rocket explosion before spending months sorting through unheated warehouses stacked to the ceiling with mail and packages, according to the US Army Center of Military history. The battalion cleared a six-month backlog of mail in just three months.

Quarters were segregated by race and gender, leaving the group to run its own facilities. There were no commemorative ceremonies for members when they came home at the end of the war.

But this year, the US Senate passed legislation to grant a Congressional Gold Medal to the battalion.

Members of the House of Representatives are trying to gather enough votes to pass its companion bill and make the award official, said Carlton Philpot, chairman of the Buffalo Soldier Educational and Historical Committee, part of the National 9th and 10th Cavalry Association. The committee works to recognize Black American military units and soldiers.

"It's wonderful, and it's time," said Stanley Earley III, son of late 6888th commander Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley. "It should have happened 50, 60 years ago. But there is now the opportunity for a recognition that these folks did all these things that were so important." Only seven of the original 855 members are believed to still be alive, Earley said.

The unit has been receiving more attention and accolades in recent years. A monument honoring the battalion was dedicated in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2018. A documentary, "The Six Triple Eight: No Mail, Low Morale," celebrated the mail tracking system the battalion created. (By the end of the war, the unit processed about 17 million pieces of mail, according to the National World War II Museum.)

When Lt. Col. Adams Earley died in 2002, both the local Air Force base and the Army sent honor guards to her funeral, said Earley, who noted that his mother and her fellow soldiers constantly fought discrimination while serving.

"I remember she would talk about, there were classes that were segregated male and female, and there were also classes that were segregated racially, so you could theoretically have a situation where you had four classes," Earley told CNN, describing some of his mother's anecdotes about training. "At some point, they realized everybody could listen to the same lecture."

Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, who is among the surviving members of the battalion, talked about her WWII experience in a 2019 meeting with her local congressman, who interviewed her for the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project.

"It was to me history-making in that I learned geography and loved history in school -- and to go to places I had read about or heard about, to me it just brought back things I had learned in school," McClendon told Arizona Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton. "I still think about it even today."

[dominickuiper]

( michiel huisman + cis male ) — have you seen dominic kuiper? this forty two year old is an emergency room surgeon who resides in manhattan. he has been living in nyc for four years, and is known to be observant and driven, but can also be disconnected and cold, if you cross them. people tend to associate them with dog tags and an adrenaline rush. @codstarters​

triggers for military, car accident

general information.

full name: dominic joël kuiper. handle: dom, doc, coop. title: doctor. age: 42. date of birth: july 8th, 1978. place of birth: manhattan, new york. zodiac: cancer. gender: cis male. nationality: dutch-american. religion: agnostic. orientation: heteroromantic heterosexual. relationship status: single.

physical attributes.

face claim: michiel huisman. height: 6'0.5″. weight: 180 lbs. hair color: brown. eye color: hazel. tattoos: a tattoo of his marine battalion (2nd battalion, 1st marines) on his upper right forearm. distinguishing marks: various scars and marks from his years of service. outfit/clothing style: mostly scrubs because of work, otherwise casual attire - jeans, t-shirts and loose button-down shirts over them with boots.

background information.

hometown: manhattan, new york. current residence: manhattan, new york. past residences: various, as he was deployed for most of his military career. spoken languages: dutch, english, french. financial status: lower-upper class. education level: high school diploma, then military education. coop got his doctorates through the us navy. organization: navy hospital corpsman (formerly), marine combat medic (retired), manhattan general emergency room surgeon (present).

familial information.

mother: annmarie kuiper. father: richard kuiper. siblings: nora kuiper (deceased). children: none.

personality.

moral alignment: lawful neutral. mbti: estj-t - the executive. enneagram: type 1: the perfectionist. temperament: choleric.

short biography.

born in manhattan, new york to two lower-upper class parents. dominic was never one for wanting in his life, never went needing, and was always well-cared for. attended public school and graduated high school in the top three of his class.

small family - just mom, dad, himself and his younger sister nora - six years his junior. dom has always gotten along with his family and always felt protective over nora, but not overbearing.

enlisted in the navy right out of high school. rolled through basic, then transferred to san antonio, texas where he went through his training as a hospital corpsman. dom excelled in high-stress situations and quickly became a combat medic, following his interests into the marines where he found he could be of a better use than a submarine.

served in the marines 2nd battalion for most of his life. has been deployed a handful of times throughout his career and retired from active duty 6 years ago. (he is still reserves, though, and can be called back any time they need him).

became a member of doctors without borders (médicins sans frontéres) between deployments. served time in a handful of countries helping wherever he could. upon his official retirement from active duty, dom spent two years in europe with doctors without borders before returning home, to the states.

lost his sister in a car accident 4 years ago. he was completely heartbroken an still refuses to acknowledge her loss appropriately.

received his doctorates through the military, took a job at manhattan general in the emergency room as a surgeon upon coming back home.

last name is pronounced cooper - it’s dutch. his first language was dutch, he learned english in school.

will respond to: dom, doc, coop.

potential connections.

best friend: someone he connected with (be it from when he lived in ny in his life or not and kept connections to throughout his time in the service or someone he met when he came home) and spends a good portion of his time with when he’s not working or on-call.

coworkers: hospitals have a vast staff of doctors, nurses, etc. people he sees every day.

flings: 30+ please. not serious romantic connections. a man has needs. these would likely be one-off’s ---one night stands.

neighbors: he lives in a nice apartment in manhattan. big $$$ from working where he does, and having money from his family.

i’m open to various other connections, these are just some ideas!