Captain West was my friend. I never met him in person but grew to know him over the last few years as I got active with this orginization. Mark was the first person to take me under his wing when I volunteered at the academy. He called me his Minion. I learned that he took great joy at tweeking people a little. He insisted on calling Admiral Lochen "Your Grace" as well as having a joke at just about any moment. I grew to love my interactions with him. He insisted that no matter what rank he was he would always be a Chief Warrant Officer at heart. I called him Commodore, he called Me captain.
Mark was always willing to assist anyone with any question or concern. I strive to this day to emulate that. He was the epitome of what we each should strive towards in service of our fellow fans.
Good Bye Mark. God Speed. You passed your test.
SMCPON Thomas Coonradt NS, ME
He kept me up to date on what was happening in his life, we shared personal problems and health issues in our lives on line and in phone conversations. When Mark started to have serious health issues, Mark called me. We talked about those issues and what the doctors had told him and his plans for addressing them. When they became severe, he called me and requested a leave of absence because he was worried he would not be able to handle his duties and that he may not be able to offer the kind of help to our group that he was accustomed to give. I reluctantly gave him his leave, he kept me posted via our phone calls and Facebook as to what was happening. Then the posting came that the Tester had called Mark home, for Mark had met the Test he was given. Butrain and the RMN has lost a good and faithful member, and I have lost a good friend. May he find the rest and peace he has earned in life." I thank God that he permitted me to know Mark.
Admiral Lord Sir James Friedline KE, Baron Neu Odenwaldkreis
The first time I "met" Captain West, was while taking some courses through SIA. One of the final exams, it asked me to submit a test question, and supply an answer, citing the source for the answer. He was impressed (as he expressed) by my question and answer, and asked if he could use them on future. From that point, he and I casually corresponded. Then, when I was appointed the Executive Officer of HMSS Greenwich, and a certain member (we won't mention any names ...
Captain of the List Jimmy Nelson
Mark played a pivotal role in building BuTrain. He helped form what eventually became the Saganami Island Academy Technical Specialties College. When I proposed that the Astrogation exams have some math because astrogation is obviously a math-heavy job (as Honor herself talks about), Mark replied "Very true." So Mark gets part of the credit for the math that all you flight operations, helm, and plotting students have had the opportunity to use while taking those exams. He gets full credit for the Personnelman, Navy Counselor, Steward, and Yeoman exams because he wrote those and was the Administration Department Chair and sole instructor until March of this year when he brought on another instructor to teach the first two ratings.
Although he accepted promotion to Captain two years ago when he became Chief of Staff to the Sixth Space Lord, he always said he preferred his old rank of Master Chief Warrant Officer and promised he would never accept promotion to Commodore because he didn't want to be a flag officer. He met his Time in Grade for Commodore in April of this year but, true to his word, remained a Captain.
When I became Dean of the Technical Specialties College in February of last year, I suddenly became Mark's boss since he was the TSC Admin Department Chair. This was a strange experience for me since I had always thought of myself as working for him (and technically, since he was Chief of Staff to the Sixth Space Lord, I still did). Captain West took it in good humor. He called me "Captain Taskmaster" (and then "Commodore Taskmaster" and then "Admiral Taskmaster") but he always did what needed to be done because he never forgot that our purpose is to serve the students of TRMN. Last month, when he realized he could no longer serve the students as effectively as he should, he requested to be placed on Medical Leave. He was a true professional and we are sad beyond words that he won't be returning. He was an integral part of what made BuTrain what it has become, and it won't be the same without him.
I am grateful to have known Mark West as an instructor, superior, colleague, subordinate, and friend. I am sorry for all the TRMN members of the future who won't get the chance to know him. But they will know about him, because all RMN students will take their first classes in a building bearing his name. On December 25, 2014, the Enlisted School Instructional Building at The Casey-Rosewood Instructional Center was renamed West Hall in his memory. It is a fitting tribute to someone who contributed so much and was taken away far too soon.
Good Luck and God's Speed, Mark West!
Eric Schulman, SC
I regret I never had the opportunity to sit across from him in person during a Con; I know the evening would have been full of wisdom, humor, and good natured fun.
Mark… Fair Winds and a Following Sea, shipmate. Someday we will meet over coffee in the last Chief’s Mess.
Steve Randolph
A little over a year ago I thought I was going to be the new Electronics Technician Instructor for SIA. I had been given access to the grading spreadsheet, and we were waiting for the final say-so. Then this Grayson Captain looked at my test scores and read the letters I actually send in with each exam and said "Hey, how would you like to be my Personnelman Instructor? You really KNOW the job! Also, we're gonna launch the Navy Counselor Course real soon, too, and you can teach that as well!" A couple of e-mails back and forth later, Eric Schulman changed things over, and lo and behold, I had my first Personnelman Exam in my hands to grade! Now, fast forward a couple of months. I had reviewed and did a bit of a rewrite on them and the Navy Counselor exams were ready.
Mark continued to encourage me in my growth in TRMN and as part of SIA. He listened to me and let me know when I was getting off track. When the First Lord of the Admiralty posted his nooge regarding breveting and exams, and I offered my services to the Officer Academy, Mark's reply was "You're nuts, you know? Have fun." We covered for each other when we knew one of us would be off line for a week or so, and worked back and forth, offering advice, jokes, quips, and became friends.
I knew something was going on when I got back from Honorcon this year and noted some folks were having problems with the Admin group. I reached out and found out that Mark wasn't doing well, so I asked him what I could do for him. Once again, he asked me to cover his Admin functions while he got better. Mark, well, Tester decided it was his time. If anyone asks me about it, I will say "He met his Test and passed with flying colors." I am going to miss the man I routinely called "Boss", my friend, Mark West.
According to Ecclesiastes, there is "a time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance". We weep at your loss. We laugh while we recall the joy you brought us. We mourn your passing. We dance in celebration of your life.
Fair winds and following seas, Captain.
Commander Joe Grieco
I'm sorry Mark is gone, and regret that I will not have the chance to know him better. He was a very positive introduction to TRMN, and I will strive to be as positive an introduction to future TRMN recruits as he was for me.
CHM(SW) Thomas McDonald
It's the story of how I got this job. Mark led things as the previous CO and XO of the GNS Barbara Bancroft decided their time in the sun was over, and Mark put out the call to the rest of the crew who wanted to lead this rag tag bunch of awesome. He got crickets in response. So he put out the call again – because he'd never let this chapter fade into the night.
That's when I had the bright idea of just asking him who had the academy tests done already to be CO and XO. Just pick from that list, easy as can be right?
Yeah.
Mark then informed me I was the only one with the tests done to be CO, and he was the only other one with them done to be XO. It kind of narrowed it down...
Mark and I had known of each other, we floated in similar geek circles in another club as well – but this was my first time really working with Mark. I have to say I found his humor and his professionalism critical to my sanity from the start. It was a great start. Neither sought our respective new roles, but both of us took pride in them. He held my hand through those early days/months. Those chaotic, ironic, and amused attitude times are what I shall recall most fondly.
Here's to Mark, he kept this boat afloat!
Captain (SG) Jeremy Carsten
Commanding Officer GNS Barbara Bancroft SD(P)-32
Stewards Mate PO3/c Kathy Rau, HMS Wolf
As long as there are dreamers of galaxies far away,
Poem submitted by Spacer 3/C Janet Julien
Chief of the Navy.
Sixth Space Lord
Commanding Officer HMS Hexapuma, CA-412
2nd Naval District - "Gryphon Fleet"
Rear Admiral of the Red, Royal Manticoran Navy
Member, Bureau of Communications Editorial Board
Dean, Saganami Island Academy Technical Specialties College
Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy First Fleet
EMCS SS/SW US Navy Retired
CDR RMN TRMN
XO HMS Snow Leopard
Saganami Island Academy
Publication Yeoman of Manuals, BuTrain
Chief Helmsman, HMS Agamemnon BC-544
Then they will be ever with us in all the roles we play.
They were the pioneers and so have gone before us all
and now it's left for us to follow them to that shore,
where peace will dwell forever and might for right's the way
and then when we finally see them it will be a bright new day.
Service Record Rank Date Position
01 October 2011
Spacer 3/c
11 January 2012
Master Chief Warrant Officer
Flag Lieutenant to the Commandant and Deputy Commandant
Saganami Island Academy
11 January 2012
Lieutenant JG
Flag Lieutenant to the Commandant and Deputy Commandant
Saganami Island Academy
June 2012
Lieutenant JG
Tactical officer GNS Hermes CL-73, Flag Lieutenant to the Commandant and Deputy Commandant
Saganami Island Academy
22 October 2012
Captain GSN, Chief of Staff Sixth Space Lord,
Tactical Officer GNS Barbara Bancroft SD-32 BuTrain Staff Manifest