Newsletter of the 210th Marine Expeditionary Unit, STARFLEET Marine Corps

The IDIC and it makes it possible for us more volatile

creatures to interact with others, including
By 1st Lieutenant Mark Webb, SFMC Vulcans.
In order to reach the point of this The word IDIC is not a Vulcan word. It is an
WINTER 2007 ISSUE piece, I need to jump around in the
time line a bit, so if those purists
acronym. It stands for Infinite Diversity in
CONTENTS among you will bare with me, it would
Infinite Combinations. It is a way of thinking
that Vulcans embrace as a core part of their
be appreciated. This is about a con- philosophy. It’s what makes such rigidly logi-
From the Officer in Charge cept that is not only crucial to Star cal, reasonable, and mentally and emotionally
Fleet, but to our future is it is now, anddisciplined beings to be able to live and work
Operation Codenames as it will be in the time of the Federa- with those of us who are not quite so logical or
tion. well disciplined. In their own culture, it makes
Editorial: Old Boots it possible for them to accept those among
As you all know, Federation ambassa- them who chose not to follow the Ch’Tai,
Game Review– Star Trek: Encounters dor Spock served for many years in which makes them so logical, and precise.
Star Fleet. During that time, he was
New Unit Guidon called upon to wear his dress uniform Not only is this useful and necessary to Vul-
on a number of occasions. One of the cans, but also to the rest of us. This philoso-
The IDIC insignia or devices on is uniform was a phy makes it possible for aggressive beings
symbol known as the IDIC. This sym- like the Andorians to work with the volatile
Recipe: Guard Post Chili bol embodies a philosophy that is not Tellarites. It makes it possible for humans to
unique to Vulcan or to Vulcans. work with the Farengi or the ZacDorn. It
Calendar Rather, it is a philosophy that is shared makes it possible for Vulcans to work with all
by many in the Federation and is abso- sorts of people.
From Headquarters lutely essential for the purpose of
keeping the Federation together. It The concept of diversity, infinite or otherwise,
makes it possible for Vulcans to inter- had its birth (on Earth at least) in the mid 20th
210th MEU Officers act with others not like themselves, (Continued on page 2)

Officer in Charge:
J.D. Clancy, 1LT
clanc2@flinthills.com From the Officer in Charge
Deputy Officer in Charge: It’s a new year for the 210th MEU. We’ve already deployed to
Mark Webb, 1LT Homeland Paintball again for Operation Phalanger. More mis-
webbmaw@cox.net sions this year seem likely. Intelligence says perhaps in March
we’ll be at Homeland again for their scenario season opener.

210th MEU WEB SITE
http://fedchaplain.tripod.com/210meu.htm
It’s not too early for officers and marines to start preparing for IC
2007, including the marine mess night. Custom uniform items can
take time to tailor, so think about ordering early. Some ribbons and
insignia are available from the Black Rogues Supply Sgt. Remem-
ber to see the links page on the unit web site for more vendors!

While its more fun to prepare for the special activities like IC or Brigade Muster, we shouldn’t forget day-to-day responsibilities.
Things like web site updates, the newsletter, and writing reports are part of being a member. Mark Webb has been doing a great job
coding the recruiting web site-keep up the good work, Mark!

DISCLAIMERS: Paramount Pictures and its licensees have the sole authority to generate profit from Star Trek trademarks, and this
publication in no way intends to infringe upon copyrights held by Paramount Pictures, Viacom, or any other Star Trek copyholders.
The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc.
or the STARFLEET Marine Corps.
(Continued from page 1) The IDIC
century as part of the civil rights movement. Later, it was subjugated within the concept of
political correctness. This diverted the goal from true diversity and developing cultural and
racial understanding, to the labeling of people with differences in such a way as to try not to
offend anyone. We didn’t truly appreciate the value of diversity until after first contact, when
we learned that not only were we not alone in the universe, but that we aren’t even a very sig-
nificant race in our own galaxy. If we were to be a part of the local galactic community, we
would need to exhibit traits that would be worthwhile for the other races nearby and we would
need to appreciate their valuable traits.

In short, the IDIC philosophy is the glue that keeps the Federation together. Without it, the
exchange of ideas and information between races would be much more difficult. The level of
accomplishment within the Federation would not have happened, and the Federation would
have been vulnerable to attack from the outside.

More importantly, this philosophy is essential to each one of us. It is this embracing of the value of diversity that is truly our final
frontier. Whether we’re timidly moving out into our own solar system or exploring nearby space, or traveling through time, or trying
to break the warp 10 barrier, this way of thinking will need to be with us. We must embrace the lessons of the IDIC. Only then, will
we truly exemplify the ideal that is the Federation. Only then will we exemplify the spirit that is Star Fleet.

From Headquarters ence Fiction fan organization must be one that is recognized as an
active science fiction fan group at either the regional or national
level for your area. This may be
cooperative or competitive, and must be done while obviously
 New publication available from SFMC headquarters:
participating as a STARFLEET Marine. Participation as a marine
 SFMC Dress Mess Manual can be shown by wearing a SFMC uniform, a unit cap or shirt, or
 May be downloaded from the SFMC web site. by obviously being associated with others who are wearing an
 Changes to SFMC Joint Service Award Criteria SFMC uniform. Marines who are also members of the same fan
This award is given to marines for participation in events with organization are not eligible. This award combines and replaces
other Science Fiction oriented fan organizations, to include other the Organian Service, Wolf 359, Bajoran Campaign, Andorian
Star Trek-related fan organizations other than SFI. The other Sci- Campaign, Klingon Service and Romulan Service ribbons.

Operation Codenames
Special events that 210th MEU members participate in will receive a codename. This does not include scheduled drills
and meetings. The OIC will approve all operation names. A random word generator has been used for codenames. Ac-
tive operations already opened for 2007: Operation Leghorn (IC 2007), Operation Phalanger, Operation Cordwood
(Oklahoma D-Day)

Calendar
February 1, 2007; Brigade Report Due

February 3, 2007; Polar Bear Plunge/5K Run Location: Shawnee Lake, Topeka, KS

March 10-11, 2007; Paintball (Operation: Fall Weiss) Location: Homeland Paintball, Quenemo, KS Web Site: http://
homelandpaintball.net/

May 4,5,6 2007; 2007 Region 12 Summit (Shaken, Not Stirred) Location: Urbana, IL Web Site: http://summit007.ussbortas.net/

June 4-10, 2007; Oklahoma D-Day Location: Wyandotte, OK Web Site: http://www.oklahomadday.com/

August 10-12 2007; Denver, CO - 2007 International Conference. Web Site: http://www.ic2007.org/

The Black List—Winter 2007—Page 2

Game Review
Star Trek: Encounters
Platform: Playstation 2
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: 4J Studios
Release Date: 4 October 2006
Web Site: http://startrek.bethsoft.com/games/encounters-overview.html

First, I’ll get this statement out of the way: this game is not a Playstation 2 version of the
popular PC Starfleet Command series of games.

Encounters has two modes of play: Story and Skirmish. Story mode is a series of progres-
sive missions. All the missions in a story will deal with some era of Star Trek. Finishing
stories opens up ships of that era for use in the skirmish modes. Skirmish mode is simply
random ship-to-ship fighting in a section of space. The Skirmish mode has a 2 player feature.
The two players both view their ships on one large screen, but the ships are ‘tethered’ to each
other (when you get too far away from your wingman you get mysteriously pulled back into
view)

This game features an unusual arcade style control system. Most players will be familiar with the concept of turning left and going
left (like driving a car) then straightening out the wheel when you’re pointing in the direction you want to go. In Encounters, you
don’t turn left or right to change direction, you point and hold the joystick toward the heading you want. The targeting system is
tricky to perfect as well. Your ship’s firing arc is an overlay you control with the right stick. It takes a bit of practice to navigate
with one stick while trying to get a bead on the enemy with the other. There are a few advanced targeting/weapons/shields screens
that can be accessed. Other than switching to photon torpedoes, I didn’t use the advanced features much during the play test.

You might use Encounters to introduce Playstation-bound youth to the Star Trek universe. Or throw it in during chapter meetings
for people to tinker with. I found the arcade format quickly became repetitive. Once you’ve played the various ships against one
another, things get fairly uninteresting.

Ideally, buy this game used somewhere or look for it in the $5 bin at the local discount store. Shelf price on line or in a store
should not be more than $10.

Editorial: OLD BOOTS

By J.D. Clancy

At the end of 2006, I officially retired my old combat boots. Dated 1982, my
Granma bought them for me in the mid-1980’s at the Fort Riley, Kansas post store.
They were standard leather, GI Issue black with a waffle tread. (She first brought
home a pair of Corcoran jump boots, but they didn’t fit. I’ve never found a pair of
Corcoran jump boots that fit me- I guess they’re not for people with flat feet)

I wore those boots for seven years in the Civil Air Patrol. Weekly drills, training
encampments, and emergency services exercises. They’ve been up in aircraft and
through the bush all over Northeast Kansas. I spent many hours with my boots and
a can of Kiwi black shoe polish buffing away for weekly inspections.

Long after I left the ranks of the CAP, I needed leather boots to wear for brush fires.
As a basic fireman, I didn’t make enough money to afford $400 custom forestry
service boondockers. With a wash of saddle soap, the trusty combat boots were
ready for action again. They stomped over every acre of the training areas at Fort
Riley, Kansas. The past six years, I’ve been across the Prairie Band Potawatomi
Reservation during the spring brush fire season.
(Continued on page 4)

The Black List—Winter 2007—Page 3

Guard Post Chili  1 wooden spoon or virinite spoon from Rigil IV.
By Mark Webb  1 can opener
 stove or hand phaser
About the Recipe
One of the nice things about chili, for those of you Ingredients
who make it, is that you can change any recipe to suit yourself.  2 to 3 pounds ground beef or the meat of your choice (can
If you want it hotter or milder, or if you want it with more also use turkey, Klingon targh, Rectine monopod, Tarkesian
beans or more meat, or more of whatever, you can change those razor beast, etc.)
amounts and still come up with great-tasting chili, most of the
time.
 1 cup onions, finely chopped
 2 medium cans tomato sauce or 4 small cans tomato juice
This chili is for those who don’t have a replicator or equivalent
handy, and who are not especially good cooks. Many of you  2 cans Ro Tel tomatoes
will find it absurdly easy and maybe not worth the trouble, but I  2 cans pinto beans, drained
make it for my family on a regular basis and we all enjoy it.
 2 cans chili hot beans
You can use a stove  1 or two packets of chili seasoning to taste
to prepare your chili, or if
need be, a type 1 phaser at its Preparation
lowest setting will do the 1. In the skillet, (or in the kettle itself if you don’t want to use
trick. Just be careful not to a skillet) brown the meat and onions together
aim at the same part of the
kettle for too long. Also, you 2. Drain the meat thoroughly and put onto kettle
should always use a wooden 3. Add tomato sauce or juice and add the Ro Tel tomatoes
spoon when stirring your 4. Add the chili hot beans in their liquid
chili as a metal spoon will 5. Add the pinto beans
leach metal into the chili and change its taste. However, you 6. Add the chili seasoning
can use a virinite spoon from Rigil IV if you don’t have a
wooden one. 7. Add enough water to cover all ingredients
8. Apply heat, slowly bring mixture to a boil over a 45 min-
ute period, stirring frequently
Utensils and Cookware
9. For best taste, let stand until cool and refrigerate for 24 to
 1 good-sized kettle (at least a couple of gallons) 48 hours, reheat, and serve
 1 skillet (optional) 10. You can also serve right away, but you will notice a differ-
ence in the taste

New Unit Guidon (Continued from page 3) Editorial: Old Boots

The last few years I wore those boots to various Star Trek func-
tions: security patrols, first aid, and paintball. Even with new
insoles, the last time I wore my faithful old combat boots, it was
obvious they had seen their day. The fundamental material
starts to break down. A cobbler told me the leather was too
worn to do much with. He didn’t think he could put on a new
sole either, as the leather was pretty deteriorated.

I made the decision: new boots. Despite my nostalgia, the old

The Black Rogue’s new guidon arrived in No-
vember 2006. Sand Hill Flag Co. provided the
blank guidon and T-Shirts, etc. of Topeka, Kan-
sas did the lettering and logos. A take-apart
guidon staff is being built from parts.
boots had become a liability to me that outweighed their benefit.
It was a wiser choice than waiting until there was a big problem.
I know for a fact I don’t want to be wandering around a brush
fire with my sole flopping off or my heels rubbed raw.
On ebay I found a pair of new Army issue plain leather combat
boots as a replacement. Hopefully, they’ll see me through as
much danger and good times as my old boots.

The Black List—Winter 2007—Page 4