UNSC Marine Corps

A rugged and diverse assortment of soldiers, the Marines of the UNSC are fighting a losing war against the Covenant's superior weaponry and numbers. Under the leadership of someone like Captain Keyes, or Admiral Whitcomb, they continue to wage a furious struggle against the Covenant, even as their numbers dwindle. They're the best of the best.

Marines are the standard infantry of the UNSC. They have few augments and usually wear passive camoflague uniforms Other marines wear brown or black metal armor, intended to shield them from plasma fire, as opposed to bullets. Marine Helmets contain display eyepieces and Helmet Recorders, which give them information about their surroundings. Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are special forces of the Marines.

Marine NCOs are distinguished by baseball caps carrying the symbol of the Marine Corps. They never wear helmets, even when in body armor. Sergeants are (usually) smarter, better shots, and tougher to kill.

Combat

In Halo: Combat Evolved, almost all Marines carry MA5B ICWS Assault Rifle, though occasionally they can be seen with a Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, needler, or Plasma Rifle. They are relatively accurate with their weapons, but incidents of friendly fire are common. Marines will strafe and avoid fire but not seek cover. They will roll out of the way of a vehicle but they will not pick up different weapons, Health Packs, or additional ammo.

Marines are conscious of back stabbing. After you have killed three Humans of any type, the rest of the Marines in the level will attack you. If you kill Captain Keyes in The Pillar of Autumn, Cortana will lock the doors and summon a squad of invincible Marines to destroy you.

They will ride on Warthogs and Scorpions but are only capable of piloting Ghosts by themselves. They will get off the Scorpions when the player exits the driver seat, but they will stay in a Warthog until you order them to get out. Be careful of Marines piloting Ghosts; they are occasionally prone to running you over.

In Halo 2 the Marines are far more interactive and more capable of independent thought and wield a greater assortment of weapons. The player can also switch weapons with the Marines to make sure that they are well armed.

List of Marines named in the series

• Major General Nicolas Strauss
• Major Antonio Silva
• First Lieutenant Melissa McKay
• Sergeant Avery Johnson
• Master Sergeant Gunns
• Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto
• Staff Sergeant Marcus Banks
• Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker
• Corporal Perez
• Private First Class Wallace A. Jenkins
• Private First Class Chips Dubbo
• Private Manuel Mendoza
• Lance Corporal "Snaky" Jones

Marine Units

• 405th Marine Infantry Division
• 105th Drop Jet Platoon
• Charlie Company

Trivia

The Marines' faces were modeled on Bungie employees.