User:Spartan-091/10th Shock Troops Battalion

"Hell if I know what to call 'em. Heroes just seems to be overused too much these days. But then again, with half the shit they do, I wouldn't even know if they were fit to bear the title.  Damn, it's hard to describe Special Operations, 'specially ODSTs.  'Specially this unit.  If I had my way, every goddamn one of them would earn a medal and a court martial."

- Lieutenant Colonel Matthew "Maddog" McDonnell, on his own unit

The 10th Shock Troops Battalion, colloquially known as the "10th Shock", or "Watchers" was an ODST special warfare battalion of the Naval Special Warfare detachment. The battalion was a distinguished unit with a valiant history, conducting hundreds of special operations and fleet-support actions during the Human-Covenant War, the Insurrection that had preceded it, and the Necros conflict that followed on its heels.

It was commissioned in 2521 and its current commander is Colonel Matthew "Maddog" McDonnell.

Origins
The 10th Shock Troops Battalion was officially activated on January 22nd, 2521, as part of the then-experimental 105th Shock Trooper Division. Its battalion nomenclature is unusual, but it was reasoned by High Command that the legacy of the North American airborne unit was important to maintain positive morale amongst the all-volunteer members of the battalion. The unit was first deployed on a test drop over the military world of Reach with the newly-released Human Entry Vehicle pods. The test went relatively successfully, with only three troopers killed by the heat of re-entry. Shortly afterwards, the unit was deployed on specially-augmented UNSC ships and thrown against the Insurrectionists, used as a quickly-inserted teams of Special Warfare operators. They were utilized to great extent in engagements where hostages were present or the use of rapid y-axis assault was required. When the Covenant raised its ugly head, the 10th was already battle-hardened and ready for anything. During the early stages of the Human-Covenant War, they were deployed in numerous circumstances, often to hold the line so that a few more refugee ships could be evacuated or to turn the tide of battle in favor of the Marines. They participated in many small confrontations, but the one that they are most remembered for is the defense of Manheim.

Battle of Manheim
The 10th was stationed aboard the Leonidas-class battleship UNSC Myrmidon, which participated in the protracted Battle of Manheim. The UNSC Myrmidon was the the only UNSC vessel to survive the withering contact with Covenant naval forces, and a number of its naval crew, including Sylvie Grey, and the Marine special forces of the 10th Shock, managed to evade Covenant capture and hosted a spirited resistance movement on Manheim's surface, provoking the Covenant occupation force. The arrival of SPARTAN-091 bolstered the UNSC resistance, which had been previously led by the ODSTs of the 10th. Soon, however, this resistance became unnecessary; the Great Schism and the Battle of High Charity led to the rebellion of the Sangheili-led Covenant Separatists against the Covenant Loyalists. Separatist forces on Manheim, led by visionary Sesta 'Laramee, offered a truce with the UNSC guerillas and a chance for Elites and humans to walk side by side to burn down the Brutes. The exhausted crew of the Myrmidon, outnumbered and overwhelmed by their unconventional warfare, gladly accepted. The surviving 10th contingent, led by SSgt. Miles Jaeger, assisted SPARTAN-091 and the Separatists in a lengthy search-and-destroy mission to wipe out all traces of the Loyalists in the Manheim Theater of Operations. The bravery of the ODSTs in their struggle to wipe out the Brutes convinced many Elites of the fineness of the Human race. The ODSTs were joined by their counterparts, commandos from the Sangheili special forces, and the two were the principal forces responsible for the Loyalist defeat on Manheim. Some of the ODSTs, including Jaeger, managed to survive the battle. However, the ODST detachment had suffered substantial losses; first, in the crash-landing of the Myrmidon, then in the rigorous and bloody guerilla warfare to follow, and finally in the final frontal assault on Loyalist forces. Jaeger would be chosen by SPARTAN-091 to become the new ODST platoon commander, and would receive a field commission to the brevet rank 2nd Lieutenant (O-1).

Second Battle of Earth
The new UNSC / Separatist alliance forged over Manheim held fast in strong bonds of fellowship, and the Elite battle group, after learning of the Siege of Earth, commenced the long Slipspace journey to Earth, arriving there right before the dispatching of the Shadow of Intent / UNSC Forward Unto Dawn task force to the Ark. When the ODSTs of the 10th ODST learned of the tragic UNSCSOCOM casualties at the Battle of Cambridge at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lieutenant Jaeger and SPARTAN-091, despite their exhaustion after months of terrible warfare, immediately volunteered to commence a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission to rescue their UNSCSOCOM comrades. The extraction team came under heavy fire, but managed to exfiltrate the NAVSPECWAR Six operators of Flurry Troop, the Marine Recon operators of Delta Troop, and a large civilian convoy, rescuing comrade and civilian alike from the war-devastated city. They were, however, unable to rescue Ranger 38/6 C, a Ranger Corps company that had sacrificed themselves to ensure the success of the extraction.

When the Sangheili special forces learned from one of the Flurry Troop survivors that two NAVSPECWAR snipers, CMDR Kawika Son and PO1 Katrina Woodbury, had stayed behind to hold off the Brutes while the rest of their platoon was rescued, Sesta 'Laramee took it upon himself to lead a small Sangheili special operations detachment into Cambridge, a second desperate search-and-rescue for the two UNSC special warfare operators. It was be too late for Woodbury by the time they arrived, who was be overrun, captured, mutilated, and decapitated, but 'Laramee's men managed to save Son, who had been grievously wounded but was still alive.

Shortly after the successful extraction of Flurry and Delta Troops and the civilians, Fleet Admiral Hood diverted SPARTAN-091 and Jaeger's ODST platoon to the Chicago Industrial Zone, where other 10th Battalion forces were fighting and surgically "burning out" entrenched Brute positions in the thick urban cityscape. There they distinguished themselves further, although the incursion of heavy losses forced them to eventually hold position. They were relieved of their post when the rest of the Sangheili fleet arrived at Earth and drove the Brutes off, and placed on temporary humanitarian duty.

Post-War Campaigns
On October 21, 2553, the 10th Battalion was officially taken off of active duty, and its members were given extended leaves of abscence to visit their surviving family members or grieve for those who had been lost. Unsurprisingly, in four months the unit was reactivated to deal with the resurgence of the Insurrectionist movement on several Outer Colony worlds.

Organization
The "Dark Watchmen" order of organization follows standard UNSC Naval Special Warfare Command format, with four "short" Shock Trooper Special Operations Companies (ShoTSOCs) of three Shock Trooper Special Operation Teams (ShoTSOTs) each.

10th Shock Troops Battalion


 * 18-10.jpg Alpha Company (18/10 ST)


 * 19-10 Logo.jpg Bravo Company (19/10 ST)


 * 20-10 Logo.jpg Charlie Company (20/10 ST)


 * 21-10 Logo.jpg Delta Company (21/10 ST)

Chain of Command (As Of 2610)

 * Battalion Commander: LtCol. Matthew McDonnell
 * Battalion XO: Maj. Benjamin Compton
 * Battalion S1: Capt. Gerald Ryder
 * Battalion S2: Capt. Erica Hargrave
 * Battalion S3: Capt. Frederick Otto
 * Battalion S4: Capt. Khaled Al-Tahari
 * Battalion S5: 1st Lt. Juba Wassatendu
 * Battalion Command NCO: SgtMaj. Tsai Chung

Notable 10th Shock Troops Members

 * 2nd Lt. Miles Jaeger
 * 1st Lt. Jennifer Wolf
 * GnySgt. Gordon Lydecker
 * 1stSgt. Spencer Booth
 * SSgt. Lee Deacon
 * Sgt. Madison Carson

Insignia


The 10th takes its "short" insignia from the famed helmet flash of the ancient United States' 101st 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment's World War II helmet flash. This small flash appears in white on the helmets and chest pieces of all 10th members, usually close to the logos of their companies that are present on the chest plating. The official battalion color, which is used for all modification paint on ODST armor, is Navy Blue.

Behind the Scenes

 * The 10th Shock Troops Battalion was modeled after the renowned real-world U.S. 101st Airborne Division and the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
 * The 10th was originally the 101st, but its title was changed after new information rendered such a designation not canon friendly.