James O'Neill

James Charles O'Neill, also known as "Lucky", was a UNSC during the  as well as after. He was born in Waterford, Ireland, and has participated in many important battles throughout the Covenant War and after, and is the current commanding officer of Valkyrie Company.

Early Life
James O'Neill was born on July 7, 2524 in the city of Waterford, Ireland. His father, Sean O'Neill, was a sergeant in the and his mother, Marissa O'Neill, was a doctor. James was born just around the time that humanity first came into contact with the Covenant, and his father was among the men who were sent to fight them on. Fortunately, he survived, but with a missing arm, which he had lost in the fighting. James had a fairly normal life, but was noted by many to be a natural leader, being able to take command of most situations he was in as well as get people to do what he wanted.

Early Military Career
"But one thing I will not forget was the blood. There was so much blood. Alien, mine, Denny's. It was all over me and him."

- O'Neill recalling the events of the Battle of Mortintoj.

In 2540, wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, he signed up to join the UNSC Marine Corps on his birthday, graduating with flying colors in November 2541. He first saw combat in early 2542, on the small colony of Mortintoj in which he and another Marine, named Dennis Cook, were the only survivors or their squad. The rest were killed by a team of Elites, and O'Neill and Cook only survived because they played dead. They were later rescued, although O'Neill had lost his index finger when a plasma bolt hit near it, blowing it off. However, it was replaced with a cybernetic finger. Afterwards, both were promoted to lance corporal and sent to another squad. This squad later participated in another battle, where the squad emerged relatively unscathed, and O'Neill was promoted again to corporal to replace one of the two Marines lost in the battle.

Becoming an ODST
In September 2544, after surviving the Battle of Pius VII, he and Cook, who had become good friends, volunteered to join the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, and passed the training in April of 2545. They were placed in a squad, part of "Valkryie Company" of the 7th Shock Troops Battalion, together. O'Neill rose through the ranks quickly, eventually becoming a Gunnery Sergeant and taking command of the squad by 2546, when they helped fight the Covenant at the. There, the squad, designated Delta-Seven, became holed up in a hotel. They managed to fight their way out, but one of the squad members was killed.

In August 2549, O'Neill entered officer school at West Point on Earth, where he passed in 2550, becoming a 2nd Lieutenant and was given command of the Valkryie Company's 2nd Platoon. The company participated in the, helping to push back the Covenant there.

Battle of Reach
In 2552, the UNSC stronghold of Reach was attacked by the Covenant. O'Neill, now a 1st Lieutenant, was sent with the rest of the 7th Shock Troops Battalion to the planet to help repel the attack. He fought in the Battle of Viery with the rest of the 7th, in the northern section. He and his platoon also fought in, but evacuated with the rest of the UNSC forces before the city was glassed. Afterwards, he was taken off-planet and to. Valkyrie Company was then briefly stationed aboard.

Battle of Earth
O'Neill and Valkyrie Company played a major role in repelling Covenant boarders aboard the station when the Prophet of Regret's fleet arrived at Earth in 2552. Valkyrie Company was then sent to Mars to counter Covenant assaults in major cities there. After months of fighting, Valkyrie Company was finally transported back to Earth and stationed at in east Africa.

Battles of Voi and the Ark
Crow's Nest was attacked by the Covenant just a couple weeks after the battle for Delta Halo, and O'Neill and the remaining members of Valkyrie Company were able to safely evacuate with no casualties. Valkyrie Company later participated in the Battle of Voi as well, helping to secure the Traxus Facility. They were later forced to pull out of this position along with other Marine forces due to the appearance of the Flood at Voi.

Prior to arriving at, O'Neill and most of the surviving members of Valkyrie Company were placed into a joint Human-Sangheili operations team. Command was shared between O'Neill and Sangheili Ranger Kodo 'Mumaai. Their first mission commenced during the initial engagement between UNSC-Separatist forces and the Covenant fleet around the Ark. The team was dropped onto the surface of the Ark via Pelicans, and then proceeded to neutralize two Covenant anti-air guns that had been set up. Meanwhile,, accompanied by Cook and three other ODSTs, secured a landing site for the , which then provided vehicles for an assault on the.

In the midst of securing the area around the AA guns, O'Neill and 'Mumaii caught wind of a Covenant force being arranged nearby, discovering numerous troops and vehicles being assembled a few kilometers away from the Cartographer. Assuming it to be a counterattack, the joint operations team fired on the force as O'Neill and 'Mumaii moved to set explosives. Before they could, they faced a Brute Chieftain. 'Mumaii covered O'Neill while he set charges around a large group of plasma batteries. During the fight, 'Mumaii was wounded by the Chieftain, but was killed by O'Neill just before it was able to finish the Ranger off. 'Mumaii and O'Neill pulled back to the main force, detonating the charges and thwarting the Covenant counterattack, allowing the Master Chief and UNSC forces to enter the Cartographer.

Later, O'Neill, 'Mumaii, and the rest of the joint-operations team, took part in the by executing strikes at several Covenant positions in and around the wall, providing cover for the main assault force. The team was evacuated by a Phantom soon after and taken to the, where they left the Ark once and for all, along with the other UNSC and Sangheili forces.

Post-War Career
After the Battle of Installation 00, O'Neill was promoted to Captain and officially placed in command of Valkyrie Company.

Personality and Traits
O'Neill was typically a fairly laid back officer, occasionally cracking jokes before, during, and after combat. He preferred attacking enemies at a distance, hence his preference of the battle rifle. However, he was not afraid to engage enemies up close, and occasionally wielded a shotgun when the situation required it.

He was described by his men as being very lucky, earning him the subsequent nickname "Lucky". Of his 15+ years in the Marine Corps, he has only been shot six times, only two of which were detrimental enough to remove him from combat.

Appearances

 * Slaughter on Mortintoj (First Appearance)
 * Assessing One's Foe
 * The Takedown
 * The Life Debt
 * The End of it All