OPERATION: New Hope

"It is with my great honor and privilege to present to you, the Orange Team statue! In honor of the team that once save this world and countless others!"

- Simon Van Buren at the Himita Memorial Operation: NEW HOPE was an effort conducted by the and  as a means of memorializing and honoring soldiers during the, especially those of spartans. The effort went from construction of statues and museums to speeches and memorial sites across the several colonies that were defended by.

Background
In 2570, a politician named Simon Van Buren preposed an idea to the and the  to honor spartans, having his life saved be such a soldier. While some were hesitant, namely representatives, the senate of the UEG agreed to support the efforts. , hesitant as well, agreed to assist the UEG once the decision went public.

Senator Van Buren hired several reporters and persuaded media outlets to push for the effort. With a constant push by the media from nearly all colonies, the UNSC High Command cracked and agreed to support the effort. General Jonathan Corvus and Admiral Delany Wilkinson were sent as representatives of the UNSC and to answer questions about the spartans. However, other media outlets demanded more information and several UNSC officers were almost interrogated by the media for answers.

After two years of other information gathering, the UEG began construction of Statues and museums across several colonies, detailing different battles across the colonies during the Human-Covenant War.

Senator Van Buren contacted different spartans from the including Gary-009,  and Timothy-127. While both Fred and Gary refused to speak, Tim agreed, arguing for a representative over refusal. Other and a few ’s including a reluctant Roderick-A207.

The Movement
In 2572, every month a major ceremony was held on major colonies throughout human space.

Himita Ceremony
In April 2572, veterans of the, survivors of Himita and thousands of civilians and military personnel arrived at Himita. The colony was recently under re-colonization and development of major cities and new towns. The town of Havana was chosen to be a spot of memorial. Senator Van Buren gave a small speech to honor the men and women who sacrificed themselves for the good of Himita and other colonies.

Commander Timothy-127 have his own speech and thanked everyone who severed, who arrived and thanked Van Buren for the opportunity to speak. During the speech, Tim announced his retirement from the UNSC. While under initial scrutiny by both the public and  officials, Tim stood firm in his decision. The ceremony ended with minor confusion, yet joy was also proclaimed as a statue of Orange Team was constructed in the town.

Reach Ceremony
In August 2572, Van Buren and, went to  to present and give thanks to the spartans of  and others that served humanity in the face of total annihilation. Colony ships and several bands of survivors had already begun to construct new cites, villages and towns on the glassed world and several options were considered for the ceremony’s site. Ultimately, ruins were chosen.

Reconstruction crews quickly began to work throughout the city. Finally, on August 30, a statue of Noble Team was constructed in New Alexandria and Van Buren and Jun gave their speeches. Relief aid and reconstruction efforts arrived at Reach a few weeks later and began to work on the re-colonization effort of Reach.

New Century Ceremony
In November 2572, Senator Van Buren arrived at the barren world of New Century. While the planet wasn't yet recolonized, a few towns still stood that worked on reconstruction of the world. Van Buren arrived at the town of Almighty and the citizens agreed to accept the speech. Accompanying the senator and other military and UEG representatives was Captain Daniel Tarkin and Colonel Roderick-A207.

While the spartan was reluctant to speak, he did so as a way to honor his fellow spartans who lost their lives in defense of the planet. General Corvus and Captain Tarkin also honored General Lewis Meriwether and Captain James T. Avery once again. Senator Van Buren also promised to assist in New Century’s reconstruction efforts. The ceremony ultimately ended with a state dedicated to the Alpha-Zulu Corps, detailing their emblem.

A month later, Van Buren’s promise came true, and a series of relief ships and colony cruisers arrived at New Century and began to support the remaining civilians in rebuilding cities and homes across the colonies.

Bivec Ceremony
In December 2572, Van Buren made his final stop for a speech on the colony of Bivec. However, the colony so devastated and still in the process of re-terraformation, the speech was given on a orbital platform. Like many before it, Simon promised reconstruction and salvation for the world, erecting a small statue within the orbiting station of Purple Team.

Legacy
After the initial year of the program ended, Senator Van Buren continued the push to keep the honor of Spartans and Soldiers alive. However, following a year and a half of speeches and tours, both the UNSC and UEG slowly began to lose interest in the program. Media outlets also began to lose care for it as well, abandoning coverage of the events after Reach. Eventually, by 2575, Senator Van Buren was voted out of office and the operation ceased.

However, several museums, memorials and historical speeches were recovered and still exist. History of various colonies use the facilities for a variety of reasons, mostly educational. Families and loved ones of the ones honored by Van Buren continue to support the site and push the senate to restart the program as a means of continuing to honor dead heroes.

2570

 * Sometime in 2570, Senator Simon Van Buren preposes the idea to honor the Spartans and fallen soldiers during the Human-Covenant War.
 * In late 2570, Van Buren’s idea is accepted by UEG and a skeptical UNSC.
 * Heavy media coverage of the program forces the UNSC to agree and give out additional information about military operations during the Great War.

2571

 * Van Buren finalizes his preparations for the initial start of the program.

April 2572

 * Van Buren and Timothy-127 arrive at Himita.
 * Van Buren dedicates relief aid to the colony and presents a statue of Orange Team to the colony.
 * Timothy-127 officially announces his retirement.

August 2572

 * Van Buren and Jun-A266 arrive at Reach.
 * Van Buren gives a speech in New Alexandria and dedicates a Noble Team statue to the city.

August 30

 * Relief aid and colonization ships arrive at Reach to help with reconstruction efforts.

November 2572

 * Van Buren and the Alpha-Zulu Corps return to New Century and dedicates a statute to the Corps.

December 2572

 * Van Buren dedicates a statue of Purple Team in a orbital platform over Bivec.

2575

 * Operation: New Hope concludes with Van Buren being voted out of office.