Leon Farchester

[Guest]

Account E-Mail: EDITED OUT!

Name: Leon Farchester

Nationality: African - British


What Army will Your Character Serve Beneath?
UK

Character History:

Leon Farchester was born on 1910, to his poor Black Mother and a Middle Class British man by the name of Roth Farchester. The marriage seemed alright at the beginning, with his mother traveling Britain and taking care of herself as she awaited for Leon to be born. She was a strong and friendly woman, who worked hard to take care of her family, as she wasn't going to slack anytime soon. Her family and then the previous generation continuing on were slaves, some were slaves for all of their lives, and some like Leon's mother was free to work and marry. But, the happiness was short lived.

About when Leon was born and around 6 years old, he woke up from his small bed in the separate room. Getting up, he just sat there for a few seconds. He heard something, that sounded like someone was crying. He got up, and pushed the door open. Then, his mother was there on the floor, holding something in her hand. She was crying, and it made Leon himself very sad to see his mother like this. He cried along with her, just to share the pain of losing a husband and a father they thought was the right one for both of them. Life after that moment was horrible, and it continued to go downhill from there. During the years when Leon was 8 through 16, he was alone on the streets most of the time because his mom was working about 5 dead-end jobs at the same time just so that they could have food and water.

To entertain himself during the time his mother was working, Leon used to secretly hide himself near a window, where he had a perfect view of the TV. It didn't do any good, seeing as he couldn't hear anything from his distance. Not wanting to worry his mother or make life harder than it already is, Leon didn't get into trouble and seldom succumbed to his curiosity. As he tried several attempts to get an education by stealing books from the local library, his mother soon found out and told him to return them all. The late fees were extremely high, and put the two farther in debt. There had to be something better than this life thought Leon, and he has thought that way until his life began to change during his young adult year.

Once hitting the age of 16, Leon convinced his mother to stop working and to rest her old bones. She had been working several jobs all of her life, and Leon cried almost every night feeling that it was all of his fault. If he wasn't born, maybe his father wasn't going to leave. Maybe his mother was going to be more happy without him. But, Leon was proven very wrong when his mother heard him talking to himself out loud about it. They have been through much, so it helped him even greater. Being determined more than ever, Leon went to find as many jobs as possible the next day. He thought in his mind that it was time to pay his mother back for all she had done for him, when she could have left so that she didn't have to suffer so much. It made him cry all of the time just thinking about it, so he tried to focus on his work more. Day after day, Leon worked 8 jobs at the same time, giving all of the money he had to his mother as she saved it up year after year.

Being black, it was hard for Leon. It was especially hard for his mother, since she was a woman and black, resulting in extremely low pay and verbal abuse 24/7. But, she was always a good role model, the words never bothered her alot.

Military Rank: 2nd Lieutentant


Writing Sample:
Scenario: You’re alone behind enemy lines and you get the eerie feeling someone’s watching you. You’re trying to remain quiet, stay low, work your way back to the frontlines - but you can’t help but feel you’re being followed… (How does your character React? What’s running through their mind?)

[Guest]

Not done, and this is Ben btw.

[Ben Shirley]

Alrighty let's see here. First mistake, not posting as a guest. Second, the war didn't start in 1941. Third...I honestly cannot count the number of grammar errors in this application...not the number of tense changes either, sometimes even in the same sentence. A couple of instances your application was difficult to understand, and you even contridicted yourself a time or two. Is it even possible to work more than one job at a time? Two tops right? But eight! You are not new, so there is no need to cover the new guy stuff...I'll give you Sergeant, but if you wanted to ask for a second opinion I wouldn't blame you after having put three days of work into this.

-JT

Account E-Mail: EDITED OUT!

Name: Leon Farchester

Nationality: African - British


What Army will Your Character Serve Beneath?
UK

Character History:

Leon Farchester was born on 1910, to his poor Black Mother and a Middle Class British man by the name of Roth Farchester. The marriage seemed alright at the beginning, with his mother traveling Britain and taking care of herself as she awaited for Leon to be born. She was a strong and friendly woman, who worked hard to take care of her family, as she wasn't going to slack anytime soon. Her family and then the previous generation continuing on were slaves, some were slaves for all of their lives, and some like Leon's mother was free to work and marry. But, the happiness was short lived.

About when Leon was born and around 6 years old, he woke up from his small bed in the separate room. Getting up, he just sat there for a few seconds. He heard something, that sounded like someone was crying. He got up, and pushed the door open. Then, his mother was there on the floor, holding something in her hand. She was crying, and it made Leon himself very sad to see his mother like this. He cried along with her, just to share the pain of losing a husband and a father they thought was the right one for both of them. Life after that moment was horrible, and it continued to go downhill from there. During the years when Leon was 8 through 16, he was alone on the streets most of the time because his mom was working about 5 dead-end jobs at the same time just so that they could have food and water.

To entertain himself during the time his mother was working, Leon used to secretly hide himself near a window, where he had a perfect view of the TV. It didn't do any good, seeing as he couldn't hear anything from his distance. Not wanting to worry his mother or make life harder than it already is, Leon didn't get into trouble and seldom succumbed to his curiosity. As he tried several attempts to get an education by stealing books from the local library, his mother soon found out and told him to return them all. The late fees were extremely high, and put the two farther in debt. There had to be something better than this life thought Leon, and he has thought that way until his life began to change during his young adult year.

Once hitting the age of 16, Leon convinced his mother to stop working and to rest her old bones. She had been working several jobs all of her life, and Leon cried almost every night feeling that it was all of his fault. If he wasn't born, maybe his father wasn't going to leave. Maybe his mother was going to be more happy without him. But, Leon was proven very wrong when his mother heard him talking to himself out loud about it. They have been through much, so it helped him even greater. Being determined more than ever, Leon went to find as many jobs as possible the next day. He thought in his mind that it was time to pay his mother back for all she had done for him, when she could have left so that she didn't have to suffer so much. It made him cry all of the time just thinking about it, so he tried to focus on his work more. Day after day, Leon worked 8 jobs at the same time, giving all of the money he had to his mother as she saved it up year after year.

Being black, it was hard for Leon. It was especially hard for his mother, since she was a woman and black, resulting in extremely low pay and verbal abuse 24/7. But, she was always a good role model, the words never bothered her alot. She always set a good example for Leon, and she was the most inspirational women in his life. Nothing was more important than making her happy, and making sure her retirement came with happiness and lots of money. Day after day, work was getting tougher and tougher by the day. Being now attacked right in plain view, his boss didn't mind it at all, but he knew something very vital : Leon was the one who brought in the most money. He worked harder, and gave 150% effort to all of his jobs. When he failed to do something, he had another 120% to dish out. Although Leon was black, the bosses were very pleased with his work, and it finally resulted in him being promoted on all 8 of his jobs. But, he was still paid little because of the request from the other workers. It didn't bother Leon, not even a little bit, because from the promotion he knew that hard work and hope would reward anyone.

Once World War 2 started in 1939, there was a call of arms and Leon wasn't going to wait to be drafted. It was a very hard decision to make, since he didn't know how his mother would do without him their. But, the pay he would get from being in the army was worth it, and maybe he would be recognized as someone else other than "that black man". Hopefully, the division he was going to be sent to knew that a mans color didn't matter as long as he knew how to shoot a gun and not put his comrades lives in danger. Giving a hard hug to his mother, with a bit of tears on the side, Leon moved on with his life. With the money his mother had at the moment from all of the work Leon had done all of his life, she had enough to give herself food and water everyday. An act of kindness a day keeps your sins away.

Upon arriving to the training camp that had pretty bad living conditions, Leon put down his pack and sat down on the small bunker bed that was on the left side of his bunker. He was now actually there, in a training camp, soon he was going to be deployed. But, he had no problem with this. The other men weren't very friendly with Leon, but nor were they much hostile or disrespectful. As long as Leon didn't cause problems, neither did the white men that were somewhat his comrades. But, everyone seemed to like him, he was usually the calm person in the crew and always had hope and determination. Never did he put down his own fellow soldiers, and he had exceptional aim also despite being from a poor background. When everyone heard his story, some were moved by it, some showed sympathy, and some understood how he felt. Leon found a man that was to similar to himself, and his name was Phillip Mabrey. Despite being British, his life wasn't so dandy. He stole from schools to get the books so that he could get an education, he went to the street food vendors and took food as fast as possible before disappearing in a matter of seconds. It was the hard-life, and they both knew about it. Soon, the two were inseparable until Phillips died at the hospital while being treated for several shrapnel in his liver and several other body parts.

But, his relationship with Phillip somehow made everyone want to talk to Leon, and soon he was around everyone and having interesting conversations all around. He was now liked by most of the soldiers, people asked him for advice on several topics, they went to him if they had a problem, and it eventually came to the qualities of a leader. During the realistic training exercises, Leon was there to take command, and was the first one to put himself into danger. He raised morale as much as he raised hell on the battlefield, his tactical thinking amazed many, and he gained respect from the higher-ups although he was a black man. This was what he wanted, he wanted respect from all corners of life, he wanted to be seen as a normal human being, not an alien life form that was to be shunned from others. With the money he was paid each month, Leon sent all of it to his mother, who then had enough money to take a plane to America, where she resided in up north Chicago. She got better pay and jobs, and she was able to maintain a small house near a hill and lake. They came from extreme poverty because of the man that left them, but they came from it, and it showed that everything they did wasn't for nothing. It was a bless from god, and god works in strange ways.

The many months of training further increased Leon's abilities, and by the time he was deployed to the African Theater, Leon had reached the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was then attached to the 4th Royal Tank Regiment during Operation Brevity. Leon along with Sargeant Dominic A. Nelson and Corporal Kai L. Green commanded a Platoon to accompany the regiment. Most of the tanks were lost due to a lack of fuel or breakdowns. During a small scuffle with one of the many regiments from the Afrika Korps, the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger that had four crew members in it broke down. In the face of a German tank, it fired and blew up the Cruiser effortlessly. The explosion was quite dangerous, and the situation looked hopeless, but Leon was the one who pulled through. He tried to get them out of their with the least amount of casualties, only 3 out of his 23 men platoon were dead, and then double that wounded. For his tactical prowess and putting himself into harms way first to keep his other men alive, Leon was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major. As the African Campaign continued, Leon kept on impressing his superiors before finally becoming a 2nd Lieutenant. With this, he was transferred to the Desert Rats. He was happy with his accomplishments, and now tries harder than ever before. He still sends money to his mother every month, she has been happy and healthy aswell.

Military Rank: 2nd Lieutentant


Writing Sample:
Scenario: You’re alone behind enemy lines and you get the eerie feeling someone’s watching you. You’re trying to remain quiet, stay low, work your way back to the frontlines - but you can’t help but feel you’re being followed… (How does your character React? What’s running through their mind?)

The extreme heat of the African sun beated down onto the sand dunes and barren wasteland that went for several miles before hitting a small oasis treeline, or the completely destroyed buildings that were previous battlefields. The very loud sounds of British tanks slowly moving through the open terrain as they were initiating Operation Brevity. The assault was going to be major, but there was going to be one problem : How to prevent the tanks from overheating. If they couldn't prevent the tanks from overheating, serious breakdowns were going to occur. None of the British soldiers wanted a breakdown right in the middle of combat, as it would basically mean your a prime target. But, they were going to hope for the best, as they followed their own orders. He slowly appeared above the very tip of the dune, with his helmet and rank shining a bit.

“Well, if the Germans don't kill us, then this heat will. Everyone! Make sure to stay close to that tank, the shade will do you wonders,” ordered Leon, as he put weight onto his right leg, making him lean a bit forward. Sweat slowly came down his forehead, with his head turning from left to right as he tried to check the terrain. They were somewhat on high-ground at the moment, and so this was the perfect time to use the binoculars. Taking it out from his pack, Leon closed in to the distance as he tried to make out of what seems like a Tank and some soldiers. While looking through them, Kai patted Leon on the shoulder. Holding out his hand, Leon gave Kai the binoculars so he could see through them. They were going to need to form a plan if they were going to make contact, which was the most possible scenario.

“Seems like we might be in for some trouble Lieutenant,” noted Kai who raised an eyebrow while drying off his face with a small handkerchief that was located in the back pocket of his pants.

“You just might be right, prepare the platoon for combat. Tell them to drink some of their water, and make sure not to get heat-stroke. We don't need someone to overheat, and we definitely need someone to do that in the middle of combat.”

“Yes Sir!” replied Kai before heading back down the dune to the platoon that was resting at the nearest oasis. There rest was about to be cut short, so everyone strapped up with gear and refilled their canteens. Now making their way slowly but surely, the possibility of a small conflict was growing at an alarming rate, and it reached climax as soon as Leon heard the shout of a German Tank commander. With this, everyone sprang into action. The sniper team that was deployed earlier was waiting with their camouflage, literally becoming one with the sand as they didn't even move an inch. Looking through the scope, the sniper aimed his crosshairs onto the head of the Tank Commander that opened the hatch, screaming and shouting orders in German like wild-fire. Breathing in and out slowly, the cold steel of the trigger felt like a mild tingle before he squeezed the trigger as the bullet exited the barrel and then flew through the air before hitting the Commander right through the head. Blood spurted out, before he fell dead and causing massive chaos. Now with morale dropping fast, Leon led his fighting force. The British tank fired, making a big explosion and causing body parts to go flying and for victory to come closer. But, the round missed the German tank by a small bit, which was a great price to pay.

The British suddenly stopped in its tracks, with a little bit of smoke going up into the air before dispersing. It was a breakdown, and now they had to get out of their quickly. The sniper team saw the situation, and so they took action and tried to get as many accurate shots as they can. Kill, after kill, soon exposed their camouflage because of the muzzle flash. Although they took heavy fire, they got out of their and retreated back to the oasis. If he Germans took the oasis, it was going to be a pain to take it back.

“OK! The tank is having a breakdown, best thing we can do is hold our position at the oasis! Engineers, make sure to put down some Anti-Armour mines while we are moving back. Joel, George, and Kyle! Stay back and help them out with that. Everyone else, just run as fast as possible. You will have about 10 seconds to get hydrated and rest,” shouted Leon with his orders, making them as loud as clear. Kai passed down the orders, and so everyone knew what to do. Placing Anti-Armour and Anti-Infantry mines at the base of the dune, the Engineers made sure not to delay more than they had to. George looked over the dunes as he watched the movements of the Germans. Their foot prints were engraved into the ground, staying there until war taints it or the wind carries it away, filling the hour glass full of the sands of time.

“OK, we are done, Lets move it!” shouted Kyle with everyone following behind him. But, it wasn't going to be easy getting back. While the whole platoon was running back, mortar rounds made a loud whistling noise through the air before landing with a loud boom. It caused about 2 soldiers to go flying, landing with a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder. Another soldier was blown up out-right, with guts and insides falling back down to the ground seconds later. Leon grabbed the soldier with a broken leg, wrapping his arm around Leon's shoulder before they both began running to the oasis. The soldier with a dislocated arm found out how to put it back, but he couldn't carry his gun because it was too heavy. He dropped it and left it there, before running on his own to meet everyone else at the oasis.

Mortar fire kept pounding the area, usually having Leon and most of the other soldiers scrambling to any cover available. But luckily, the mortar rounds stopped coming, and at the end there was minimal casualties. The loud roaring sound of a tank came over the dune, but then the sound of an anti-armour mine overtook it, with the sand raising into the air like a pillar. Fire came from the tank, along with a huge explosion that killed almost the whole entire German attack force. With a victory chant and the germans retreating, the British platoon was successful in the small conflict. But they had lost a tank, which was a big blow. Sitting down in the small hut in the oasis, Leon called HQ and told them of the situation.

“You did good Leon, you did all you can. You will be relieved, some Half-Tracks are on their way to pick your men up to get your asses out of their. You guys are some lucky motherfuckers,” said the man on the other end of the radio.

“Hell yeah we are. See you soon,” replied Leon before hanging up and moving towards the oasis water, refilling his canteen before taking a big gulp. Then, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and began to socialize with his fellow soldiers as much as he could. Life is so short, especially during war.