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The Hawk's Talons

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The Hawk's Talons
263rd Marine Strike Group, STARFLEET Marine Corps

MISSION

The mission of the 263rd Marine Strike Group, nicknamed 'The Hawk's Talons', is to assist a support mechinism, including security and religious support that may be needed by Starfleet in it's ground mission aspects.  The 263rd would be used in special circumstances as it is made of entirely of reserve or special active duty status personnel which are assigned to the USS Black Hawk, NCC-75004, Sovereign Class Starship, as regular duty Starship Personnel.

HISTORY

The 263rd Marine Strike Group can trace it's history to the 163rd Marine Strike Group based aboard the USS Shiloh, NCC-74683, Intrepid Class Starship, attached to the First Fleet at Starbase One (Region 1).  The Shiloh was assigned to patrol an area near the Memphis Expanse.   The 163rd was assigned to the First Brigade.  When the USS Shiloh was transferred to the 12th Fleet at Starbase Twelve (Region 12), with homeport assigned at Starbase Rockford with patrol duties within the Illinois Sector, the 163rd changed it's call number to 263rd and assigned to the 2nd battalion, 12th Brigade, 2nd Division of the STARFLEET Marine Corps.  The 263rd was originally disbanded in late 1997 and was recently resurrected in October, 2001.  The 263rd obtained it's first regular STARFLEET  Marine Corps member in June, 2002 in Glenn Hicks.  Gunnery Sergeant Hicks won the Region 12 Enlisted Person of the Year in 2002.

On April 10, 2006, Major General Higdon stepped down as OIC of the 263rd, handing command of the Marine Strike Group over to Colonel Tom Moore, the Black Hawk Executive Officer.

NICK NAME and MOTTO

The 263rd Marine Strike Group has carried on the tradition of having a 'nick name' and a motto to reflect it's mission.  Originally called 'The Hornet's Nest' (after the site during the Battle of Shiloh that was said the fighting was as 'thick as a hornet's nest'), it was found that the nick name was already taken by another Marine Strike Group stationed aboard the USS Hornet, NCC-1714-D.  The choice of 'The Hawk's Talons' was made to reflect the reaction of the Support MOS that the 263rd had chosen as well as to honor the ship they were assigned on.  Also it was noted that on the USS Black Hawk's official logo, the 'black hawk' holds in it's talons the delta shield of the late USS Shiloh, carrying it forth on it's continuing mission.  It is imagined that the grip of the hawk's talons - referring to the the SFMC MSG aboard the Black Hawk - is maintaining the hold, along with the Starfleet crew aboard the Black Hawk, on the mission set forth by the Shiloh.

The motto "We Are The BOLD!" is also a reflection of the official motto of the USS Black Hawk, 'Fortune Favors The Bold!'