Ladies & Gentlemen:
I wish to make it absolutely clear that I do not have to provide any of you with this
information. My choice to do so, is not my capitulating to the emotionally-charged
posts on the lists, since my initial announcement, but to operate in the spirit of
transparency that is a part of who I am, as well as my leadership style. I had not
planned to do so, initially, as we are in the midst of an election. You may not like the
information that you are about to review, in its entirety, but this evidence is being
present as facts, as this is precisely what happened. You, as well as the members, have
demanded an explanation. Be very careful what you wish for, because you just might
get it.
Page 10, Section 6.4 - Removal, of the Bylaws, Second Edition states:
"Any officer or their chief assistant may be removed, with or without cause, by the
President at any time. Any officer or their chief assistant may be removed, with or
without cause, by a vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors at any
meeting of the Board of Directors. No officer or their chief assistant shall be
removed from office by the Board of Directors unless the notice of the meeting
at which removal is to be considered states such purpose and opportunity to be
heard at such meeting is given to the officer whose removal is sought. A
removed officer’s chief assistant shall serve as acting officer until a replacement
officer is confirmed in accordance with section 6.3."
I am obviously empowered, as the CS, to invoke that authority, if necessary; however, I
did not do so lightly. I gave it some thought, before I did, and even gave him two
opportunities to change his mind, as well as everyone else, on the Promotions List, as
you will see below.
Page 12, Section 02:06 - RANK AND ADVANCEMENT WITHIN STARFLEET, Sixth paragraph
states:
"The Executive Committee, serving as the Promotion Board for STARFLEET, awards all
grades of O-7 and higher, which are known as Flag Ranks. The EC is also the only body
that may reduce an officer of O-6 or higher grade in rank. Any member may recommend
another member of the grade of O-6 or higher for promotion to Flag Rank. Flag Rank
nomination and requirements forms are available from the documents section of the
STARFLEET website."
What many of you may not know, is that the Promotions Board also receives Orders of
Merit nominations. Executive Committee Members votes are, typically, only required
on First Class Orders of Merit.
The original Order of Merit Nomination for then-LTC David W. Anderson, Jr. (71553)
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of recognition@sfi.org
<recognition@sfi.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2016 5:00 PM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
First Class requested. RC's endorsement attached. Please get out there
and vote.
+++++++++++++++++
Absolutely I would endorse this.
Getting it done, while having fun!
Admiral David Nottage - SCC#28197
Regional Coordinator, Region 4 Starfleet
RC@region4.org • www.region4.org
+++++++++++++++++
Order of Merit Nomination for:
 LTC David Anderson Jr.
 SCC# 71553
Grankite Order of Tactics - Event Planning
Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson did on behalf of Region 4, and STARFLEET
the International Star Trek Fan Association. Reach out to all members and
coordinated the involvement with representing STARFLEEET at the Funeral
Services for Fleet Admiral Wayne Killough Jr. Commander STARFLEET who
passed away in office.
Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson embarked upon this mission in Region 4
traveling from California to Region 3 in Texas. To help be on-site at the
Visitation and Gravesides services for Fleet Admiral Wayne Killough Jr.
Commander STARFLEET. This sudden and tragic event was from 20 April 2016
at 1700 CST to 1900 CST for visitation services. Then 21 April 2016 for
the graveside services.
This event had a significant impact on all of STARFLEEET and was conducted
within the Region 3 area of operations. However, members from all over
STARFLEET were in attendance from various Regions. To mention a few there
were members from Region 4, Region 7, and members from within Region 3 as
well.
As this event was so sudden and on such short notice. Lieutenant Colonel
David Anderson took action and started coordinating within STARFLEET to
help show our support to the Family and coordinating with the membership
to let them know where the services were at. He also kept a roster of
those who attended and contacted him.
Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson's devotion to duty during this troubling
and tragic time for all of STARFLEET was of the highest standards within
keeping with the traditions of STARFLEET.
_______________________________________________
Promotions-L mailing list
Promotions-L@sfi.org
http://sfi.org/mailman/listinfo/promotions-l_sfi.org
Robert's response to the vote on OM-16-128, almost 17 days later:
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of ADM Robert Westfall
<ops@sfi.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2016 8:08 AM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
OPS votes "Nay" on this Award
This nomination flies in the face of everything I have heard of the event in question - from numerous
people who were able to attend the funeral. David did not communicate - let alone "coordinate" -
anything with them regarding the funeral... in fact he didn't even attend the funeral because he overslept
and missed it (which he had also mentioned to me in a phone call). He also, according to what I heard
from Tyler (Wayne's roommate who did coordinate aspects of the funeral, including things with Wayne's
family) crashed the private ceremony with Wayne's family... as he had not been invited.
This whole thing just strikes me as wrong. But even though what I have heard has come from several
different attendees, I was not there so cannot confirm anything one way or another.
Robert
- - - - - -
ADM Robert Westfall
Chief of Operations, SFI (www.sfi.org)
Starfleet
www.sfi.org
25% off Premium Memberships at TrekDating.com! Do you have a passion for space ships, Starfleet Command and speaking Klingon…you are not alone!
Commanding, ISS Katana BB-77003
E-Mail: ops@sfi.org & rwestfall99@gmail.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Promotions-L [mailto:promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org] On Behalf Of recognition@sfi.org
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2016 7:00 PM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
First Class requested. RC's endorsement attached. Please get out there and vote.
+++++++++++++++++
Absolutely I would endorse this.
Getting it done, while having fun!
Admiral David Nottage - SCC#28197
Regional Coordinator, Region 4 Starfleet RC@region4.org • www.region4.org
+++++++++++++++++
Order of Merit Nomination for:
 LTC David Anderson Jr.
 SCC# 71553
Grankite Order of Tactics - Event Planning
Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson did on behalf of Region 4, and STARFLEET the International Star Trek
Fan Association. Reach out to all members and coordinated the involvement with representing
STARFLEEET at the Funeral Services for Fleet Admiral Wayne Killough Jr. Commander STARFLEET who
passed away in office.
Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson embarked upon this mission in Region 4 traveling from California to
Region 3 in Texas. To help be on-site at the Visitation and Gravesides services for Fleet Admiral Wayne
Killough Jr.
Commander STARFLEET. This sudden and tragic event was from 20 April 2016 at 1700 CST to 1900 CST for
visitation services. Then 21 April 2016 for the graveside services.
This event had a significant impact on all of STARFLEEET and was conducted within the Region 3 area of
operations. However, members from all over STARFLEET were in attendance from various Regions. To
mention a few there were members from Region 4, Region 7, and members from within Region 3 as well.
As this event was so sudden and on such short notice. Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson took action and
started coordinating within STARFLEET to help show our support to the Family and coordinating with the
membership to let them know where the services were at. He also kept a roster of those who attended
and contacted him.
Lieutenant Colonel David Anderson's devotion to duty during this troubling and tragic time for all of
STARFLEET was of the highest standards within keeping with the traditions of STARFLEET.
_______________________________________________
Promotions-L mailing list
Promotions-L@sfi.org
http://sfi.org/mailman/listinfo/promotions-l_sfi.org

Robert's vote caused an EC member to change her original vote:
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of Peg Pellerin
<admiralpeg@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2016 1:41 PM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
I would like to change my vote to NO. From what attendees have said, David
really didn't put out to earn this award.
Peg Pellerin
admiralpeg@gmail.com
Peg's original vote:
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of Peg Pellerin
<admiralpeg@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2016 5:03 PM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
I definitely approve this award.
Peg Pellerin
SFA Commandant
admiralpeg@gmail.com
My reply to Robert's vote, encouraging more objectivity:
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of Robin Woodell-Vitasek
<coauroravulcanus@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2016 4:12 PM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
Folks, if there is some confusion and some he said, she said, would it not
be prudent to ask questions of David, after all, he is receiving an echo
from this list as C.O.S. to Theresa?
Robin
My second e-mail, encouraging more objectivity, in light of more evidence:
No one asked me to forward them any of the e-mails, that David forwarded to me, so
that they could review further evidence of his attempts to communicate with the
members, Denine Sanders, as well as to coordinate efforts, as best he could, in the short
time frame.
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of Robin Woodell-Vitasek
<coauroravulcanus@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2016 2:10 AM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
Folks,
In response to Westfall's statement about the lack of coordination and
communication, I remember an email going to the lists making an
announcement in an attempt to coordinate. I have received over 17 emails
from David where he tried to coordinate with people regarding Wayne's
funeral. He sent out messages to SFI-L, Ten forward-L (which was moderated
and never went out) as well as Corps-L. He sent numerous text messages to
Tyler as well trying to coordinate something. He did not have access to the
phone numbers of people so relied on the only avenue of communication open
to him at the time. Denine was among those he contacted regarding the
funeral, so communication was made. Jared Fielder and David were there as
Marines and spent time with the family at the viewing. Both of them went a
long distance to see Wane's Father and present him with a shadow box.
I can forward the emails if anyone would like to see them.
Robin

Denine Sanders addressed the members of the EC, directly:
Only EC Members get to vote. As my former Chief of Staff to the CS, she was getting
this, as an echo of the e-mail to the CS. She seems to have addressed me directly, but
included the private e-mails of the other EC members on the message.

From: Denine Sanders <deninesanders@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2016 3:44 AM
To: Robin Woodell-Vitasek
Cc: Robert Westfall; 'Laura Victor'; admiralpeg@gmail.com; comms@sfi.org; 'Linda Olson';
vcs@sfi.org; recognition@sfi.org
Subject: RE: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
Robin,
PLEASE STOP.
This entire award request is a complete insult to Wayne's memory. That anyone would even consider
accepting an award for sending a few emails and then going to a friend's funeral is beyond crass.
But since we are here - David did not have contact information for Wayne's family because they hated all
things Fleet. They watched what Wayne went through to serve and never understood why he would put
himself through it. David contacted me about doing an honor guard and I told him it was up to the family
but I did not expect them to allow it and told him why. Yet he persisted.
Sending out information to the lists does not constitute coordinating anything. This award completely
insults Tyler, who was at the hospital when Wayne passed, who called Wayne's dad, who called me, who
called Alan, who went to the funeral home with Wayne's dad to make the arrangements. That's who
coordinated things.
David didn't show up for the funeral (overslept) and then went - uninvited - to the interment that the
family had requested be private. Didn't even occur to him there was a reason Tyler nor I - not to mention
the rest of his friends - were there. Then went to the family home afterward - again didn't occur to him
there was a reason Tyler nor I were there. Did none of the family tell him not to? Of course not they are
a true southern family who would never appear ungracious no matter how they were feeling inside.
And now he expects an award for "Event Coordinating"???
This is the kind of crap that turns people off of STARFLEET.
You can fire me if you like - at this precise moment I do not care.
RADM Denine Sanders
Chief of Staff to the Commander, STARFLEET
Helmsman, USS Discovery
cs-cos@sfi.org
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter
don't mind. " - Dr. Seuss
Peg's response to my second e-mail, which offered more evidence:
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of Peg Pellerin
<admiralpeg@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2016 6:08 AM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
OK, so he attempted to contact folks to make arrangements. This is so much
different than the actual request for the award where he actually made ALL
the arrangements. I would approve a 3rd Class award for his attempts.
Peg Pellerin
admiralpeg@gmail.com
Laura Victor's vote, after Robert's vote & my two additional posts:
From: Promotions-L <promotions-l-bounces@sfi.org> on behalf of Laura Victor
<compops@sfi.org>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2016 6:31 AM
To: promotions-l@sfi.org
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
In light of both sides of the story, I'm voting "nay" as well.
I had no idea this had happened, and had I only read the original
nomination and Nottage's endorsement, I almost certainly would have
approved this.
As already mentioned, David was getting echoes of these e-mails, as the VCS' Chief of
Staff, so he replied to Denine's e-mail, which seems to have been sent, by Denine, to
the EC Members' personal e-mails, as a Reply All, so that everyone could see it:
His reply is quite lengthy; however, a word of caution: it contains a direct quote, from
Wayne's father, including the expletives that were used.
From: David W Anderson Jr <rogue_orion@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 5:39 AM
To: Robin Woodell-Vitasek
Cc: Robert Westfall; 'Laura Victor'; admiralpeg@gmail.com; comms@sfi.org; 'Linda Olson';
vcs@sfi.org; recognition@sfi.org; Denine Sanders
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
Everyone,
While I don't owe any of you any explanations, I felt that it was necessary to fill in some
gaps, with this particular issue, especially since I've basically been accused of some form
of wrongdoing - fraud, being an insensitive bitch, or even going so far as to insult the
memory of a very treasured friend & I absolutely have the right to defend myself. No
one seemed to care enough about doing any form of due diligence, by actually asking
me anything, so let's just listen to complete hearsay, 'cause that's "credible." Not as far
as I'm concerned, but that's just me. I don't see this as anything more than political
maneuvering, but that's simply my hypothesis. I even left Robert & Denine on this email,
so that they can see the response. I have no problem saying something about
someone that I wouldn't say directly to them, because I'm completely forthcoming. I
have all of the original e-mails (what I got & what I sent back), so there's really no point
in anyone trying to deny anything.
1) I don't actually give two dead flies' worth of concern, whether I get an award for what
I was able to do or not. If I get it, I get it. If I don't, I don't. Outside of a certificate to
add to my collection & a blurb on my SFI DB Record, it means absolutely nothing in real
life. Oooh, something shiny. It will not bring Wayne back, it will not lessen the loss & it
will not solve anything. The only reason I even referred it to Linda Kloempken, was
because it was written up. Someone was thoughtful enough & took the time, out of
their life, to nominate me for this award, with the original write-up below. That
individual sent it to my RC, who sent it to me - asking where it goes. It's fine, RC4 was
relatively new, so maybe he never saw an OM nomination. I told him that it needs to go
to Recognition. He said that he sent it, but ... Linda never got it. I referred it to her, by
forwarding the original e-mails, so that the timelines, as well as the original
documentation, would be intact.
2) When I met Wayne's family, for the first time, in person, in Crockett, TX, at Wayne's
receiving - to which Denine told me that everyone was welcome - most of them didn't
even know precisely what STARFLEET was, much less the STARFLEET Marines. Since
they asked, I was happy to explain. When they were presented with the shadow box,
that was created in Wayne's memory, they asked what it meant - his sister, cousins,
aunts & uncles weren't familiar with the concept. I explained that the patch represent
the SFMC, the combadge was a Starfleet emblem & the ribbons were representative of
awards that Wayne had earned over the years. Those ribbons with stars meant that he
had earned the award multiple times. If that was misinformation (everyone is
welcome), that was the information that Denine gave me. Contrary to Robert's claims
of what "he heard," from "numerous people," I didn't "crash" anything. What frikkin'
numerous people? To my knowledge, there were about seven people total that were
able to attend on either the viewing/receiving (Wednesday), or the actual funeral
(Thursday). I coordinated the majority of the announcements, the separate e-mails, as
well as texts -- all from my phone, due to the connectivity issues that I had, at that time,
from my home "connection." I didn't even know if I was going, yet.
3) As for an honor guard, I felt that it was the least that I could try to coordinate, as
Wayne was a Marine Reservist & the SFMC was also important to him. He once told me
that his "dream job" was to be the SFMCA Medical Branch Director/Surgeon General,
which is a position that he held for about one whole day, before he gave it up, due to
the pissing & moaning on the -Ls about it. When I proposed an honor guard to Wayne's
Dad (Wayne, Sr.), he was very receptive to the idea, as he is a Vietnam Veteran -
although, I never asked about in which branch of the US Military he served. He
appreciated our presence, our dedication (someone drove 4 hours to get there & I flew
in from California, then drove down (2.75 hours) from DFW), and thought that we
should be able to do whatever we thought was appropriate, to honor our fallen
comrade. He even told me, that if he'd known how important all of this was to Wayne,
he would have had him buried in his uniform. Instead, he planned to have it framed, so
that it could hang on the wall in his office, next to the shadow box. Everybody who's
ever met me, which should be about all of you (not Denine & not Matthew Miller),
knows that I can be quite persistent; however, to even remotely think that I would be so
insensitive, as to impose my wishes on his biological family, makes me truly wonder
what the hell might be wrong with you.
4) As for this award insulting Tyler Carr ... this is the first I've heard of it. If he has issues,
he has my number. But, let's clear the air on that, too. First, Tyler was not at the
hospital when Wayne died, as he'd left to go home -- someone is either confused, or has
been misinformed. He told me this in a couple of texts & felt bad about not being able
to be there -- suggests a lack of his presence. Second, Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.) told
me, personally, that the hospital called him & told him that 'things didn't look good, and
he should head over.' They were under the impression, somehow, that he was in Austin
... not hours away. By the time he finally got there, of course, Wayne had already died.
I don't know exactly who Tyler did call, but I also don't care. I'm sure that Wayne's Dad
(Wayne, Sr.) & Tyler talked, at some point, that day, as he went to their apartment, to
collect several of Wayne's belongings, but not everything. Fourth, from the
conversations that I had with Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.), Tyler was not at all involved
with the funeral arrangements. It was the same funeral home that the family used,
when Wayne's Momma died, approximately 10 months earlier. I know that, because I
was concerned about his ability to pay for the funeral. I didn't know if he would need
help from SFI, in the way of a GoFundMe, or if I could contribute money towards it.
Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.) told me that it would all be taken care of, by the company for
which Wayne worked, so I shouldn't worry about it, but he would let me know, if there
were any issues.
5) Now, as for why I didn't make it to the funeral ... welcome to my world. I love how
everybody seems to be highlighting the fact that I overslept, yet nobody has asked why.
Did I go on a bender, at a local cowboy bar? Hell, no. I had worked (at my real-world
job) all day Tuesday, then came home & decided to book a flight, a hotel & a rental car.
Then, I had to figure out what the hell I was going to pack, continued making
arrangements & coordinating participation (by way of attendance) from all over SFI,
then showered, as I figured that I might as well stay up all night. I'm not a morning
person & I had an 0600-ish flight. I flew from Sacramento (SMF) to Los Angeles (LAX),
then caught a connecting flight to (DFW). I chose not to fly into either Houston airport -
Houston Hobby (HOU) & George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) - as they had been getting
hammered with 18+ inches of rain on Monday alone & Tuesday wasn't much better.
Miraculously, no flights were either cancelled, or delayed (per American Airlines), but ...
does the rental car float? After being up for well over 24 hours, then driving down to
the tiny town of Crockett, TX, I had very little time to rendezvous with another
Marine, get checked in at the hotel, quickly freshen up (but not shower), get changed &
head over to funeral home, for the receiving - for which I was late, but it couldn't be
helped. I had no plans to go back to Texas, to fight a speeding ticket. Luckily, the
Marine I had with me was familiar with Crockett, so he rode with me & served as my
navigator. It was about a 10-minute drive from the hotel, but lots of turns (uh-oh - I
have no natural sense of direction). After the receiving, one of Wayne's cousins invited
us to join them for a family dinner at a new, local restaurant, called "The Feed Store" -
I'm definitely in Texas. Now, unfortunately, it was so new that my Marine navigator had
no idea where it was, except for "over there, near the H.E.B. (which, apparently, stand
for "Here, Everything's Better"). We drove around for a little while, but couldn't find it,
even though we found several, actual feed stores. It would up being in the H.E.B. /
WalMart parking lot, in a strip mall-type business, with the tiniest of signs, shaped like
the skull of a Texas Longhorn Bull. When we got there, we were seated with the family
& explained our tardiness, for which everyone understood. We ate, talked, laughed &
commiserated, by remembering the good times & sharing stories. It was more along
the lines of a wake ... just not as much booze. When that broke up, I took my Marine
navigator back with me to the hotel, which is where he left his truck. This Marine is also
involved with SFMC's TRACOM, so we had quite a bit of shop-talk time. We'd never
spent time together, in person, so it was a rare opportunity. He couldn't even stay the
night, so wasn't going to be able to make the funeral, as he had to drive back home -
four hours away. I lost all track of time, which I frequently do, so he didn't leave, until
after 0100 ... I think. It was "late," whatever that means, two time zones away, being
conscious for over 40 hours - Dr. Pepper is my personal physician. I took a shower,
then, I requested two wake-up calls (08:40 & 08:50), from the hotel & set the alarm in
the room (for 08:45) - all of that should have left me with plenty of time, as the funeral
was at 10. I woke up at 09:34, not knowing what happened. Who cares ?!? I flew out
of bed, got into my dress uniform, went out in the torrential downpour, got into the
rental car & told my GPS to take me to the funeral home at about 09:50. It's only 10
minutes away ... what could go wrong ? Everything, apparently. I used it to navigate to
Crockett, from Dallas, so, surely, it knows how to get me there, right ? No ... of course
not. I took the turns, some of which were familiar, but when I got to a certain point,
*ding ding*, "You have arrived." No, I haven't ... this is nowhere near the funeral home.
I actually have no idea where I am, but this isn't the funeral home & I have no idea how
to get there from wherever the hell this is. I drove around Crockett, TX for an hour,
trying to figure out how to get back to the funeral home, from wherever I was. It was
raining quite hard, so it made it difficult to see, difficult to navigate, all while watching
out for everyone else that had a hard time driving in such hard rain. I swear, I could hear
Wayne laughing, just like he always did when I got this lost, with him in the car with me.
After the rain stopped, I finally arrived at the funeral home, since I could see more than
15 feet in front of me, about three blocks down the road, at 10:54 ... where there were
no cars in the parking lot, besides an empty hearse. Hmm ... perhaps they've all moved
the service graveside.
6) I was personally invited, by Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.) last night, so I'll find that
address, from my Please Be Advised announcement, then hope my GPS knows where
that is. It was only a few miles away, so I headed that way, but it didn't know where
that was, either. Suddenly, I want to smash my "trusty" Garmin with a hammer, but I
still need to get back to DFW in a few days, to fly back to Sacramento - bad idea. Again,
with *ding ding* "You have arrived." No, I haven't ... so I kept driving, until I did find it, I
think. I didn't know if that cemetery was it or not. It looked to be about the size of a
parking lot & I saw no evidence, from the road, that any funerals were underway. No
cars, no people, no floral arrangements, nothing. Okay, so I went down to the next
intersection & turned left ... maybe there's another entrance, or something. I saw that
the small cemetery was actually quite large, as there were several rolling hills, kind of
like a series of meadows, or cow pastures. I did a three-point turn, headed back the way
I came & turned into the driveway, where there was, maybe a 3' x 4' sign, with the name
of the cemetery. I drove in, slowly, as I was driving on gravel, on top of wet, red mud.
Off in the distance, I saw the grave site, as it was the only one with floral arrangements
& seemingly workers (work truck & a backhoe). There was no gravel on the "path,"
which seems to have been driven on, so I decided to go that way, even though it looked
like wet grass & that means that the ground will be soaked. As I saw no other way to
that part of the cemetery, I started to slowly drive in that direction. I kept making minor
adjustments, so that it would be less likely that I would get stuck, but ... that happened
anyway. I couldn't go forward, or backwards, so I put the car in neutral, revved the
engine for about ten minutes & watched them lay Wayne to his final rest, from
approximately 100 yards away. I realized that no one had come to the cemetery, from
the funeral home, as it was raining quite hard. As it turned out, from about a football
field away, I wound up in the right place, at the right time. My beliefs tell me that it's
just his body, as his spirit left at the moment of death, but I certainly didn't want his
remains to be buried, with no one there. So, I was the one that got to be there to
witness it.
7) Later that afternoon/evening, when I finally got Wayne's Dad's (Wayne, Sr.'s) number
from Tyler, I called him. He was curious as to what happened, knowing that the other
Marine needed to head home last night, they thought that I went with him. I explained
the situation, in all of its Anderson-esque levels of chaos, and the only thing he asked
me was if I was okay. He told me that they'd just finished dinner, but that they were
going to be headed to the house & I was welcome to meet them there. I told him that I
didn't want to impose, but he reiterated that I was most welcome, if I wanted. He gave
me the address, but Texas has a lot of FMs (Farm-to-Market Roads), which my "trusty"
GPS didn't want to accept as valid. I tried several permutations, while still on the phone,
to no avail. He told me that he'd drive home, then stay on the phone with me, giving
me directions from the hotel. I fooled around with the various different addresses,
finally finding it, but only by entering the number of the FM, without the actual FM ...
which is what it is. Whatever, so I started heading that way, but stopped, so that I could
take a call from Robert Westfall. I told him that my phone didn't have much of a charge,
and that I was on my way to spend time with Wayne's family, so we'd have to postpone
the call that we had been trying to have, until a later time. Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.)
called, telling me that he had gotten home & was ready to help me get to their house. I
explained that I figured it out & was only a few minutes away, but asked, again, if he
was certain that I wouldn't be imposing. He told me that I was fine and he'd see me
soon. Once I got there, we visited, talked, shared stories & then he asked Wayne's sister
to get me a copy of the obituary, as well as a remembrance publication, from the
funeral home. There was some problem, but I didn't want to pry -- it's none of my
business, but I wanted to know if I could do anything to help. Other than trying my best
to coordinate as much of an SFI presence as Wayne's family was comfortable with
(which turned out being whatever we wanted, per his Dad (Wayne, Sr.)), I knew how
important Wayne's family was to him, so I wanted to do whatever I was able, while I
was there. Otherwise, why the hell am I in Texas ? I could've called, offered my
condolences & sent $2,000 in flowers (which is about what this trip cost me), not even
having to make the trip. It seemed that Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.) was concerned that
he had not collected everything that he had hoped to from Wayne's apartment, so he
asked Tyler to bring some things - bank cards - with him, from Austin. I have no idea if
there were any trust issues, nor did I care. It was after 20:00, so I offered to drive
Wayne's Dad (Wayne, Sr.) wherever he needed to go, as it was the least that I could do.
He found out, from Tyler, where we needed to go, in order to collect whatever cards he
wanted in his possession, rather than Tyler's. We drove to Palestine, TX, which wasn't
exactly close, but it did give us an opportunity to talk, away from the rest of the family
about private matters (which I will not share). Of course, he knew how to get close, but
we couldn't find it, with or without my "trusty" GPS. We called Tyler, so as to get more
precise directions, but that was only somewhat helpful. I have no idea who numbered
the houses along that stretch of road, but they were not sequential. We found it, got
whatever he wanted, then headed back to Crockett. I dropped him off, at his house,
and he wanted to make sure that I knew how to get back to the hotel. The GPS knew
that much, anyway, so I told him that I'd be okay, but I'd give him a quick call to let him
know. I called him, like I said I would, but worried that I'd woken him up. I talked to
him, later that day, to make certain that none of them needed anything else, but they
didn't & planned to go to Austin on Saturday, to retrieve the rest of Wayne's belongings.
I told him to keep my number, so that he could let me know if anything else happened
& he wanted me to be able to check in on him from time to time.
8) As for me not understanding how Southern families work ... that must be on of the
most ridiculous statements that's been made throughout this whole damn thing. I'm
Southern ! I might live in Sacramento now, but I was born & raised, along with the vast
majority of my family still living in, western North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue
Ridge Mountains.
9) Hell no, I don't "expect" an award for anything, let alone this. I wasn't even supposed
to know about & probably wouldn't've, until my RC forwarded a copy to me, since it was
about me, to ask me to whom it should be sent.
10) Robert said that I didn't communicate, let alone coordinate ... but I have about 20 emails,
in addition to the -L e-mails, communicating with Marines, Denine, his Brigade
OIC, as well as people that were "going to try" to make it, but couldn't. He wrapped it
all up, in a nice little bow, at the very end, by saying, "I was not there so cannot confirm
anything one way or another." This is not evidence, it is the very definition of hearsay.
10) Peg ... I didn't know that I had to "put out" to get any award. Perhaps that means
something different to the two of us. In a subsequent e-mail, a response to
Denine's, she even said that she had originally thought that I had planned the whole
funeral. Who said that ? All I did was try my level best, to coordinate an STARFLEET &
STARFLEET Marine presence, which happened ... in some small fashion. You even said
that you would approve a Third Class. Last time I checked, you won't even hear of Third
Class Awards ... they're pretty much just awarded.
Now, to draw this very, very long e-mail to a close, let's bring things up, from April, to
yesterday. Having to, at the very least, acknowledge that I might have misread the
situation - everyone's emotions were running high - with the hospitality of Wayne's Dad
(Wayne, Sr.), I decided to call him. He did want me to stay in touch, which I haven't
done in a while, so I thought it would be an opportune time. I asked how he'd been, he
asked how I was. When I told him what was happening, and what I had been accused
of, he asked, "Who said that ?!?" I told him, then had to remind him who Denine was,
from the funeral.
He asked me to relay the following message, which is an exact quote. He said, "You
didn't impose on nobody, or intrude on anything, you were invited to everything. If
anyone believes any different, they can go fuck theirselves. We appreciate everything
you done for us. Hell, you must have been close to Wayne, to have dropped everything
and flown in from California. If anybody has any problem with that, then you can give
them my number. I'll tell them to kiss my ass." I talked with him for a while longer,
made sure that everything was, for the most part, going all right with him & told him
that I appreciated his time. He still wants me to keep in touch, so I will endeavor to do
just that, on a more frequent basis than once a month, or so.
In conclusion, at the end of the day, all I really own are my honor & my integrity.
Whether or not I get this (or any other) award, whether or not I stay in STARFLEET,
whether or not any of you have even read this e-mail all the way down this far, will not
compromise either my honor, or my integrity. For anybody, let alone a "trained"
investigator & former SFI Inspector General (twice before), to have such serious issues
with such an award nomination for me & not even try to e-mail me or call me on the
phone (I know he has my number) is quite impressive. I had no idea that he could be so
trusting of a situation, especially of unverified hearsay, that he would try to, not only
block an award that I don't actually care whether or not I get, but to try to sway the
opinions of others about it, with such things as what he added.
Y'all do whatever you want, 'cause it's entirely up to you. I just thought it might be nice
to have some actual, first-hand perspective of what happened in reality. My objectivity
& clarity of perception are typically unmatched.
Thank you all, so much, for your attention,
David W. Anderson, Jr.
There was only one other post to this list, by VCS Theresa Bristow:
From: vcs@sfi.org <vcs@sfi.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 12:03 PM
To: David W Anderson Jr
Cc: Robin Woodell-Vitasek; Robert Westfall; 'Laura Victor'; admiralpeg@gmail.com;
comms@sfi.org; 'Linda Olson'; recognition@sfi.org; Denine Sanders
Subject: Re: [Promotions-L] OM-16-128
I won't quote the entire thread of this discussion, however I'd like to
say thank you to David for giving us the whats, wheres and why for -
from his perspective.
As he has said he does not care whether an award is granted or not,
might I suggest that no award is given and that we all turn our energies
to doing something worth while with our time instead of throwing veiled
insults at one another.
Theresa
________________________________________________________________________
Now, you may still be asking yourselves why I chose the course of action that I did. The
answers are simple. I felt that I had no other options, for several reasons, all of which
are contained with the MHB.
Page 11, Section 02:05 - Membership Rights and Responsibilities, Member's
Responsibilities, of the STARFLEET Membership Handbook, Fifteenth Edition, states:
Member’s Responsibilities
To ascertain the membership rights, a member has certain responsibilities that must be
met. Every member has a responsibility to adhere to a set of standards of behavior and
conduct which include, but are not limited to, the following:
• To behave in a manner that brings credit to STARFLEET, their Region, their chapter,
and themselves;
• To be resolute in the performance of my duty and comply with STARFLEET’s Articles of
Incorporation, Bylaws, Membership Handbook, other various handbooks, Electronic
Mailing List Rules, Summit/Conference rules, meeting rules, etc;
• To strive for impartiality and fairness in judgment and disqualify themselves from
decisions where their judgment may be compromised;
• To show courtesy to fellow members at all times;
• To seek out both sides of a dispute and act upon fact, not innuendo;
• To renew their membership in a timely manner before it expires.
It was my determination that Admiral Robert Westfall, in his official capacity as Chief of
Operations, disregarded no less than five of those responsibilities. In addition to
speaking out against David (in an only semi-private setting), he also dishonored Admiral
Nottage III's endorsement, as well as that of the individual that nominated David for this
honor. On the Promotions List, I gave everyone two additional opportunities. No one
contacted me to request additional evidence. Admiral Robert Westfall made his choice,
when he chose to send his reply to an official STARFLEET list. This decision was both
difficult and necessary. I did not give him, nor anyone else, any notice of my decision, as
I felt that action needed to be both swift and immediate. I did not refer this to the
Inspector General, as I have the authority to handle situations of this nature. I refused
to let this treatment go without consequences to that choice.
David may not be perfect; however, he has contributed thousands of hours of his own
time to SFI, in less than three years. He has been recognized for both his academic
achievements, through both SFA & SFMCA, as well as with by Wayne, at last year's IC,
with his first STARFLEET Cross. He has risen from the rank of Private (E-1) to Colonel (O-
6) in just two years, five months, six days. He is always willing to assist anyone who he is
able, with whatever he is able - except for an unfortunate period of internet outage,
which was completely beyond his control.
For anyone that believes that this decision was either personally, or politically
motivated, that is your choice to make, and I will not attempt to stop you from doing so.
You may not always like to acknowledge it, but that does not necessarily mean that
something is not true: being able to be proven with analysis of the facts, and a review
of the available evidence.
As the members at large are also insisting on a detailed explanation of this course of
action, I am authorizing all Regional Coordinators to relay this information, as they deem
necessary.
Admiral Robin Woodell-Vitasek
Commander, STARFLEET