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Logistics Officer
Report #4
2.5.2001 - RA Ramos Kanzco
LO Report:
There is currently alot of behind the scenes work going on with the LO. With the removal of LOA CPT Ximeno the new LOA is CM Krax Tarnisar of Spear Squadron. He is the leader of Project Distant Talon, the replacement for the EH's old Sentinel Project.
Currently LO Activities include:
1.Investigating EH History
2. Creating the new Archive and LO site
3.Helping FA Yodavin convert old Newsletters to HTML
4. Collecting other old newsletters from other subgroups.
Pasted below is Operation Distant Talon, If anyone is interested please email magedon42@aol.com and miner49er@excite.com
Thanks,
CA:LO/RA Ramos Kanzco/CA-11/SSSD Soverign
Operation Distant Talon:
Project Distant Talon
Only by knowing our past may we understand the present. . .
And plan for the future
Project Summary and Mission Statement
At the direction of the Logistics Office, Project Distant Talon was developed to gather in a central location the histories of the capital ships and fighter wings that comprise the Emperor’s Hammer Strike Fleet. The purpose of this is twofold: one, to compile the history of these organizations, and; two, to ensure that it is done in a methodical manner that complies with the basic guidelines of historical research and methodology. To this end, a series of ‘templates’ have been developed, allowing independent researchers to follow the same methods and allow for easier compiling by a central authority.
Why Project Distant Talon?
Military organizations are more effective when they have a strong esprit de corps. This has been understood by great leaders throughout the ages. To have esprit de corps, component units must be aware of their own history – the famous who have served in their ranks, accomplishments of all levels of command (from an ace pilot up to a noble wing commander or ship commodore), and the origins of their own mottoes and traditions. This history must also be available to new recruits, so they can understand what is expected of them in their new assignment and what traditions they must aspire to uphold.
Unfortunately, within the TIE Corps there is no central holding of this kind. Information is passed along slowly, if at all, and often languishes forgotten in the middle of old squadron or wing reports. There is a clear need for this information (ranging from activation dates to personnel profiles and stories) to be gathered in a central location and organized so that it is accessible to everyone seeking to understand how the Emperor’s Hammer TIE Corps came to be what it is today.
Project Distant Talon seeks to provide such a holding, thus helping to build the esprit de corps of the ISDs and fighter wings that make up the Strike Fleet. By using a set plan, grounded in the principles of historical research and methodology, it will also ensure that these histories are of a similar format and content. Gaps needed further research can thus be easily identified, and new information added with a minimum of fuss and bother.
Project Methodology
Project Distant Talon is intended to create a kind of lineage book for each capital ship and fighter wing in the TIE Corps (as well as some of the sub-groups if necessary). It also recognizes that a work of this nature is more than a single individual, working alone, can accomplish. Thus, Distant Talon has been broken down into a series of phases, based in part on the author’s experiences while researching the history of Wing X and the ISD Challenge. The overall phases of Distant Talon are summarized below.
1. Acquire copies of the current rosters. This is done to ensure that a complete listing of all Wings, their component Squadrons, and parent Imperial Star Destroyers, is available.
2. Create research priorities. This is nothing more than determining what order the ships and wings will be researched. It can be done in chronological order, beginning with the SSD Avenger and Wing I, or any other order desired. It is also possible, by using the later phased plan, to research more than one wing at the same time.
3. Develop a reusable research timeline or template that can be used for each ship and wing.
4. Do the research. This phase can be ‘farmed out’ to interested officers of each wing, squadron, or ISD. It makes use of the templates developed in Phase 3.
5. Compile the research results. This includes checking the research done by outside parties, revising text when necessary, and fitting it into the overall Distant Talon unit history format.
6. Submit the final text to the Logistics Office for final approval.
7. Make any needed revisions and start on the next wing. Thank all those who assisted, and let their superiors know of their help. The LO is also advised regarding those who provided assistance.
At this point it is necessary to comment on the research focus being placed on fighter wings. During initial research regarding the ISD Challenge, it was determined that there was more information available regarding the wing, and its assigned squadrons, than there was the Challenge herself. Also, within the TOE of the Emperor’s Hammer Strike Fleet, Wings tend to remain associated with particular ISDs from commissioning forward. Research the wing, and the ship history is sure to follow, but the reverse does not always hold true.
The Research Template
The template is the key to Project Distant Talon. It is what allows the ‘grunt work’ of the project to be farmed out to interested squadron and wing members, and ensures that all research follows the same pattern and is easy to assemble in a finished document. The word timeline could also be used to describe the template, as it is intended to work in a somewhat chronological manner. Finally, it is also a checklist. Each step needs to be completed, or at least addressed, before the research is done.
As mentioned earlier, the template is designed so that it can be used by any officer conducting research. It can also be farmed out at ANY point during its completion. The outline of the template is given below.
Check available newsletters for information. This is the first step in any historical research – determine what sources are available to you before proceeding. Both the Emperor’s Hammer newsletter and the TIE Corps news archives are good places to start. The latter source is best for more current information, while the EH newsletter is unsurpassed as a source of archival information. Newsletter information ranges from rosters to INPRs of wing (and squadron) members and FanFic. All of this is valuable historical information, and should be extracted at this stage for later use.
Determine the commissioning date (first mention in a newsletter) and cut-off date for available information. At this point, research is still mostly confined to newsletters available in the EH archives. The reason for this is quite simple: rosters contain names of commanders and pilots. The more rosters you have, the easier it is to track down former wing members and target them for interviews. They are also useful for double-checking information gained from interviews and other sources.
Determine if outside help is needed. This step applies no matter who is conducting the research. If the answer is yes, begin contacting officers within the wing who might be interested, or have shown interest, in Project Distant Talon. Determinations may have to be made regarding these helpers. Having one good, active assistant is more valuable that having four who do precious little.
Post information requests on the proper ship/wing/squadron message boards. It may also prove valuable to post a general request for former members of Wing (whatever) on the TIE Corps General Forum. In this way you can reach officers who might have transferred away from their original outfit.
Evaluate responses and target gaps in your information. These could range from dates without commanders to information regarding wing victories in competitions.
Research the gaps. This is the hardest part of the research, and calls for you to become something of a detective. Gaps can occur due to unavailable rosters, an inability to verify a competition result, or even the reason for a squadron motto change. These should be addressed to the best of your ability, but also recognize that some things are just ‘lost to history.’ Know when to quit chasing down a particular gap.
Target individuals for interviews. This step can take place concurrently with the previous ones, and is an ideal candidate for farming out to any assistants you might have recruited. Interviews can be conducted in any way practicable, but you should be sure to have a set list of questions.
Forward results for compilation (if farmed out) or compile your results (if not farmed out or instructed to by the project officer). Forwarded results should be in either .rtf or MSWord formats. If compiling your own results, be sure to follow the designated format for these histories. All resulting research should include the following information (ignore if you were given a specific area to research): organization date and assigned ship; original designation; first Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE); TOE once the wing is fully staffed and all squadron missions have been assigned; current TOE (can be omitted if cleared with project officer); timeline of events to include command changes, redesignations (such as when the SSSD Sovereign joined the fleet), equipment and/or mission changes; and any other events deemed of note (competitions won, etc). Any INPRs, FanFic, and related materials should also be included at this time. Forwarded research results should be organized as agreed on with the project officer in advance.
The Final Product
The results of all this research will be organized and complied by the project officer in accordance with accepted historical methodology. Having done this work with a historical preservation organization and (on an unofficial basis) for certain U.S. Army component units and veterans’ groups, I feel I am more than qualified for this task.
Unit histories, and Project Distant Talon is really about unit history, follow a fairly specific format. They begin with a breakdown of the unit’s distinctive insignia, date of organization, battle honors earned, component units, and perhaps a further reading list. Any reorganizations or changes of designation (commonly referred to as ‘reflagging’ in the U.S. Army) are also included. In earlier days, lists of regimental colonels were also included, along with Medal of Honor winners and significant events.
Project Distant Talon harks back to this earlier phase of U.S. Army lineage writing. All histories will be presented in a narrative format, following a wing from its commissioning to the date the history was begun. For the most part it will focus on wing commanders and former squadron members who have moved on to bigger things in the fleet. And through this focus, the history of the ship will also become apparent. Changes of command will be documented for both wing and ship, where possible, and the relation between an ISD and its fighter wing will be cemented in history as it is in fact and operational necessity.
A sample of this kind of history has been forwarded to the LO, and deals with Wing X. A copy has been attached to this proposal as a .zip file, in MSWord format. It should be examined once this document has been digested, so that the end results of Project Distant Talon can be fully appreciated.
Closing Remarks
No project is perfect, and there may be areas that Project Distant Talon has overlooked, or that it should not explore. Feedback is needed before a final project plan can be created.
Having said that, it is this officer’s feeling that Project Distant Talon fills a void in the Emperor’s Hammer Strike Fleet. Once it is completed, cadets joining their first squadron can be referred to a central location for their new wing’s, and their new ship’s, history. Testing could be conducted, and wise commanders will use this to build their units’ esprit de corps. The EH can but prosper from such activities, and it would set us apart from all other Star Wars groups in that we would have our own codified history of our military arm.
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