Gabriel Venendez

Corporal Gabriel Venendez (born Gabriel Enrico Venendez), born in Mexico City on July 19th, 2505 is a side character of Red Letter Days who is PFC. Leonard Schaeffer's fireteam leader in Red Letter Days: Volume One on Second Base, he strongly dislikes Schaeffer.

Early History
Venendez was born in the poverty stricken industrial zone of Mexico City, Earth. Venendez was recruited into a large gang early on in his childhood and knew how to shoot a gun, mug a man and coerce someone by the age of 12. When Venendez turned 16, the gang was shattered in a large scale police raid.

Venendez, thankful that he managed to escape the raid without dying, being arrested or the police identifying him, found god. He also found several of his cousins who were willing to take him in until he turned 18 which he gladly accepted. Venendez kept his promise and left the house at 18 to live in a shoddy apartment with his girlfriend, Marisol.

Shortly after his 19th birthday, Venendez managed to get Marisol pregnant with twins. Deciding to stay with her and try to raise his kids right, Venendez constantly attempted to get a job. Due to his past life and lack of applicable skills he could not hold any real position in a company.

Realizing that if he did not get a well paying job, his family would be trapped in Mexico City and his children would fall to the same fate he did, Venendez joined the Marine Corps with hope of a steady pay and benefits for his children.

Operation TREBUCHET
Venendez transferred to a unit performing counter-insurgency operations on Paris-IV where he performed admirably at his job. In nearly two years, he managed to earn two bronze stars and a silver star for his service along with a promotion.

At some point in his career he earned the nickname Smike, and although it originally began as a joke between him and his fireteam, it soon spread across the entire unit until people forgot his actual name and instead called him Smike. Sick of everyone using the insulting name, he worked as hard as he could to suppress the spread of it and the name was soon completely forgotten.

The brigade was soon transferred to Red Letter Days/Second Base, Venendez enjoyed doing his job while sending his checks home to Marisol until PFC. Leonard Schaeffer was transferred to the unit. The platoon's First Lieutenant, Barry Hartfield gave Schaeffer his assignment and told him his new corporal's name was Smike.

When Schaeffer asked aloud who Smike was on a full pelican which was en route to Garmed. The nickname was revived, and Schaeffer earned Smike's hate.