Afghanistan, April 2011

Stationed in Camp Spear, roughly fifty miles north of Kandahar City, Afghanistan, lays the composite forces of two battalions- the Canadian 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, and the US 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment- very different in their creation, and...well, disagreeing on certain matters, yet friendly enough. They form what is unofficially known as the "Devil's Brigade"- a harkening back to the days of WW2, when Canadian and US forces fought side by side in the US. Army's First Special Service Force- as a grouping comparable to the Rangers of the time. While their operations today are very different, that is where the similarity ends- the men and women of the "Brigade" forming a formidable anvil indeed against enemy forces, with both new recruits and veterans aware of the threats they face.

The troop surge by the US seen a year before has seen a wide ripple of effects turn Kandahar Province from a resurgent area of the country, with patrols getting hairy on more than one occasion, despite multiple IED factories and weapons caches being destroyed. It doesn't stand for much it seems- because it hasn't put the Taliban off, and an above-average harvest of Opium has bought them more than enough resources to pool into local recruitment process, buying AKs, explosive materials and other equipment required to fight a guerrilla war- and fight it well. Canadian and US Marines forces are becoming slowly withered, and are being pushed from the areas they had liberated weeks earlier, in the troop surge. They are seeing the Taliban risk attacking Camp Spear, a relatively isolated fortification compared to Camp Bastion and other significant outposts in the area.

So the unexpected is counted on. The Canadians and US Marines at Camp Spear are rallied to join the operation to take the Maz-i-Afar Valley, in the southern Hindu Kush, to the north of the province. The mission is known as Operation Talon's Claw, the purge that despite reduced troop numbers, and capability, proves itself to be the one timed when the Taliban least wanted it, and yet the one that proves Afghanistan's merciless brutality once more. The last operation, before they leave- the last purge to at least make the situation clearer to the Taliban that the ANA and ISAF forces can indeed push and hold their ground when asked. Yet for the next two weeks, the soldiers are to be pushed into a fight that will suddenly become one of the most ferocious conflicts of recent times in Afghanistan, with the soldiers of both battalions pushed far beyond what is asked of them.

Our story focuses on Charlie Squad, 1st Platoon, 3rd Battalion (Canada). However, due to an organizational shift, they have been pitched in their platoon as half-American, half-Canadian, as a troop exchange between the two battalions, that has been seen to be quite successful. As tactics and equipment is fairly similar between the two units, this non-standard pairing has been seen to work, and hence, the squad is half filled with Canadians, and the other half with Americans. They've been working in the area with a Canadian Provsional Reconstruction Team (PRT), so this is a big jump up for them- rather than protecting Engineers, they're on the vanguard of the offensive.

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3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment- Light Infantry

-By Standard, armed with a Colt C7A2 Rifle, or Colt C8A1 Carbine. Automatic Riflemen use the C9 LMG (FN Minimi) OR the C6 GPMG (FN MAG), and Marksmen either use the C14 Timberwolf, or Parker-Hale M82. Grenadiers add a M203 GL to their rifles/carbines. Usually use C79 Combat Optics, or soldiers privately buy EOTech Holographic Weapon Sights, or Aimpoint Red Dot Sights. The Carl Gustav M3 is used by the Anti-Tank/Anti-Fortification man. The Pointman of the team will use a rifle/carbine, and a shotgun- namely the 870 Tactical.
-They wear CADPAT Arid Fatigues.
-As light infantry, they use lighter vehicles. Normally, they used G-Wagens for rapid transport, but increased IED threats have restricted the use of this to mere corresponding work. They use the LAV III, the older AVGP vehicle, the recently acquired Cougar for patrol and assault work, with support from Canadian Chinooks and the US Marines' gunship support.
-By standard, tend to be busy being Canadian. Couldn't research that one.


US 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment- Marine Infantry
-By Standard, armed with either the M4 Carbine, the M4A1 Carbine, or the M16A4 Rifle. Automatic Rifleman is usually armed with the M27 IAR (Very Recent), M249 LMG, or M240B GPMG. Marksman is usually armed with M39 EBR, or Mk11 Marksman Rifle. Grenadier adds an M203 to their rifle/carbine- with soldiers issued by standard a M68 Collminator Sight, or Aimpoint CompM2. Alternatively, a Trijicon ACOG, or in specialist circumstances, a EOTech Holographic Weapon Sight can be acquired. The SMAW is used as an Anti-Fortfication/Anti-Vehicle weapon- and the Pointman uses either the 870MCS, or the M1014 JSRS shotgun alongside a rifle.
-Wear MARPAT Desert Fatigues
-As a US Marine unit, they can rely on significant USMC firepower. They use Cougars and HMMWV M1151 Vehicles for patrol, while using AAV-7A1 and LAV-25 vehicles for heavier assaults, among others- with the unit being able to call on UH-1Y Venom and Sea Knight transport. AH-1 SuperCobras also stand on support, for any CAS or gun requests.
-OORAH, MAFUCKERS

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Squad Roles:

Fireteam One:

Squad Leader/Grenadier (Canada): Staff Sergeant James "Chaplain" Bishop, kingkonrad
Designated Marksman/2IC (Canada): Corporal Zackary "Zack" Pelletier
Corpsman/Medic (US Navy): Petty Officer 3rd Class (Corpsman) Claire Duke
Anti-Tank Rifleman (US): Pvt. Nathaniel Jennison
Automatic Rifleman (US): Corporal Alexander Westfield

Name: James "Chaplain" Bishop
Age: 32
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Appearance James
James stands at about 6"1, being a fairly well rounded man, being seen wearing the standard Canadian BDU in Afghanistan, up to 2011 standards. He usually wears a pair of red Oakley sunglasses, over the yellow tint ballistic goggles, for personal reasons, as well as a pair of Oakley SI tactical gloves, bought personally. He has brown eyes and a dark brown hair, though it is shaved very short, as well as a clean shaven face. He has a particular scar on his left arm, that goes from the wrist to the forearm, from a prior training injury.

Weaponry:
Colt C8A1 Carbine
-EOTech 552 Holographic Weapon Sight, 3X Magnifier (Privately Bought)
-M203 Grenade Launcher
-AN-PEQ/15 Laser Designator
-Surefire XM300 Flashlight

FN Hi-Power Pistol

KA-BAR Becker BK3 Knife
-Cuts through straps, lines and people (when in extreme CQC).

Equipment:
CADPAT Arid BDU (Helmet, Plate Carrier, Uniform)
10x 5.56 STANAG Magazines (8 Regular, 2 Tracer)
15x 40mm HE Grenades
2x White Smoke
1x Blue Smoke
1x Red Smoke
1x Green Smoke
3x Chem Lights (Blue, Red, Green)
Radio Headset
1L Camelpak (CADPAT Camo)
Petzl Headtorch
Night Vision Goggles
CADPAT Arid Assault Pack
Holster for Hi-Power
Holster for BK3

Bio: Born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, James was born to a lumberjack and a schoolteacher, his father and mother respectively. Being in the middle of nowhere, apart from school, there was nothing to do, apart from explore or fuck around- and he did both perhaps, in excess. He was a youthful delinquent, in the boring town, but found his place when he left High School for University, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He quit in his first year, disliking the study he undertook, instead taking an alternative route in the Canadian Army. He was involved in the Invasion of Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, rising to the rank of Corporal, and finding his own niche, a tough lifestyle he had taken forwards since he was young. He had always been active and curious about staying in the outdoors, with his father who took him out into the Boreal Forests, and the military felt like it was a perfect way to see a world beyond his cold and wooded home. While Iraq was completely the opposite, another tour later in 2008, the last in Iraq, put him in good stead to become a Sergeant. In 2010, he was deployed to Afghanistan with the Battalion, and ranked up to Staff Sergeant, gaining his own Squad- Charlie, of which was not yet entirely filled with forces. So as a part of a combined-troop sharing deal, James took a set of US Marines from the 5th Marine Battalion into his squad, as some other squads did- recreating the classic "Devil's Brigade" structure of mixed Canadian and American forces in one fighting unit. He visits home sometimes, and seems to have quite a strong Canadian accent, not being a city boy at all. His nickname, "Chaplain", comes from two sources- his Surname being semi-related to the nickhame, as well as the fact that he tends to be rather guiding to new soldiers, and acts as the Squad's Chaplain of sorts, in matters involving anything that troubles them, from moral support to general moaning.

Personality (Optional): James is fairly well-tempered, calm and speaks decisively when required. He is a trustworthy individual, someone to confide into and even in a world where men are men, James is prepared to listen and hear out any of his fellow soldiers concern, earning him his nickname for giving advice and moral support in the worst of times, from girlfriends to personal problems. He can sometimes perhaps act recklessly on the rare occasion, but doesn't threaten the lives of his own men- usually more himself than anyone. This isn't to say he is the most courageous solider alive- but perhaps moreover, a lucky one. He does have a good intelligence of the situation around him, and his fondness for being outside, as well as his active condition, means he doesn't mind staying in the dirt for long periods of time.

Name: Zackary "Zack" Pelletier

Age: 27

Rank: Corporal

Appearance: Zack is slightly above average height, standing at 1.77 Meters (5'10"), with a relatively skinny build. He can handle his own and is reasonably strong; however, he knows that he wouldn't last long in an open fight-fight with many of the other soldiers in Devil's Brigade, and instead relies on agility and stamina. Zack's boyish good looks, angular features and chocolate-brown eyes meant he was quite popular at college. His light brown hair is cut to regulation length - something of a culture shock for Zack when he first enlisted, as he was used to having long brown strands of hair down to his eyes back before the Army.

Weaponry:
C14 Timberwolf
- Leupold Mark 4 16x40mm LR/T M1 Riflescope

SIG Sauer P226
- Surefire X300 LED mounted light

SOG Fixed Blade

Equipment:
-- CADPAT Arid Fatigues
-- 10x .338 Lapua Magnum Magazines
-- 5x 9x19 Parabellum Magazines
-- 4x Stun Grenades
-- Night vision goggles
-- P226 hip holster
-- SOG sheath

Bio: Zack was born and raised in Quebec City to French-Canadian parents, and grew up speaking both English and his native Québécois French. Zack is a charismatic people-person, and felt in his element growing up in the city. Though he was intelligent and scored at the top of his class in standardized testing, he maintained merely average grades throughout most of his high school career: A result of taking on the role of class clown, and habitually "losing" his homework. However, by Sophomore year of high school he shaped up, more or less, and graduated in the top ten of his class. He got accepted to the University of Montreal and earned a degree in Comparative Literature four years later. Despite the college degree and numerous job opportunities, Zack found himself anxious to see the world before settling down in a career. He chose to join the Canadian Army — initially for four years, but stayed on after completing a tour in Iraq in 2010.

In addition to his mother and father, who work as a lawyer and an engineer, respectively, Zack has a sister eight years his junior named Geneviève. Though his relationship with his parents has always been friendly yet distant, Zack and Gen were always quite close, and it was difficult for him to leave home — first for college, then the military. As for hobbies, Zack has always had a deep passion for literature (hence his college major) and the arts, and has been playing the fiddle for almost 20 years. He began at the behest of his parents to learn a 'cultured' instrument such as the violin, yet Zack soon rebelled and used that very instrument to play folk and American classic rock. Indeed, in his down-time he can be heard stringing out renditions of Dark Side or Led Zeppelin III.

Personality: Zack is quick to entertain, and always the first to crack a joke, but deep down lays a fundamental sense of maturity and compassion. He is, as some of his friends have noted, the last person anyone would imagine fighting in a war. Despite this, he seems to take it all in stride. Any death or hardship he's experienced while being deployed has been forced down and repressed, covered up with his trademark lighthearted disposition. In combat situations he quickly learned to shut the hell up, observe his surroundings and follow orders, maintaining a calm and rational demeanor most of the time - in quite a stark contrast to his personality back at Base.

Name: Claire Duke
Age: 24
Rank: E4 Petty Officer 3rd Class FMF NAVY CORPSMAN
Appearance:
She stands at 5’9 and keeps herself in the lean shape she is currently by constantly working out. She can typically be found behind the wire wearing her gear and Marine Utility Uniform, though while on base or the FOB she can be found wearing her blue digis.

Weaponry: M4 Red dot CCO, front hand stabilization grip,
M9 with laser and flashlight
GERBER Prodigy combat knife with MOLLE sheath

Equipment: MOLLE Vest Full Combat Load 240 5.56 Rounds 10 magazines, 30 Rounds M9 3 magazines
IOTV Body ARMOR
ACH rhino mount, NVG
Marine Utility Uniform
Thigh Holster
CamelPak
1 white smoke grenade
1 red smoke grenade
3 green chemlights
Sixty feet of 550 cord
Roll of duct tape
UNIT ONE PACK (Complete with all supplies)
SI Batwolf Amber Polarized Lenses (Oakley) Private Purchase
LF Assault Boots 8” (Oakley) Private Purchase
SI Assault Gloves Coyote Color (Oakley) Private Purchase
Freezer Zero Neck Gaiter Desert Sand Private Purchase

Bio: Claire Duke was born on a ranch in southern Texas, her father a United States Navy veteran, and her mother was a local practitioner for a small family doctor establishment in the town near the family ranch. Growing up, her mother, while not a trained vet, was also more than able to keep sick farm animals well and, when on the odd day a horse got hurt, stabilize them before proper treatment arrived. Claire learned from her mother, and had a natural kinship with animals both her parents helped nurture and grow into a passion that would drive her throughout her life. Her father, a retired Lieutenant from the US Navy, believed firmly in that each person had to earn their own lot in life, whether good or bad, and, while getting help was nothing to be ashamed of, they couldn't rely on the goodwill of others to get by, so he drove hard for his daughter to realize this, or hoped it would stick at any rate, and as Claire finished up with highschool, had the daunting task of figuring out precisely where she was going to get her schooling as a Veterinarian, which was what she wanted to do with her life.

Recent bills, including medical expenses for her father, had left a lot of savings gone, and the current income needed to replace those for the future, leaving Claire having to forge her own path, with mostly moral support from her family. So she turned to the life of the military, and would have joined with the Army, if not for her father's prods and suggestions pushing her into a Navy career. She wanted to get medical experience of some sort, so signed a contract for Corpsman, specifically, those trained to go and take care of USMC personnel when injured. Making her way through basic training, she finished as a Seaman, E3, and showed some promise in the medical field as she completed her medical training. She was, after finishing Marine basic as part of the program training, assigned to her first post, and was rotated where she was needed, making Petty Officer 3rd Class without much delay, making the grade on her first time coming up for promotion. She found herself assigned to the "Devil's Brigade", which was another posting she went to work at, ready and able to keep her brothers and sisters alive, should the need arise.

Personality (Optional):Motivated, quick to react and with a tough skin Claire is a natural for her position, having seen every from a horse giving birth to tourniqueting a blown off arm. She takes orders well and is also well capable of acting on her own when necessary. She tends to be friendly and polite though if you get on her bad side you might get a earful.

Name: Alexander Westfield

Age: 27

Rank: Corporal

Appearance:


Weaponry:
M27 IAR
- Aimpoint CompM2

M9 Beretta

Becker Combat Bowie Knife

Equipment:
x5 5.56×45mm NATO Beta C-Mag
x2 9×19mm Parabellum Magazines
x2 M67 Grenades
MARPAT Desert Fatigues
Scalable Plate Carrier
SI Ballistic Goggles 2.0 (Oakleys) Private Purchase
SI-8 Boots Coyote Color (Oakleys) Private Purchase
Lightweight FR Glove Coyote Color (Oakleys) Private Purchase
Desert Shemagh Private Purchase

Bio: Born in the Northeastern part of Pennsylvania, both his parents had worked in the coal mining business, as had many of their ancestors before them. Alex would spend a lot of time running to his parents work to deliver them things they forgot back home, especially on days where no school was in session, and had a fairly rough upbringing. With both his parents busy with the coal mining work, he was generally left to raise himself. So he naturally found himself getting into fights and scrapes with other kids, usually coming out on top thanks to his Uncle, an ex Marine that taught the young boy how to defend himself early on in his life. After breaking another kids arm, though, he narrowly avoided a juvenile sentence thanks to last minute testimony. After this, his uncle took a more direct role in raising the rough young man, instilling some sense of discipline into the otherwise uncontrolled life he had been given. When he graduated high school, both his parents expected him to take the job offer from the coal mine that they worked for. Alex literally gave them both the middle finger and walked away, to their utter shock. With nothing but his clothes and a handful of belongings, he had nowhere to go, since his parents kicked him out after this. With nowhere else to really go, and his uncles stories in mind of other various heroes that came from the Coal regions, he went and enlisted with the Marine Corp.

His knack for fighting and never giving up served him well here, his back talking nature and very same refusal to back down, not so much. But he was in good shape from fighting and working, and qualified for additional training with the M249 LMG, and would eventually be issued the first wave of M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles (IAR), and assignment as an Automatic Rifleman. He cycled through several units, never having much hope of getting above a Corporal due to his nature, but he was happy with the work, a damn sight more than working in some dark coal mine, although he was more comfortable in those places than most folks would be. So Afghanistan wasn't too much of a shock for the lad, and he was glad for the lighter SCP armor over the normal MTV issued to Marines otherwise, and his assignment to this Devil's Brigade only got him interested, since you didn't just give those kind of names to regiments. When he learned it was a joint regiment between some Canadian light infantry and his own Marine Corp, he was hesitant, to put it kindly. But he had known a Canadian or two, and they didn't take much crap from anyone, so he figured their military would be the same, at least, so he didn't gripe too much. Even though he would probably be the newest guy to the regiment, he wouldn't be taking crap from anyone, as was in his nature. And anyone over his head that saw his record would see this trend.

Personality (Optional): Alex is a blunt, brutally honest man, first and foremost. He won't pull punches, he'll tell you what he thinks of you to your face, and then knock your teeth out if you get offended. Alex grew up fighting, and despite his uncle's better efforts, only taught him to mitigate it, not control it. The Marine Corp managed to get him to not swing first and ask questions later, but he'll gladly come to blows with someone as soon as shake hands. He is friendly enough beyond this fiery temperament, for a generally offensive individual, and is entertaining to drink around, if you like watching fights. Coupled with a complete lack of brain to mouth filter and sense of self preservation, he can tend to become a disciplinary nightmare, although he can focus his general ire towards the enemy when in the field, so it doesn't affect his on duty work much. He just tends to come back to base with a black eye, and another story about how the other guy got it worse.