Happy 20th Anniversary, IKV Executioner!

Back when the Klingon Assault Group was very young, a Hickory, NC Klingon by the name of Korda of House Lorenssith (Ray Church) decided he would build a K'Tinga (D7) Class battle cruiser. It was a specialized vessel, full of electronic gadgets that would allow it to operate with a minimum crew complement.

On November 10, 1991, the IKV Executioner sailed forth from drydock into active duty. She was the only KAG vessel on the entire East Coast (Dark Moon Fleet) at the time, and she has remained active to date.

The Executioner has always been a vessel interested in giving back to the community. Among the charitable work that has been done, either solely or in conjunction with another ship or group, are:

Burke United Christian Ministries (food drive)
Caldwell County Hospice ($ donations)
The Cats' Cradle (cat food and care products)
The Lenoir Soup Kitchen (food drive --  over 2,000 pounds in 2011)
Levine Children's Hospital ($ donations)
Make A Wish Foundation
McDowell Ministries (food drive)
Palliative Care and Hospice of Catawba County (over $8,000 raised)
Toys For Tots (unwrapped toys)
The Turning Point (toiletries and necessities)

The ship has cooperated and assisted with the Catawba Valley Science Center and the Schiele Museum on several different exhibits, most notably "Mars Quest" (2001) and "Space Toys" (2002). The ship plans to assist with the Catawba Valley Science Center's hopeful upcoming exhibit "Great Balls of Fire" (asteroids).

When I joined the IKV Executioner in 1994, the command chair was occupied by Lt. Cmdr. Korda's XO, Lt. Cmdr. K'Non vestai-Lorenssith (Janet Melody). After about 4 years, she appointed me CO and made me promise that the Executioner would never go into drydock. I am pleased to say that, thanks to the efforts of many, this has never happened.

While I was Dark Star Quadrant Commander, the IKV Executioner became the proud flagship of the Quadrant. She was also the original lead ship in the Death Touch Squadron, which has been resurrected today and consists of the IKV Executioner, IKV Raging Wolf, IKV Restless Star, XLV Hnoiyika and IKV Gre'thor's Revenge.

Lt. Karrtush Degar vestai-Septaric (Dave Jenson......foreground, left bottom picture) took over command of the IKV Executioner in November of 2002. I stayed on board as an honorary member. He served until Lt. Sovtah tai (Tonya Henson -- center, right bottom picture) took over in the Spring of 2007. This year, just before the 20-year anniversary, the reins of command were handed to Lt. Kas'Duj tai-Majjas (Stephen Paul Myers -- in command cloak, above, left picture), who has served admirably since. Qapla' to him and all the commanders who oversaw this proud vessel

The Executioner was my first Klingon command. She will always have a special place in my Klingon hearts. Please join me in wishing her and her crew many victories in the years to come. To send a personal note of congratulations, please post to the KAG Yahoogroup. Qapla'!

Keela, former CO IKV Executioner Klingon Assault Group