Gerald Whetstone

Summary
Chief Gerald "Gunny" Whetstone was the definition of the "quiet professional" standard advocated by the MACO NCO Corps; a veteran of over 30 years in service to the Federation. Raised by his estranged father, Andrew, and grandmother Elda on Earth, he grew up rough and made poor choices which ultimately led to tragedy. Overcome with a need to straighten himself out and perhaps earn some form of redemption, Gunny dedicated his life to protecting others. His recklessness in pursuit of that duty is documented, as is his loyalty to his men - he lived his life by the philosophy: "Never ask anyone to do something you wouldn't do yourself."

Having no permanent relationship to speak of, Gunny holds Starfleet akin to his family; the men and women under his command were like his own kids. Harsh, but fair was his credo; he led from the front, wherever the fighting was thickest. A humble man, he was never known to boast or hold his accomplishments above others - he viewed himself as a mentor and an example for the next generation of Starfleet guardians. After 32 years of service, he accepted retirement with all honor, for a peaceful life in the Alaskan wilderness, until he was recalled by Starfleet for the exploration mission into the Shackleton Expanse.

History
Gerald Whetstone was the only son of Andrew and Mary Whetstone; severe complications during childbirth unfortunately caused the death of his mother. He was raised by his father and his maternal grandmother Elda, on the banks of the St. John's river. His father never fully reconciled with the child for the loss of his beloved wife; as such their relationship was cold and distant. As a boy, Gerald would often find himself alone, forced to figure things out on his own, and often got himself into trouble which was severely punished. The apparent lack of affection during these formative years turned him into a bitter youth and a bully; he often picked and beat on those he saw as weak or vulnerable, and grew quite fond of fighting at an early age.

As a young man he fell in with like-minded troublemakers, racing hover-bikes and participating in fight clubs. His recklessness caught up to him when he caused the accidental death of a family of three just before his 18th birthday, and was sentenced to 30 years at Luna Correctional, or enter military service. Disowned by his family despite his remorse, he chose to enlist in MACO and make something of himself. Completing his HS diploma while under house arrest, he left for BCT two weeks later.

2344 - 2345
MACO Training Center, NY, Earth

At 18 years old, Recruit Whetstone displayed an early aptitude for marksmanship, hand-to-hand fighting, and above average problem solving while severely lacking discipline, military bearing, and willingness to work with others. He was officially reprimanded for assaulting one of his Instructors; the incident report stated the recruit lost control of his military bearing during barracks inspection, resulting in a fistfight that left him with a broken nose, fractured wrist, and dislocated shoulder. The Instructor was unharmed. Sentenced to six months in the brig and recycled through a subsequent training cycle, Whetstone's time incarcerated vastly improved his attitude; he graduated as platoon leader for his cycle, assigned to the 4th Brigade, 25th Mobile Infantry Division.

2345 - 2350
MACO 4/25 MID, Ft. Richardson, Alaska

Whetstone adapted slowly to military life. Though his attitude had improved substantially, it was difficult for him to integrate with his squad-mates, until the eventual fighting broke out. Once he understood where he stood with his peers, life ran smoothly. He performed well during training, and became proficient with all standard weapons and armor systems. His teamwork and leadership skills improved, and showed great potential as a mentor to incoming troops. His unit would be deployed three times in his five year rotation to various trouble spots around the world - conducting policing actions, humanitarian relief, as well as minor combat skirmishes.

2350 – 2252
Starfleet Personnel Transfer, San Francisco

Whetstone learned of the 'Green to Gold' Program offered by Starfleet by happenstance; after submitting his request late November of 2349 during a deployment into the Queensland providence of Australia, he waited anxiously for command approval while attempting to improve his academic scores. Based on his performance, training records, and meritorious service thus far, he was initially declined due to the infractions on his personal file - as well as the felony conviction sustained as a civilian. However, encouraged by his senior NCOs, he appealed the decision and subjected himself to a board review by his Brigade leadership. During the ensuing review, he conducted himself as an absolute professional; his motivation for joining Starfleet is on record as: "The future of mankind is out among the stars, board members. I want to fight to defend that future." His transfer was approved by a vote of 5 to 3.

The next two years Whetstone struggled to meet the academic requirements to maintain his acceptance into SFA, while cross-training into tactical and security roles. Life as a MACO soldier was far simpler than he realized, as he found himself surrounded by over-educated geniuses with little in common with himself. He pushed through, leaning on the few peers he could for tutoring, and walked away from the Academy with two bachelor's degrees; Criminal Justice and Psychology, assigned to Starfleet security.

2352 – 2357
Deep Space 7

Newly promoted to PO1, Whetstone quickly earned a reputation on DS7 for his all-business, straight-arrow attitude; he was responsible for closing down several smuggling operations on the station of Romulan ale and other contraband, which earned him few friends in the brass. His direct supervisor, LT (JG) J.P. Bailey, was ordered to reassign him to the dead-end 'cold-case' Department. Despite that, he was instrumental in solving the missing persons case of Regina Calistoga, an apparent "runaway" who was in fact the alias of a Romulan spy, who had been disavowed and left to die in a botched escape attempt from custody.

2357 – 2362
USS Rutledge

PO3 Whetstone saw his career change for the worse during the Cardassian War, culminating with Rutledge's response to the Massacre on Setlik III. With the conflict escalating from isolated skirmishes between ships to outright invasion, Whetstone found himself on the ground, fighting for his life and the lives of his men as little more than infantrymen; yet he proved up to the task. During the subsequent engagement at Selik, he participated in resisting Cardassian boarding parties and provided relief to wounded crewmates until reinforcements arrived. The Rutledge was crippled in the ensuing ambush, saved from destruction by the arrival of a Federation task group of several ships which drove off the Cardassian offensive. Whetstone and the few surviving crew were transported aboard this flotilla while the Rutledge was towed for repair. Whetstone found himself on the Lammergeier; after learning Starfleet had requested his immediate transfer, along with several other Rutledge survivors. The Lammergeier would spend the next few years hopelessly pursuing the Maquis raiders, until the on-set of the Dominion War.



2362 – 2377
USS Lammergeier

When the Lammergeier responded to the distress call of a Bajoran science vessel under assault by multiple Dominion ships, Whetstone was deployed as squad leader Bravo during the subsequent away mission to retrieve the crew and any relevant Intel. With the ship burning around them, they managed to locate the survivors, but the computer systems were completely destroyed. Unwilling to take any chances, he was ordered to deploy charges and scuttle the ship - fighting off Jem'Hadar troops attempting to take the ship. Whetstone earned his first purple heart during the engagement for wounds to his chest and right bicep.

He would go on to make two of the three drops into Betazed during the war, attempting to lift the Dominion siege. Both attacks were repelled, after unsustainable losses. Wounded again, he nevertheless prepared to make the third drop until Captain Palmer personally ordered him to stand down.

His last and final action of the war was the push on Cardassia Prime; a battle that would leave him scarred physically and mentally. Facing brutal opposition from Jem'Hadar shock troops and the systematic annihilation of the Cardassian people, Whetstone suffered a mental break mid-battle, succumbing to wrath and blood-lust. He personally slaughtered an entire platoon of Jem'Hadar warriors, while leaving his squad open to a flanking attack which most of them did not survive. Though lauded for his skill and bravery under fire, Whetstone struggled to justify what he considered the ultimate act of betrayal and negligence.

With the war drawing to a close and Starfleet's return to peace-time, Whetstone grew ever more restless and depressed, exhibiting classic symptoms of PTSD and substance abuse. He managed to limp his career along for a few more years, until the Lammergeier returned to Earth for much needed upgrades. He submitted his request for retirement the day after the ship docked, while most of the crew enjoyed shore leave. After a heated discussion, Capt. Palmer submitted his approval, and Whetstone left Starfleet behind for a life of peace and solitude in the wildlands of Alaska.

Whetstone spent the next three years in solitude, with only his dog, Trigger, and the weekly VA appointed remote therapy sessions as company. He learned to embrace sobriety, and the Survivalist lifestyle: building a cabin and living off the land. While the mistakes of the past still lingered, in time all scars fade. He became an avid reader of classical philosophy, as a man in search of truth and meaning to life. Ultimately, he concluded that life is simply suffering and tragedy; what mattered is the meaning you strive towards to justify that suffering. His meaning, his justification, lay in the stars - protecting the ideals he believed in. When the call back to that duty came - he didn't hesitate.

Appearance
Whetstone holds his personal appearance to the military standards of bygone MACO days; close cropped hair, clean shaven, athletic. Though his time in retirement softened him somewhat, he frequents the gym and never shirks on PT. When not on duty, he settles for simple clothing; cotton t-shirts, button-up flannels, blue jeans. He has multiple scars from his years of service, which he keeps as a reminder of past mistakes.

Motivation
After the Dominion War, Whetstone suffered a very dark period of life where he lost sight of his path and purpose. It took him a long time to realize that without that purpose, the demons of the past will eat you alive and turn everything you hold dear to dust. His purpose is in his duty – maintaining order and upholding the values and ideals of the Federation. Danger lurks in every unknown shadow of the galaxy – Whetstone would gladly see it’s wonders – with a sidearm in his grip. His mission is to protect and serve the Federation, and he will see it done.