Franklin Mendez: Difference between revisions
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
(It's clear both Halsey and Mendez were originally meant to be older, but even Nylund himself got Mendez's age mixed up.) |
(Whaddya know? I was going to make a note about this very subject today.) |
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|image= [[File:Bloodline_Chief_Mendez.png|265px]] | |image= [[File:Bloodline_Chief_Mendez.png|265px]] | ||
|homeworld= | |homeworld= | ||
|birth=c.2492<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 208''</ref><ref group="note">In ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Mendez is described as a veteran instructor who had also seen significant combat by 2517. In ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'', Kurt-051 notes that Mendez had "aged well" in 2531. Later in ''Ghosts of Onyx'', however, Mendez is noted as "pushing sixty" in 2552, and stated to be the same age as Halsey in ''Halo: Glasslands''. This would make him no more than 25 years old when he started training the SPARTAN-IIs and around 39 when Kurt mentions his aging. Furthermore, the significant spans of cryosleep which accompany UNSC military service would likely reduce his age even more.</ref> | |birth=c.2492<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 208''</ref><ref group="note">In ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Mendez is described as a veteran instructor who had also seen significant combat by 2517. In ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'', Kurt-051 notes that Mendez had "aged well" in 2531. Later in ''Ghosts of Onyx'', however, Mendez is noted as "pushing sixty" in 2552, and is stated to be the same age as Dr. Halsey in ''Halo: Glasslands''. This would make him no more than 25 years old when he started training the SPARTAN-IIs and around 39 when Kurt mentions his aging. Furthermore, the significant spans of cryosleep which accompany UNSC military service would likely reduce his biological age even more, making Kurt's remark seem even more out of place.</ref> | ||
|death= | |death= | ||
|rank=[[Senior | |rank=[[Senior chief petty officer]] | ||
|gender=Male | |gender=Male | ||
|height= | |height= | ||
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|eyes=Brown | |eyes=Brown | ||
|notable= | |notable= | ||
Instructed both the [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-IIs]] and [[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN-IIIs]] | |||
|affiliation=[[UNSC Navy]] | |||
|affiliation=[[ | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{quote|Nothing can kill the Chief.|A young [[John-117]] refers to Mendez}} | {{quote|Nothing can kill the Chief.|A young [[John-117]] refers to Mendez}} | ||
'''Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez''' is a | '''Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez''' is a [[UNSC Marine Corps]] [[non-commissioned officer]] who was involved in the training of every supersoldier of both the [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] and [[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN-III]] programs. His career is extensive and he has earned numerous medals and commendations fighting in the [[Insurrection]] and the [[Human-Covenant War]]. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===SPARTAN-II training=== | ===SPARTAN-II training=== | ||
By 2517, Mendez was regarded as the Navy's best hand-to-hand combat and physical training drill instructor, in addition to having substantial combat experience. Due to his skills, he was recruited to lead the [[SPARTAN-II training|training]] of the | By [[2517]], then-Chief Petty Officer Mendez was regarded as the Navy's best hand-to-hand combat and physical training drill instructor, in addition to having substantial combat experience. Due to his skills, he was recruited to lead the [[SPARTAN-II training|training]] of the SPARTAN-II supersoldiers.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 28-29''</ref> He was the SPARTAN-IIs' training leader during their first years on [[Reach]] from 2517 until [[2525]]. He trained them in the aspects of combat as hard as any Marine when they were only at the age of six.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', "chapter 4"</ref> His military training was punctuated with in-class strategy sessions with AI [[Déjà]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 38''</ref> | ||
At the beginning of their training, CPO Mendez and his training instructors used [[Humbler stun device|electric batons]] to discipline trainees.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 35''</ref> However, his trainers would occasionally use rifles with tranquilizer rounds to incapacitate the trainees (those who would eventually make up [[Gray Team]]) who attempted to escape. Eventually the Spartans, [[John-117]] in particular, came to revere Mendez as a solid, unmovable force in their lives.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 99'' (''"The only constant in the universe"'')</ref> They had great respect for him, perhaps even to the extent of seeing him as a father figure, much as they regarded [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] as a mother figure. | |||
After the | After the SPARTAN-IIs' training was completed, Mendez was reassigned to train the next class of [[SPARTAN Program|Spartans]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 99''</ref> John-117 never saw him again, though Mendez returned the [[quarter]] that Dr. Halsey had given John during their first meeting. He recalled that John broke a few of the trainers' fingers when they tried to take the coin from him.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 101''</ref> | ||
===SPARTAN-III training=== | ===SPARTAN-III training=== | ||
After the SPARTAN-IIs graduated, Mendez was slated to train the next class of | After the SPARTAN-IIs graduated, Mendez was slated to train the next class of SPARTAN-IIs, but the program was delayed by Dr. Halsey due to issues with viable candidates, ONI eventually diverting her funding to other projects. Mendez requested reassignment to active duty. Over the next six years, he fought the Covenant on five worlds, won two more [[Purple Heart]]s, and was promoted to [[senior chief petty officer]]. Mendez was then recruited by [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]] to assist [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose]], formerly Spartan Kurt-051, in administrating the [[SPARTAN-III Program]]. He trained three SPARTAN-III companies at [[Camp Currahee]] on [[Onyx]] from [[2531]] until [[2552]]. He was originally skeptical of the job, comparing the behavior of the trainees to that of the schoolchildren in the novel ''[[Wikipedia:Lord of the Flies|Lord of The Flies]]''.<ref name="Onyx69"/> | ||
When he arrived to train Alpha Company, | When he arrived to train [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]], Lieutenant Commander Ambrose noted that Mendez had aged very well, that he had a trim chiseled body from "ironwood", with hair that was now silver, deep creases around his eyes and that a set of ragged scars that ran from brow to chin.<ref name="Onyx69"/> By 2552, Kurt still found Mendez him to be surprisingly fit and agile, noting he moved like a soldier thirty years younger and wondered what kind of Spartan he would have made.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 129''</ref> | ||
===Battle of Onyx=== | ===Battle of Onyx=== | ||
{{Main|Battle of Onyx}} | {{Main|Battle of Onyx}} | ||
While training the final batches of [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company]] on [[2552#October|October 31, 2552]], Mendez and the other UNSC forces on Onyx came under attack by [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]]. He, along with SPARTAN-III [[Team Saber]], [[Tom-B292]], [[Lucy-B091]], and | While training the final batches of [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]] on [[2552#October|October 31, 2552]], Mendez and the other UNSC forces on Onyx came under attack by [[Forerunner]] [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]]. He, along with SPARTAN-III [[Team Saber]], [[Tom-B292]], [[Lucy-B091]], and Ambrose were virtually alone on the planet, and were forced to hide from Sentinels for several days. Eventually [[Kelly-087]] )a SPARTAN-II) and Dr. Halsey arrived, followed shortly by SPARTAN-II [[Blue Team]]: [[Fred-104]], [[Will-043]], and [[Linda-058]]. Mendez assisted them in fighting their way to the [[core room antechamber|core of Onyx]], where he eventually evacuated to [[Trevelyan|Shield World 006]], held in a slipspace bubble in Onyx's core, along with the other survivors. Onyx, actually an artificial planetary shell covering the shield world, was then disintegrated by the Sentinels.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 365-366''</ref> | ||
===Shield world and | ===Shield world and aftermath=== | ||
At the funeral for the Spartans who died | At the funeral for the Spartans who had died on Onyx, Mendez read an excerpt from his favorite book: an account of the [[Rain Forest Wars]] called ''[[A Soldier's Tale: Rainforest Wars]]''.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 378-379''</ref> While inside the shield world, Mendez began to reflect upon his role in training the Spartans.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 73''</ref> He also took note of Halsey's discomfort with the SPARTAN-IIIs he had helped train, confronting the doctor about this on several occasions.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 37-40''</ref> | ||
After Mendez and the other survivors had reconnoitered the sphere for some time and established a base camp in a [[Citadel (Trevelyan)|Forerunner city]], [[Lucy-B091]] discovered several [[Huragok]] which helped the human survivors contact the | After Mendez and the other survivors had reconnoitered the sphere for some time and established a base camp in a [[Citadel (Trevelyan)|Forerunner city]], [[Lucy-B091]] discovered several [[Huragok]] which helped the human survivors contact the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] ships outside the slipspace bubble and eventually bring the sphere into normal space.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 382-389''</ref> Mendez and the others were then taken to a debriefing in [[HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6]] aboard the {{UNSCShip|Port Stanley}}.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 401-403''</ref> Mendez, along with the surviving SPARTAN-IIs, was present at the [[Voi Memorial]] unveiling ceremony on [[2553#March|March 3, 2553]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 414''</ref> | ||
==Personality and traits== | ==Personality and traits== | ||
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==Awards== | ==Awards== | ||
Mendez is a battle-hardened veteran who has won numerous decorations, including multiple Gold Stars, [[Silver Star]]s, [[Bronze Star]]s, three [[Purple Heart]]s,<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 95''</ref> and the [[UNSC Legion of Honor]]. | Mendez is a battle-hardened veteran who has won numerous decorations, including multiple Gold Stars, [[Silver Star]]s, [[Bronze Star]]s, three [[Purple Heart]]s,<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 95''</ref> and the [[UNSC Legion of Honor]]. | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
Revision as of 12:08, January 22, 2014
- "Nothing can kill the Chief."
- — A young John-117 refers to Mendez
Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez is a UNSC Marine Corps non-commissioned officer who was involved in the training of every supersoldier of both the SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III programs. His career is extensive and he has earned numerous medals and commendations fighting in the Insurrection and the Human-Covenant War.
History
SPARTAN-II training
By 2517, then-Chief Petty Officer Mendez was regarded as the Navy's best hand-to-hand combat and physical training drill instructor, in addition to having substantial combat experience. Due to his skills, he was recruited to lead the training of the SPARTAN-II supersoldiers.[1] He was the SPARTAN-IIs' training leader during their first years on Reach from 2517 until 2525. He trained them in the aspects of combat as hard as any Marine when they were only at the age of six.[2] His military training was punctuated with in-class strategy sessions with AI Déjà.[3]
At the beginning of their training, CPO Mendez and his training instructors used electric batons to discipline trainees.[4] However, his trainers would occasionally use rifles with tranquilizer rounds to incapacitate the trainees (those who would eventually make up Gray Team) who attempted to escape. Eventually the Spartans, John-117 in particular, came to revere Mendez as a solid, unmovable force in their lives.[5] They had great respect for him, perhaps even to the extent of seeing him as a father figure, much as they regarded Dr. Catherine Halsey as a mother figure.
After the SPARTAN-IIs' training was completed, Mendez was reassigned to train the next class of Spartans.[6] John-117 never saw him again, though Mendez returned the quarter that Dr. Halsey had given John during their first meeting. He recalled that John broke a few of the trainers' fingers when they tried to take the coin from him.[7]
SPARTAN-III training
After the SPARTAN-IIs graduated, Mendez was slated to train the next class of SPARTAN-IIs, but the program was delayed by Dr. Halsey due to issues with viable candidates, ONI eventually diverting her funding to other projects. Mendez requested reassignment to active duty. Over the next six years, he fought the Covenant on five worlds, won two more Purple Hearts, and was promoted to senior chief petty officer. Mendez was then recruited by Colonel James Ackerson to assist Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, formerly Spartan Kurt-051, in administrating the SPARTAN-III Program. He trained three SPARTAN-III companies at Camp Currahee on Onyx from 2531 until 2552. He was originally skeptical of the job, comparing the behavior of the trainees to that of the schoolchildren in the novel Lord of The Flies.[8]
When he arrived to train Alpha Company, Lieutenant Commander Ambrose noted that Mendez had aged very well, that he had a trim chiseled body from "ironwood", with hair that was now silver, deep creases around his eyes and that a set of ragged scars that ran from brow to chin.[8] By 2552, Kurt still found Mendez him to be surprisingly fit and agile, noting he moved like a soldier thirty years younger and wondered what kind of Spartan he would have made.[9]
Battle of Onyx
- Main article: Battle of Onyx
While training the final batches of Gamma Company on October 31, 2552, Mendez and the other UNSC forces on Onyx came under attack by Forerunner Sentinels. He, along with SPARTAN-III Team Saber, Tom-B292, Lucy-B091, and Ambrose were virtually alone on the planet, and were forced to hide from Sentinels for several days. Eventually Kelly-087 )a SPARTAN-II) and Dr. Halsey arrived, followed shortly by SPARTAN-II Blue Team: Fred-104, Will-043, and Linda-058. Mendez assisted them in fighting their way to the core of Onyx, where he eventually evacuated to Shield World 006, held in a slipspace bubble in Onyx's core, along with the other survivors. Onyx, actually an artificial planetary shell covering the shield world, was then disintegrated by the Sentinels.[10]
Shield world and aftermath
At the funeral for the Spartans who had died on Onyx, Mendez read an excerpt from his favorite book: an account of the Rain Forest Wars called A Soldier's Tale: Rainforest Wars.[11] While inside the shield world, Mendez began to reflect upon his role in training the Spartans.[12] He also took note of Halsey's discomfort with the SPARTAN-IIIs he had helped train, confronting the doctor about this on several occasions.[13]
After Mendez and the other survivors had reconnoitered the sphere for some time and established a base camp in a Forerunner city, Lucy-B091 discovered several Huragok which helped the human survivors contact the Office of Naval Intelligence ships outside the slipspace bubble and eventually bring the sphere into normal space.[14] Mendez and the others were then taken to a debriefing in HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 aboard the UNSC Port Stanley.[15] Mendez, along with the surviving SPARTAN-IIs, was present at the Voi Memorial unveiling ceremony on March 3, 2553.[16]
Personality and traits
Mendez is a strict, by-the-book military man and thus has a solid sense of duty and honor. He also rarely allows himself to display his emotions (for example, John-117 very rarely had seen him smile). When he heard of the destruction of the Spartan-IIIs, he kept his face stony, holding his feelings to himself. His total need for discipline and order off-sets many of his new acquaintances, however those who know him well (namely the Spartan-IIs, particularly John-117 and Kurt Ambrose) have a respect and relationship with him that can be compared to that of the connection between father and child.
He is known to enjoy Sweet William cigars.[17]
Awards
Mendez is a battle-hardened veteran who has won numerous decorations, including multiple Gold Stars, Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts,[18] and the UNSC Legion of Honor.
Gallery
Mendez, as drawn by Dr. Halsey.
Mendez talking to John-117 after the augmentation procedures.
A possible appearance of Mendez in Birth of a Spartan.
List of appearances
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
- Halo: First Strike (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
- Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
- Halo: Blood Line
- Birth of a Spartan (Possibly)
- Halo: Fall of Reach
- Halo: Glasslands
Notes
Sources
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 28-29
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, "chapter 4"
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 38
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 35
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 99 ("The only constant in the universe")
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 99
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 101
- ^ a b Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedOnyx69 - ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 129
- ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 365-366
- ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 378-379
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 73
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 37-40
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 382-389
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 401-403
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 414
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 69
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 95
