Stephen Luke
Stephen Luke | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait in 2022 | |
| 1st Chancellor of Dracul | |
| Assumed office 5 September 2022 | |
| Monarch | Jakob |
| Deputy | Connor Modena (until 4 December 2022) |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| 2nd President of Dracul | |
| In office 8 January 2022 – 5 September 2022 | |
| Vice President | Connor Modena |
| Preceded by | Dmitri Howie |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 1st Vice President of Dracul | |
| In office 25 September 2017 – 8 January 2022 | |
| President | Dmitri Howie |
| Succeeded by | Connor Modena |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 February 1991 Zimnicea, Romania |
| Citizenship |  United States Dracul |
| Residences | Houston, Texas |
| Occupation | Private Security |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Hometown | Friendswood, Texas |
| Nicknames | Birdman Bernadaddy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States Dracul |
| Branch/service | United States Coast Guard Dracul Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 2011-2013 (USCG) 2017-2021 (DAAC) 2022 (DAAC Reserves) |
| Rank | Auxiliary Member (USCG) Major General (DAAC) |
| Unit | Flotilla 81-06-10 (USCG) |
| Commands | 1st Special Ops. Wing (DAAC) |
| Battles/wars | Rebellion of 2018 |
| Awards | Noble Order of the Sword Citation of the Dragon (Gold) Citation of the Dragon (Silver) Guardian of Dracul 2 Year Service, Tier I Certificate of Commendation (2021) |
Stephen Luke formally known as Stephen, Count Luke of Moldavia CGD CSD KNS KtS KGH GCrV OOD (b. 13 February 1991) is a Draculian micronationalist and statesman, who was the 2nd President and now Chancellor of the Commonwealth of Dracul. Luke has been known in the community for his professional demeanor, campaigns against suicide awareness and hosting events, such as MicroWorkshop 2021 and Micro Improvement. On 25 September 2017, Luke helped establish Dracul with original Co-founders Dmitri Howie and Mark Millner.
Early life
Stephen Luke was born on 13 February 1991 in the City of Zimnicea, Romania as the only child to a young teenage mother, after the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu. At six weeks old, Luke was adopted by Americans, who brought him to their home in Galveston, Texas for a better life. Luke began his interest in politics and history, while attending High School in Friendswood.
Micronational career
Luke began his interest in Micronations in 2016, while watching YouTube Videos and reading forums. It wasn't until the end of 2017 when Luke proposed to founder Dmitri Howie, about the idea of creating their own micronation.
Vice Presidency
When Luke started Dracul in 2017 with co-founder Dmitri Howie, Luke decided that he'd rather work behind the scenes, before serving in a higher position. Throughout most of his time as VP, he led Dracul as "Acting President", since Howie mostly remained inactive with personal health issues. In 2020, Luke decided to run in the 2021 elections as a Presidential Candidate, with his running mate Connor Modena as his Vice Presidential Candidate. After some negotiation, Luke eventually decided at the end of 2020, to run his campaign on the Dracul Conservative Party ticket after having been asked to by party leader Charles Ross. During his time as Vice President, Stephen has garnered a reputation within the micronational community specifically amongst long-time and older micronationalists for his professionalism and work towards ensuring a level of maturity among the younger micronations within Dracul’s diplomatic realm.
Suicide Awareness Campaign
Luke, along with 10 other micronations rallied together to start a suicide awareness campaign, which provided a list of nearby centers for those suffering from suicidal thoughts. The list, located on Dracul's official website, included centers in more than five different continents. Westartica was one of the most contributing to this campaign.
Prezan Military Academy
Luke began serving as an instructor for basic courses in June of 2021, due to his experience in the U.S. Coast Guard and Dracul military. Luke taught several courses, including military knowledge, customs, leadership, and many others. Luke was the first instructor to nominate an alumni as an instructor, Karl Frederick.
2021 Presidential Candidacy
Luke announced his 2021 Presidential Candidacy in 2020, stating he would "Jumpstart Dracul for Good", due to a high level of inactivity on the part of Government Officials and Citizens. Although his plans haven't fully been announced, Luke saw his Vice Presidency as a true success. Connor Modena was announced as his Vice President nominee. On 8 November 2021, Luke won the Presidency with 100% of the vote. Voter turnout was 42%.
Micronational Podcast
Luke agreed to assist Connor Modena with the formation of the micronational podcast Micro Improvement, which launched in March 2022, to assist new and current micronationalists, struggling with developing and maintaining micronations. The podcast provides tips and tricks on how to correct issues and go about developing successfully. Luke typically invites on distinguished guests with experience in the community, to discuss such talking points.
Political Views
Stephen identifies as (American) right leaning on the political spectrum and generally describes himself as a Republican. His economic belief supports few regulations by the government, excepting health and safety regulations, while also supporting government subsidies for small businesses. His social views are generally neutral, without much opinion on sexuality or gender.
Personal life
Outside of micronationalism, Stephen Luke spends most of his time working in nonprofit organizations and storm spotting for the National Weather Service. Currently, Luke works as a security guard at a shopping mall in Houston, Texas. Most of Luke's private life includes video gaming, studying to become a private pilot, and graphic art design.
U.S. Coast Guard
Stephen Luke served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary from 2011 to 2013. He mostly worked as a public affairs member, communicating with the media, teaching water safety and vessel inspections to the general public. With this being a volunteer position with minimal advancement, Luke resigned two years later to focus more on tasks with improving his skills in other areas.
Catching Online Predators
Luke spent much of his late high school years into early adult life, specifically from 2008-2018, assisting law enforcement agencies across America with the apprehension of online predators. This was how Luke met former Dracul President Dmitri Howie initially, as the two served in non-profits, aimed specifically at predator apprehension. Most of Luke's tasks consisted of working as an online decoy, collecting chat logs and video/photo evidence, which was ultimately turned over to police for criminal prosecution. [1]
Police Academy
Law enforcement has always been the main focus of Luke, as he created the first law enforcement club in his high school, was a police explorer, and studied law at a previous college, prior to 2019. Luke also assisted law enforcement with apprehending online predators from 2008 to 2018. From 2010 to 2019, Luke worked as a Private Security Officer until his planned graduation from the Police academy in 2019. Unfortunately due to health reasons, Luke resigned three months before his graduation.
Ribbon bars
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Badges
| Badges worn by Stephen Luke |
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Awards and decorations
Awards
Knight Commander of the Order of the Snowflake, 2021- Knight of the Noble Order of the Sword, 2020
Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the Vishwamitra, 2020 (disestablished in 2022)
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Melting Mountain, 2020 (second time)
Recipient of the Cross of Independence, 2020
Knight Companion of the Order of Charlington, 2020- Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the First Anniversary of the Vishwamitran Monarchy, 2021
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Melting Mountain, 2021
Recipient of the Order of Diplomacy, 2022- Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Lotus, 2022 (disestablished in 2022)
- Commemorative Medal of the Crystal Jubilee of the Foundation of Vishwamitra, 2022
Commander of the Austenasian Order, 2022- Grand Cordon of the Most Eminent Order of the Foxtail Orchid, 2023
- Commemorative Medal of the 21st Birthday of Rashtradhyaksh Dhrubajyoti Roy, 2023
- Commemoration of the Second Anniversary of the Foundation of the Penn Federal Republic, 2023