Editing Gretchen Ketola

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=Gretchen Ketola
|image=[[File:Gretchen.png|300px]]
|homeworld=[[Harvest]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p97|Enc22|Page=97}}
|birth=[[2520|May 14, 2520]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p97}}
|death=
|causeofdeath=
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=[[Taylor Miles]] (Before [[2552]]-)
|children=
|species=[[Human]]
|gender=Female
|height={{Convert|203.2|cm|ftin}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p97}}
|mass={{Convert|109.3|kg|lb}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p97}}
|hair=Blonde
|eyes=Blue
|affiliation=*[[UNSC Marine Corps]] {{C|former}}
**[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]
*[[Spartan Operations]]
**[[SPARTAN-IV program]]<ref name="Bad Blood">'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'''</ref>
|rank=[[Spartan]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p97}}
|sn=72831-500211-GK{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p97}}
|notable=
}}
{{Quote|Give her credit: Gretchen was as tough a Marine as you ever saw.|Romeo discussing Gretchen}}

'''Spartan Gretchen Ketola'''<ref name="EVG">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 53''</ref> is a former [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]] in the [[UNSC Marine Corps]]. She is married to [[Taylor Miles|Taylor "Dutch" Miles]], a fellow [[Spartan-IV]] supersoldier and former ODST as well.<ref name="is1">'''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''', ''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 1|Issue 1]]''</ref>

==Biography==
Prior to [[2552]], Gretchen served in the same unit as Dutch and his friend [[Kojo Agu|Kojo "Romeo" Agu]]. At some point, she and Dutch developed a romantic relationship and later married. Gretchen enjoyed fighting, to the extent that she actually laughed in the midst of combat. However, her outlook changed when she stepped on an [[Insurrectionist]] landmine during a mission on [[Ballast]];{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p97}} her left leg was blown off by the resulting explosion.{{Ref/Reuse|is1}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}

Before the [[Battle of Ariel]] in [[2552#January|January 2552]], she was still confined planetside because of her injury. She sent a message to Dutch, in which she informed him that there was an open position in a motor pool, and suggested that he should accept it.{{Ref/Reuse|is1}} By October 2552, though she was looking forward to return to active service, the doctors predicted she would be confined to non-combat duties for the rest of her career.<ref name= "oni">'''[[Halo 3: ODST Pre-mission Evaluation]]''' ''- Dutch Interview''</ref> However, by [[2553]], she eventually retired from service. After [[Rookie|a friend and squadmate]] of Dutch's died during [[Draco III rebellion|a rebellion]] on [[Draco III]] in [[2554]], Dutch retired from service to be with Gretchen.<ref>'''[[Halo: New Blood]]''', ''page 99''</ref> The two continued to contact their old squadmates and friends after their retirement, including [[Edward Buck]].<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 149''</ref>

In [[2558]], Dutch and Gretchen unexpectedly resurfaced during the [[Created conflict]] when Buck, Romeo, Dare, [[Quick to Adjust|Vergil]] and [[Sadie Endesha]] visited the [[Spartan-IV training station]] to break out [[Michael Crespo|Mickey Crespo]]. After Buck was declared a rogue Spartan by the AI [[Leonidas]], in reality a rogue AI loyal to the [[Created]], Dutch and Gretchen came to his aid and explained that after Gretchen was given a new prosthetic, they had joined the [[SPARTAN-IV program]], having not told their friends in case the prosthetic didn't work. Dutch and Gretchen joined the reformed [[Alpha-Nine]] as they fled the station in a [[Condor]] to undertake a secret ONI mission.{{Ref/Reuse|Bad Blood}}

==Equipment==
As an ODST, Gretchen wore basic [[ODST armor]] with a tan chest piece.{{Ref/Reuse|is1}} After joining the SPARTAN-IV program alongside her husband, she was outfitted with the [[HELLJUMPER-class Mjolnir|Helljumper]] variant of the [[MJOLNIR GEN2]] armor, much like Dutch and the rest of Alpha-Nine.{{Ref/Reuse|Bad Blood}}

==Trivia==
*Her blood type is A-.{{Ref/Reuse|oni}}
*Ketola's surname suggests she may be of Finnish ancestry.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Gretchen fight.png|Gretchen with Romeo and Dutch in ''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''.
File:Gret.PNG|Gretchen is wounded by an Insurrectionist land mine.
File:Gretchen live action.png|Dutch's memory of Gretchen, viewed through a [[neural marker]].
File:Bad Blood cover art (Final).jpg|Gretchen on the cover of ''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''.
File:Enc22_Gretchen_Ketola.png|Gretchen as seen in the [[2022]] edition of the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Helljumper]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo 3: ODST Pre-mission Evaluation]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''
*''[[Halo: Venezian Sonata]]''

== Sources ==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|Ketola, Gretchen]]
[[Category:Spartan-IVs|Ketola, Gretchen]]
[[Category:Human characters]]