Craig Randall

"Yeah, the Indies aren't the ones responsible for this shit, unless they turned into hideous orc-things at some point over the past few weeks."

- Craig upon seeing the Locust for the first time.

Sergeant First Class Craig Randall, w:c:gearsofwar:Sovereigns MedalSM (COG tags CSID 24A134-5BC54-LD), sometimes known as Shorty or Little Sarge by his squad, was a Gear who fought in the end of the Pendulum Wars and in the Locust War. He was transferred to the 26th RTI shortly after E-Day, and put in command of his own squad, Yankee-Two, just following the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack.

Pre-Emergence
Craig was raised in the former COG capital of Ephyra. As his family had a longstanding military tradition, Craig enlisted on his 18th birthday, and quickly completed basic training. He fought in the final battles of the Pendulum Wars during his first five months on duty, earning the rank of Private First Class.

Emergence Day
E-Day was Craig's first major taste of combat. He was deployed into Ostri Republic, where his heroic actions earned him the rank of Corporal and a transfer to the famed 26th RTI.

Unfortunately, Craig's family and a number of his friends were in Jannermont when the attack began, and all but his sister, Madeline, were killed by the Locust. Madeline went to live with Craig, and was mute for almost six months.

Hammer of Dawn Counterattack
In A.E. 1, Craig participated in the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack. He used the Hammer of Dawn to bombard the Locust Horde back into the Hollow. He fired the destructive weapon countless times over the course of the operation, simply believing that it was the right thing to do, like his superiors had assured him. Craig acquired the rank of Sergeant for serving in the counterattack, and was put in charge of Yankee-Two.

Aftermath & Guilt
Shortly after, Craig saw firsthand the horrors that the counterattack had caused, and he was convinced that his actions were not those of a soldier, but of a mass murderer. Shocked and appalled by his own actions, it would be two years before he ever spoke of the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack again.

Yankee-Two
Craig fought the rest of the war as the leader of Yankee-Two, forging strong bonds with its members. He would come to regard the squad as his family, and also considered anyone else he was close to, such as Madeline and Amanda, to be honorary members of the squad.

Personality & Traits
"An uneducated soldier is a useless soldier."

- Randall's personal mantra.

Craig was a fearless and dependable soldier, and believed it was his duty as a Gear to put his life and reputation on the line to protect the lives of his comrades and helpless civilians. Though physically smaller and somewhat weaker than most Gears, his all or nothing mentality combined with his no holds barred fighting style made him a force to be reckoned with, as he would risk anything to achieve a goal once he set his mind to it.

He was a staunch believer in the ideals of the COG prior to the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack, but after that he began to lose faith in the COG, feeling that they were straying from the socialist ideals of equality that Alexiy Desipich had envisioned as the COG's basis. However, he did not see the COG as a Fascist regime, and felt that it was still his duty to serve the COG.

Randall was an intelligent man, and though he had not received a college education, he was highly knowledgeable in a number of subjects, namely history, math, and physics. He liked to read, and enjoyed reading a variety of political and historical fiction, as well as nonfiction.

Trivia

 * Unlike most experienced Gears, Craig favors the combat helmet.
 * He tattooed the names of his deceased friends and family on the his right arm, and painted the names of fallen comrades on the left seal of his armor, plus the name of his traumatized sister on the sternum area of the chestplate as well. He later added Amanda's name alongside his sister's, as Amanda had suffered many hardships in the breeding farm where they first met.
 * He was awarded the Sovereigns Medal for playing a key role in halting a massacre in the Madrigali birthing farms.
 * Craig has a large scar from being slashed across the face with a combat knife by an Ostri soldier during an ambush in B.E. 1.
 * Craig became good friends with Colin Davis in A.E. 4, and Davis would eventually consider him to be his unofficial right-hand-man. Colin was also Craig's best man at his wedding.