John Robert Hawkins

"He can be both your worst nightmare and your best friend; He's hard on the new guys and will run you into the ground; But when your backs against the wall there's no one else I'd rather have on my side."

- Lance Corporal David Price describing John Robert Hawkins.

Gunnery Sergeant John Robert Hawkins (Service Number TC126-9647-011236) is a Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in the UNSC Marine Corps, and is an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. (He uses the Call Sign Eagle-2)

Summery
Counting time spent in cryo-sleep, Hawkins is a 25-year veteran of the war. He served in numerous battles throughout the Human-Covenant War. Watching so many of his fellow Marines die has left Hawkins cold and hard, but this wasn't always so. He was regarded as an extremely skilled Marine and a promising candidate for the Officer Candidate School.

Early life and military career
John Robert Hawkins was born in 2510 in Durham in United Kingdom on Earth. In 2528, when he was eighteen, he enlisted in the UNSC Marine Corps and followed it through as a career. He served in many battles, including the Harvest Campaign and the Battle of Reach. Hawkins' last known place of residence is Durham on Earth, where he is also a citizen. His civilian occupation is listed as student.

Harvest Campaign
Hawkin's went to Harvest as part of the 14th Marine Regiment and it was here he first saw the horrors of the Human-Covenant War. Here he took part of the UNSC Counter attack and Final Liberation of Harvest. However due to the Heavy Casualty rate suffered by the 14th Marine Regiment and the death of a lot of his fellow recruits, it affected him deeply. It was also the first time he had witnessed the Covenant Tactic of glassing. Hawkins was then Re-assigned to the UNSC Spirit of Fire to help replace the Marines they lost in the Harvest Campaign.

First Battle of Arcadia and UNSC Spirit of Fire
This was the first and only time Hawkins met the uncle of Commander James Cutter who was commanding the UNSC Spirit of Fire Captain James Gregory Cutter. Hawkins was deployed along with several other marines to help defend the Evacuation craft escaping from the Covenant Onslaught in Pirth City. However as the battle progressed Hawkins and the units he was with became cut off from the Spirit of Fire when Covenant forces overwhelmed Pirth City, under the command of a Corporal they made their way through the city's sewer system and to the outskirts. After three weeks of travel they where picked up by search parties from the UNSC Armstrong after the ship had managed to repair and regain it's atmosphere. They learned that the Spirit of Fire had gone after the Covenant vessels that had attacked Arcadia. Hawkins was taken back to Earth to be Re-assigned after this, having learned that the 14th Marine Regiment had been disbanded due to heavy losses at Harvest.

New Constantinople
Hawkins was promoted to Corporal and re-assigned to the 11th Marine Regiment and shipped off to New Constantinople when it was confirmed the Covenant were attacking the Planet. During this Campaign Hawkins received a scar to his upper lip when caught within brutal inner city fighting due to a piece Spike Grenade Shrapnel. Despite Minor Victories the UNSC forces where being overwhelmed by Covenant reinforcements and after both he platoon CO and NCO where killed Hawkins was left as the highest ranking NCO left. Realising that continuing to stand and fight was not an option and with the orders received to evacuate Hawkins lead the remainder of his squad through marsh land and to a UNSC Air Force outpost still evacuating personnel, once again he made it off the world and once again saw from orbit Covenant vessels glassing the planet.

Siege of Paris IV
Hawkins received a Promotion to Sergeant and given command of his Platoon due to no officers being left alive and they where moved to the world of Paris IV. It was here that Hawkins saw some things that would haunt him for the rest of his days. The Covenant attacked en-mass quickly overwhelming civilian security and police forces. While providing cover for evacuating civilians several Phantom Dropships came overhead and started landing Brute soldiers and a Brute Chieftain in the middle of a group of Civilians, even due to this Hawkins' men could not open fire for fear of hitting the civilians and could only watch in horror as the Brutes hacked at the civilians with their Spikers and the Chieftain flattened them with his Gravity Hammer. In just 4 minutes the Brutes had killed 15 civilians, pulling back into Action and realising that more civilians would be killed Hawkins lead a charge on the Brutes, and although successful he lost half of his platoon in the process.

After several days of fighting his men where pulled off planet via Falcon's and taken to an awaiting UNSC Frigate in the Atmosphere, as the Covenant overwhelmed the planet.

Transfer to ODST
After the Siege of Paris IV Hawkins requested a transfer to the 105th Marine Expeditionary Unit to train and become an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, knowing they were the best the Marines had to offer and to take the fight to the enemy. He was accepted straight away and shipped to Mars and ODST Training Facility Gamma. Here he was assigned to the 20th Shock Troop Battalion – Bravo Company - Third Platoon, and placed as then Second Lieutenant Christopher Robson's head NCO. Both had seen numerous combat situations and immediately found a common camaraderie. For the next two years Hawkins spent training to be an ODST spurred on by the loss of friends during his many years of service.

Duty on board UNSC Thunder Child to Present
After completion of their training the entire 20th Shock Troop Battalion was placed on the UNSC Thunder Child and sent to the Planet Reach to receive training for an unknown operation. Thunder Child arrived on 23rd December 2551 and the Entire 20th Shock Troop Battalion where moved from Thunder Child to Camp New Haven.