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sublimeobservationarcade · 11 months ago

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The Politics Of Grievance

America is the great democratic experiment. Although, this is getting on for some 250 years now. This nation is in the grip of the politics of grievance. Partisan politics in America is more about hating the other side than particularly loving the side you are voting for. Americans have been encouraged to focus their attention upon their grievances via decades of negative campaigning and attack ads. Demonizing ‘the other’ is the favoured political pastime in the 21C. Identity politics and social values are the main game these days. Economic issues are now seen through this ideological filter. Photo by Sharefaith on Pexels.com

Murdoch, Fox News & Stirring Grievance In America

Rupert Murdoch and his Fox News are merchants of toxic polarization. This network is spewing out lies and fake news 24/7. Every presentation is top heavy in anti-woke content and a right wing bias. Regular viewers are sucked into a spin cycle of libertarian anti-government GOP grievance stoking. Old white men upset at their changing worlds, where heaven forbid minorities are now getting a say. OMG the sky is going to fall in. In this partisan realm complaints about there being too many coloured faces on TV and LGBTQIA folk making too much noise are legion. Uppity women talking about sexual harassment and such like make their viewer’s blood boil – which is the whole idea for Fox. Getting their audience riled up keeps eyeballs on them and advertising rates going up for their revenue.

Popularizing Poisonous Issues For Political Gain

The politics of grievance is all about popularizing these causes for the benefit of candidates and the party. The party promoting these grievances doesn’t need positive policies. They just bang on about how the other side is to blame for the problem. Lefty liberals causing the decay of civilization through their participation in promoting diversity. Homophobes and white supremacists can get on board on this basis. Anti-immigration is a perennial grievance for authoritarian parties to champion. Dog whistling about these foreigners taking American jobs and bringing filth and crime to the neighbourhood. All this stuff is complete BS, of course. America is built on immigration and it has positively contributed to the ongoing growth and success of the nation for centuries. U.S. President Donald Trump at the 101st by U.S. Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0 Digging Up Discontent & Blaming The Other A goodly portion of Americans are unhappy and discontent with their lot, it seems. They want someone to blame for their current malaise and downward envy is a popular pastime. Race is a major fault line in America with its roots in a little thing called slavery. Inequality between whites and African Americans remains substantial in economic terms across the nation. Segregation in housing and education is wide spread across the United States. Government policies in the post WW2 period cemented and expanded housing segregation. Social housing allowed whites to move out to the suburbs and trapped African Americans in inner city slums. Black families were banned from living in these white housing estates by real estate and developer policies. The wealth created by the increase in value of these suburban properties over decades contributed to the disparity in wealth between ordinary white Americans and black Americans. This is not defacto segregation but socially engineered segregation by the state. African Americans are not poorer because of any character fault but via institutional racism. The white families were helped to buy these houses via GI bills and government welfare. African Americans were locked out of these opportunities and remained renting apartments in the city. Therefore, there was not the family wealth to pass down through the generations for these African Americans. “In 2017, housing policy expert Richard Rothstein wrote and released The Color of Law, which walks the reader through the history of residential segregation in the U.S. The book remained on The New York Times Best Sellers list for four weeks. During that time, Rothstein was continuously asked by readers, “But what can we do to fix this?” He realized he needed to write a sequel.” - (https://southseattleemerald.com/2023/10/31/the-color-of-law-housing-experts-talk-new-book-about-segregation-solution-and-celebrate-fair-housing-law/) Photo by J SWING on Pexels.com White Supremacy In America The white supremacist policies underpinning segregation in housing in America created ghettoes. The lack of racial integration in housing produces uneven social and economic outcomes for the inhabitants. If you bunch all the poorer people in one area you create social problems in those areas. It is then easy to label all black areas as problem areas and to promote that to white America as something to avoid. It is the same with schools. Demonizing black America has been a badge of honour for white supremacists. This then becomes a bone of contention for grievance politics on both sides of the aisle. Photo by Edgar Colomba on Pexels.com The Myth Of The Individual The propaganda promoted by the right idealizes a story about hard working white Americans pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. It is the Ronald Reagan cowboy narrative about the individual crafting his own success. This is a false narrative that omits crucial parts of the real history. Little House On The Prairie stuff which paints government as a bad socialist force when in fact it was the homestead policies which put these folk on the land in the first place. Governments helping their citizens is conveniently left out of the American success stories promulgated by the right. The electrification of regional areas in the US was done by the government as part of the New Deal because the private sector didn’t do it. The market found it unprofitable and so the government stepped in. It is ironic that many of these rural areas are sold hook line and sinker on the anti-government BS. The Internet was developed by the government via investment in R & D over decades and only privatized in the 1990’s by Bill Clinton. The propaganda tells a Silicon Valley story about individual innovators like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Americans have been sold simplistic narratives by the media and by vested interests about much more complex events in the history of the nation. “Most Americans know that before becoming a politician Reagan was an actor, but fewer are aware that Reagan’s flagging screen career was revived by a job with the General Electric Corporation (GE). Reagan hosted the popular television show “General Electric Theater,” where each week his voice and face reached into tens of millions of homes, promoting didactic stories of individualism and free enterprise. At the same time, he traveled across the country on behalf of GE — visiting factories, making speeches at schools, and doing the dinner circuit in communities where GE had a presence — promoting the corporation’s stridently individualist antiunion and antigovernment vision.” - (https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/excerpt-from-naomi-oreskes-the-big-myth/) Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The Culture Of Complaint This anti-government narrative has been fed to the nation for some 40 years and it has poisoned the place. Yes, there has been political corruption committed by both sides over the journey. No, the American democratic system is not perfect. However, it is a hell of a lot better than the authoritarian alternatives in Russia and places like it. The late Robert Hughes wrote a book about The Culture Of Complaint in America sometime around 1983. The politics of grievance may well have grown out of this cultural manifestation of this consumerist society. It has become de riguour to denigrate politicians in America and in the West more generally. We have grown fat, complacent, and irascible in our lifestyles and attitudes. In nature, when this happens it usually precedes a great fall or cataclysm. World wars play this role in transforming the perspective. When people have everything taken away, they soon lose that jaded eye about things. When the shit hits the fan most folk pull their head in. Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com What strikes me about the white American reactionary beef is that it is directed at the behaviour of small pockets of difference. The Christian nationalist is not content with adhering to his or her own rules, no, they want to impose it upon others. The white supremacist wants to define the lives of people of colour and determine their lifestyles. There is this general desire to impose the social values of the many upon the few. This whole anti-woke thing is a beat up by conservative and reactionary forces. The number of people effected by LGBTQIA lifestyles are miniscule in number. Where do reactionary conservatives get off in trying to control the reproductive rights of American women? Why can’t they butt out of other people’s lives? Respect the rights of others and learn to be tolerant. Tolerance comes through learning about other people and not by condemning what you don’t understand. Fox News revels in stirring up controversy and championing the ignorant and the bigoted. Abraham Lincoln wanted every American famer to read Shakespeare, according to historian Jeremi Suri. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture was established by President Abraham Lincoln on May 15, 1862. Even in the midst of the Civil War, the darkest days of any American presidency, Lincoln viewed agriculture as a critically important component of his domestic policy. In addition to the Department of Agriculture Act, Lincoln signed into law the Homestead Act and the Morrill Act during the summer of 1862. This collection of legislation, providing for the development and education of rural America, would prove to be the most transformative of any policies ever targeted towards rural Americans. Speaking optimistically about the affect education would have upon agriculture and rural America, Lincoln said, “…no other human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought, as agriculture.” “ - (https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/05/15/its-150th-anniversary-usda-upholds-abraham-lincolns-vision) Lincoln learned a lot from reading Shakespeare and the Bible, as he sought to educate himself. Education remains the most important aspect of life, in my opinion. Education is more than vocational training; and higher education should be for everyone. Parochialism and bigotry are products of a lack of exposure to new ideas and places. Rural areas are often hotbeds of intolerance and racism because the people who live there often don’t know better. Stupid shows like those on Fox News thrive on the ignorance of their audience. Championing ignorance is not going to make America a better place. Championing the reactionary bile of frustrated people who live in a white bread world is not going to make America great again. Phony nostalgia for a bygone time that never really existed is more political manipulation. The only way forward is through embracing progressiveness. You cannot turn the clock back and conservative forces, especially extreme reactionary ones, are smokescreens for grifters and exploiters. The politics of grievance captures the fears and prejudices of many, but they will not be rewarded with anything more than being conned out of their savings. The right, the GOP, is a coalition of big business, Christian nationalists, white supremacists, protectionists, libertarians, and right wing fanatics. Trump is a grifter, a mob boss, intent on making money above all else and to hell with America. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com The President, according to American historians, is the people’s choice. Congress represents the various states; and Congress makes the laws. It is the President, however, whose role is designed to unite the country behind him. The divisive nature of America right now makes a mockery of this. The politics of grievance has many Americans so riled up that they are not thinking straight. The divisive nature of Trump and the cult like nature of his leadership of the GOP has the US on a collision course with itself. People wondered how the Soviet empire could collapse so stunningly in 1989. These things can happen with devastating consequences without a great deal of notice or warning. America is on dangerous ground right now and perhaps on the eve of destruction. The great experiment could be drawing to a close. Too many Americans underappreciate what they’ve got. The culture of complaint has been captured by the politics of grievance. Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom. ©MidasWord Read the full article

#America #cultureofcomplaint #diversity #FoxNews #GOP #grievance #inequality #Murdoch #politics #racism #segregation #slavery #Trump #whitesupremacy #woke

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dutchcallihan · 1 year ago

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Medals: (Highest Rank to Lowest) Medal of Honor, Victorian Cross x2, Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Order of Merlin - First Class x2, Bronze Star Medal, Atlantic Campaign Medal - Bronze oak leaf device, European Campaign Medal,

It's February 14th, 1975. A dark glimpse night on Valentine’s day in Arnhem, Holland. Members of the Order of the Phoenix fighting Death Eaters in the streets along with members of the Danish Auros, up in the night skies, both sides took a moment to look up in the clouds, all they hear the engine sound of a Bristol Pegasus 30 from a Swordfish MK II chasing after Death Eaters in attempting to shoot it down. A black and dark blue coating can be seen on the bird as it swoops down to the building’s top-level as it continues the chase. Dogging charms, jinxes, and curses in the attempt of hitting the bird down, from both grounds and behind, was surpassed by the tail gunner’s dual 30 cal. Her name inspired the admiration of dread, and it’s heard on everyone’s lips. A name that holds as much fame and respect from the Order of the Phoenix. She was an ace beater of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, rejected joining the Order ten times, descendent from a military family, and was among the highly decorated daredevil pilots of the 101st Bomber Regiment earning a Medal of Honor. Her name was Diana “Kelly” Tim.

Born on July 10th, 1960, in Ottawa, Canada, she was raised in a middle household. Her real name wasn’t Diana; it was Madeline Karmigel. Her father, Stijn Karmigel, was a veteran pilot for the RAF, joined the Dutch Air Force at the age of seventeen and a half while lying about being the age of eighteen, he was able to pass flight school on his first try having a passion of flying the new monoplanes the Hawker Hurricanes and the Supermarine Spitfires; instead he was placed in gunner of a B-17 the “Flying Fortress” part of an exchange program he volunteered to be sent over to the RAF in the upcoming bombing to support the landing of Normandy. After the war, he oversaw the Berlin Airlift operation of ensuring no cargo was left behind before take-off and had enough fuel to make the entire trip back. During the war, he met and married a radio operator Annabella James. They both met in a bar in London while Stijn was on leave; they both got along very well after Annabella found Stijn drunk and passed out at the bar table after drinking just one bottle of spirits. She took him to her house for the night; the following day, Stijn woke up on the couch as Annabella came over to feed him breakfast. They got married on December 24th, 1944, in Ottawa, Canada, where they both stayed there for the rest of their life. Annabella had a miscarriage at the age of twenty-two; she didn’t get pregnant again till in her mid-thirties; she gave birth to Madeline Karmigel on July 10th, 1960. That date was referenced to the first day of the Battle of Britain. And a year later, have a sister named Isabella Karmigel on December 7th, 1961.

Throughout her childhood, the parents decided to move back into London when Madeline was just five years old, by the time she reached the age of six; she attended St Michael’s Primary School throughout her childhood; teachers described her as “Too over-eager and aren’t very ladylike” Madeline would show off her acrobatic skills on the playground one her stunts was balancing herself on top of the monkeys’ bars on the sides, when the teachers confront her, she front flip on the ground in front of them, and was later taken to the deans and have her parents called which they didn’t seemed to mind. Madeline started to develop strange feelings; she began to pick up objects with just her index finger and turn her mom’s water into red wine from red wine to a rabbit; it was then she was approached by Dumbeldore and told her that she was preselected of becoming a Witch and attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In her first year at Hogwarts, she was sorted into Ravenclaw, where she met Amelie Lacroix and Rachel McCaffrey. She took up Potion and Flying Lessons, taking on deadly stunts when she was told not to, “apparently” knocked out a Slytherin boy after calling one of her classmates a “Mudblood'' on her broomstick; she was noticed by Madam Hooch of trying out for Ravenclaw Quidditch Team as a Beater, being the first youngest Beater to be part of the Quidditch team. She was given the nickname “Hitter Helen'' by her team, known for beating her opponent with a quick dive with a blunt to the head, making them have a head concession. A year later, she was able to pull some strings from her couch of letting her sister become a beater. Still, Madam Hooch insists on having Isabella join after Isabella showed off her standing on her broomstick as if she was surfing on it and dodging pixies fairies at her by her classmates. Within two weeks before Madeline and Isabella’s first Quidditch match with the Ravenclaws faced Gryfindore resulted in a defeat after Amelie broke her arm after James Potter forced her broom to crash to get the golden snitch. The three girls stayed up all night watching and reading up on WW2 fighter tactics that involved using Basic Fighter Maneuvers, training their minds on situational awareness for incoming Bludgers or Quaffle balls by renting the Quidditch Stadium for practices every Friday after school.

In their fifth year at Hogwarts. During their Quidditch match. A tampered Bludger knocked Isabella off her broom, aiming for her head and falling to her death. Madeline was shedding tears as she hugged her dead sister into her arms Dumbeldore and McGonagle tried to calm her down, but they didn’t want to provoke her. The entire school shared their condolences to Madeline with a wreath on her casket inscribed in “To our gallant and worthy Beater.” James, Remus, Seirus, and Peter came up to Amelie, McCaffrey, Elizabeth, Cathrine, and Madeline two weeks after the funeral. James told Madeline that he wanted to “clear” the air and wanted to go on a date with her; Amelie snapped and slapped him across the face. The girl walks away. In the following months, Madeline developed deep depression by going to the Three Broomsticks every Friday to get drunk on butterbeer, staying up late during curfew on a Sunday, two sudicel attempts were made yet failed after McCaffrey was able to come to her senses.

The following fall, Woodrood has sent an Aide-De-Camp at Hogwarts to recruit potential JOCS Candidates; Woodrood picked their loyal officer for the job, Lieutenant William Tim, a Senior Guardsmen of the 229th Royal Guard, and soon to be war hero of the Devil’s Brigades, known for his leadership and being the 7th Generation to become an Officer. He was looked upon dimly by the schoolgirls in his Class A in his crusher caps. Despite all the girls asking him to go on a date, William kindly accepts every gift and love letter yet discards the letters into the fire, taking it as hospitality from them. But one letter he kept was from Madeline:

“With my regard, Lieutenant. Most of my classmates when they first laid eyes on you in your Class As it reminds me of my parents, during their time in the Second World War, father was a RAF bomber crew, yet had experience flying Spitfires during the Battle of Britain, me mom was a radio operator. Though she may have “kidnapped” my father when they first met (story for another time) I've been through hell and still am after the death of my little sister during Quidditch and decided to write a narrative, still haven't worked on a title yet. I'll send you a copy, if I can come up with a title… Best wishes, Madeline Karmigel.”

Touched by William, he decided to write her back by setting up a meeting in his office next to the staircase leading up to Dumbledore’s office. Amelie and McCaffrey had her dress picked out, but Madeline didn’t want to be fancy, so she wore her regular Ravenclaw school uniform. Madeline and William had a good time talking about the Royal Guard histories from the beginning, even the Royal Guards defeating Durmstrang in 1912 with the help of the 17th Royal Hussars, led by Captain Erika Von Miller. The following months. William called Amelie, Madeline, and McCaffrey to Dumbledore’s office.

William asked the three if they wanted to enlist as a commissioned officer, McCaffrey objected as she pursued becoming a potion specialist, Amelie and Madeline signed up for three months of JOCS courses the following summer. After graduation out of the 88th Cadet Corp in 1975 she decided to try out the Royal Guards as Lieutenant in the 17th Royal Hussars, being fitted in cavalry uniform, she enjoyed her time in office, change of pace from Hogwarts and getting to know Prince Connie on her off-duty and made her a member into the Royal Household, an honorary tile in Canada.

On October 1st, 1975, Queen Jessica declared war on Voldemort after an incident on the UoM campus triggered a lockdown and captured the suspect of a Death Eater spy as a Muggle college student attempting to kill the Muggle governor of Minnesota Wendell R. Anderson. Colonel Silaeva Vadimovna founded the first All Women 101st Bomber Regiment to carry out night raids attack in Swordfish MK II; she didn’t hesitate and signed up after being requested an transfer from the Guards to honor her father's time as an fighter pilot. With the control and stealth tactics she was made Wing Leader of the 401st, during her first mission on a night raid assault on Fjeld Consultant dock she was to lead her wings to staff the dock with rockets and machine guns. She didn't see this as a raid operation; it was vengeance. Flying at high speed, her wing women swoop down onto the dock targeting the docked ships and dock workers of Death Eaters and elves unloading stolen cargos. Madeline’s navigator spots an oil spill that leads to an oil tanker refueling on one of the docked ships. Madeline hands her a flare gun and aims at it with a precise shot setting it on fire; her spotter and gunner were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on that day. Madeline and William continued their relationship while at Hogwarts while on leaves grew even closer than before, continuing writing her legacy with a fitting title of her memoir and members of the 101st: No Bullets Fly.

She was approached by Lily Potter asking her to join D.A, “Like hell, I’d join.” She said, calmly rejecting her. Sirius Black later asked her, same response but throwing oil grease at him, gets court martialed for getting into a fight with the first two got cleared thanks to Amber being her lawyer, James Potter tried to apologize to her for the second time and asked her to join the D.A, she asked him to go on “recon” out in the city later taking James on a dangerous stunt by flying upside down causing James to pass out and dropping him safely out her plane over London on top of Big Ben. She adopted and changed her name to Diana, meaning beautiful, known for wearing her Class As off-duty. Later, she found out having quarter-veela attracting men on base, Silaeva punished them by working overtime for flirting with her ace pilot.

Amélie received a letter from her boyfriend at Hogwarts; Gérard, after finding out who’s behind her sister’s death. Lucius Malfoy. She was enraged, which fueled her to kill every Death Eaters she sees in every sortie from Norway to northern France racking up kills, 18 Death Eaters, 21 Snatchers, in total of 39 confirmed kills but this changed on her leave in France till she drove passed down Death Eater. Still in anger, she gets out, pulls out her pistol and aims at the wounded with a pistol in her hand as she walks up to the injured, the Death Eater took off her mask revealing a resemblance of her dead sister. They both have their moment. The Death Eater reaches into her pocket while Diana pulls the hammer back of her pistol till she pulls out a photo of herself before she becomes a Death Eater. She was a dropout at Durmstrang Institute and made a horrible mistake joining Voldemort’s cause; she was fifteen at the time. Helped her by getting her into a nearby town. She checked the Death Eater into a Muggle hospital and stayed by her side till she recovered. A few weeks went by as they played chess by her side, yet never exchanged their names once; she was already in trouble with Colonel Silaeva Vadimovna forgoing over her leave; she replied, saying, “Aiding a downed foe and a friend.” Silaeva kept it a secret from the other pilots. Madeline checked herself out, leaving the Death Eater asleep to rest. Returned to base where Mad-Eye Moody approached her; he inferious with her of aiding a ��thug” and should be punished to Azaband. She shouted back, saying, “What if she and I have something in common? We could’ve had things for sewing, talking about boys, and marriages. You DA are nothing but a damn fool!” Followed by some “colorful language” she gets slapped by Moody and leaves the base by flying on his broomstick. At least she did the right thing. Flying after sorties after sorties she racked up more victories for her plane. Totaling to 10 victories, 80 Death Eaters and 65 Snatchers on Broomsticks with some being shared from her tail gunner’s.

After the war, she got a job at the Ministry in the Statue of Secrecy, working with the Canadian Secret Service and the Office of Strategic Service on a fourteen-year investigation regarding Project Tears, Catherine, and the possible scandal has been set from the Ministry and at Hogwarts. During her time, Diana and William got married and gave birth to a boy named Charlie Tim. William thought it'd be best to give their son what he wanted, but she kindly objected to him because they didn’t want to raise a spoiled baby in later life. They move onto 4th Privat Drive, about behind the backyard of the Dursley, William starts getting to know them, what they didn’t know, William and Diana were tasked by Dumbledore to keep an eye on them. They continue taking part in Canada's winter offensive in Europe, while Gerard and Amelie babysit Charlie while taking care of their own daughter, Gretchen. After a security breach in the 2nd Wizarding Republic, the OSS and the CSS lead by Director Amber Markle, launched an operation of finding and killing Corban Yaxley and Travis, both double agents for Voldemort who has fully blended in working as an Operative in the CSS. Yaxley fed the information to Lucius about Project Tear, a project that can give Witches and Wizards the ability to open a portal to spawn or go into from anywhere at any time beyond their dreams. Lucius decided to go after both Charlie and Gretchen because both Diana and Amelie were the people that were tested during the war. McCaffrey did more tests on both Charlie and Gretchen till she realized, Gretchen may have the ability to open Tears but Charlie dosne’t as part of the DNA were genetically modified that only can see the Tears but can’t open, she figured out it has to be from Project Tears, she came to the conclusion that if the opposite sex loved one of another, granting them immortality meaning Charlie or Gretchen have to be in a relationship with each other.

McCaffrey informed Amber about Project Tears that they need Charlie and Gretchen alive, she agreed to help and dispatched her own bodyguards of 1SSF and 1st Raider Detachments. William and Diana went to Gerard and Amelie’s house to find them both almost broken and the crib were empty, both Charlie and Gretchen were missing. Diana took out her anger on Bellatrix after Elizabeth and Cole told them that Alice and Frank’s house were being attacked by Death Eaters. The kids were found unharmed, the stressed mothers and legendary pilots can lay rest After many days of disappearance.

Every year, on her dead sister’s birthday, she visits the grave of Isabella to lay a poppy flower and would spend the whole day grieving and wanting to be by her side when it is time; she’d continued visiting her grave since Charlie started Hogwart. She began to wonder what happened to the Death Eater that she saved all those years ago as a Night Bomber; during her search, Diana was diagnosed with Tuberculosis after showing symptoms of coughing out a lot of blood, passing out during court hearings and some of the official meetings to the point she had to be taken to St Mungo's Hospital for her treatment, it became contagious the nurses didn’t have enough resources to contain it. Still, they had McCaffrey giving her a serum to make her life just a bit longer before it wears off. In 1994 Diana received a letter from a Witch named Lyudmila Kaloyanova Ileva. She explained that she was the Death Eater that Diana saved. They met on the same day as Woodrood’s unofficial arrival at Hogwarts after Durmstarng and Beubaxtion arrived two weeks earlier, soon the stories of their encounter grew that caught attention of the Daily Prophet and the Daily Bulges were going head to head, which they wanted to have a chance to get a slice of the interview. Lyudmila and Diana decided to have both of them do the discussion but on one condition. It has to be a truthful and not a fake story about their meeting. They all went down to the Three Broomsticks to their discussions; everything was going well till Rita Skeeter asked Diana, “What made you think making friends with a Death Eater was a good idea?” Diana snapped, got up, grabbed Rita by the hair, and threw her into the snow leaving just the Daily Bulges; prior to the interview, Gretchen already had blackmail on Rita and wouldn't hesitate to expose her as an unregistered Animagus to the Daily Bulges, which Rita of course being Rita she is. Goes on slandering Diana's exploit. After the interview the Daily Bulges would publish both Diana and Lyudmila's story to the world, the Daily Prophet would get slander letters not just from their own people but also got the American, Canadian even the Queen of Wizarding Prussia got involved calling Fudge "Fat walrus taking the fame and respects for the respected pilots of doing the right thing" followed by letters of hateful language and even one letters was sent to the Head of the Daily Prophet with a mustard gas also in a package which was sent by both Julia and Cindy in retaliation but they were never traced back to them. Minister officials even Fudge himself battered Diana for making friends with a Death Eater calling her out as a “Traitor.”

Diana shot back with similarities of Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler’s encounters. Fudge had a reality check afterward and went to the Three Broomsticks to get drunk. After the backlash, Diana gave Lyudmuial her finished book with an special inscription that said: “In 1975, I lost my only sister during a Quidditch match, but during my leave. I have a chance to save a down Death Eater resembling my dead sister. I may not earn a Prefect or become Head Girl. I got something even better. Your sister, Diana.” The following day, she, Amelie, Charlie, William, Princess Connie, and now retired Silaeva Vadimovna presented her the Medal of Honor in front of the whole school during dinner at the Grand Hall. What happened, during the last day of the war, she stopped a hijacked train in Holland carrying the Muggle Prime Minister by firing her plane at the engine boiler, forcing it to stop and strafing the Death Eaters, knowing it was a suicide run might potentially hit the Prime Minister. She and Lyudmila were invited back into Holland for a memorial ceremony of the 101st Bomber Regiment in Arnhem, Holland, the exact spot where both DA, 101st Bomber Regiments, and the Danish Auro fought Voldemort’s Followers in a deadly four weeks of hell. But most of the credits went to the 101st for being forgotten of the heroes of the Wizarding World.

In 1995 both firm now friends went on their final flight just months before the Second Wizarding War broke out, she fought a woman named Bellatrix Lestrange at the Department of Mysteries; before the fight, she became very sick as she went over to her desk to take out her service pistol, Kingsley tells Diana to stand down and stay behind but she said that'll be her last fight and ready to die, during the fight, she was coughing till she sees Charlie was about to be hit with the killing curse, she threw herself in front of Charlie and fell into the portal. Diana Tim died at the age of thirty-six. Amelie, Gretchen, and Charlie go to Lyudmila’s house and tell her that Diana’s life is taken away. She snaps and goes after Igor for being a death eater by suffocating him in his sleep. Lyudmila cornered Bellatrix in an alleyway at Knockturn Alley, raised her wand, and then a flashing green light can be seen reflected in the sky. Lyudmila became the next victim to die. Lyudmila was also thirty-six.

#harry potter #hp #oc art

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noturnurse · 1 year ago

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Question time! Do you personally know any clone troopers, and if so which ones?

ask my muse questions about the relationships they have with other muses, whether it be in actual canon, or canons created among fellow muns. Squad 284 belongs to my friend @brxthersuntoinfinity

❝ I know plenty of troopers! I wouldn't be very good as a medic if i never met any of my charges now wouldn't i ? ❞

She can't help the small laugh that slips past. She's a medic, mostly tasked with taking care of the clones specifically. Asking if she personally knew any of the clones was like asking someone if the had ever seen a star.

❝ Of course, The bond i have with each clone is completely dependant on how much time i spend with them, or if they like me personally. Plus, when it comes to the front lines, the squads I'm paired up are random at best, but i have worked with many including; the 212th attack battalion, the 212th recon division, the 501st legion, the 21st nova corps, clone force 99, the 104th battalion, the 182nd legion, the 187th battalion and legion, the 101st regiment, the 327th Star Corps, the 35th Infantry, the 41st elite corps, the- ❞

She's off counting on her fingers as she goes down the mental list. Really, if you could name a clone squad, she's fixed them up at least once and if you could trust one thing it would be fhaj'ha's memory. She claims to not play favorites, but if you see her chatting up the 212th and the 501st, or hear her asking about clone force 99 or Squad 284, then maybe keep it to yourself yeah?

#Question | MEME.#[ 𝔸 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 — fhaj'ha IC ]#[ important facts — fhaj'ha / headcanons. ]#[ connected comms — asks. ]#//: i did research for this did you guys know there 301 clone squads/battalions/legions #//: i couldve gone on for longer trust me #//: its not right for a medic to have favorites #[ days gone past. — era: republic. ]#//: making her republic era the main verse #//: ALSO THANK YOU FOR SENDING THIS IN EHEHHEHEHEHE I am very happy rn. giggling kicking my feet

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jedirhydon101st · 3 years ago

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Jedi Knight Rhydon Kenobi of the Jedi Order; Jedi General of the Republic Clone Army. Jedi General of ARC Commander Zeus and the 101st Legion. Jedi commander of the 101st Fleet and Grand Admiral Whitney Thomas. Son of Obi-Wan and Siri Kenobi; Twin Brother of Katelyn Kenobi, and Eldest Brother of Miranda Kenobi. Stepson of Duchess Satine Kryze, Eldest Half-Brother of Elisa Kenobi and Anya Kryze. Husband of Zarina Kenobi Née Fett, Taylor Smith, and Grace June; Father of Thomas Kenobi, Sofia Kenobi, and Jango Kenobi; Father of Kimberly Kenobi and Orion Kenobi II; Father of Harry Kenobi, Gwen Kenobi, and Zoey Kenobi. Former apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Master of Zolan Chan, Zayla Secura, and Thomas Kenobi. Known as the Protector.

Rhydon Kenobi is the son of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siri Tachi, and the twin brother of Katelyn Kenobi. The two twins were able to be born on their fathers birth planet of Stewjon, and immediately showed that they were Force-sensitive, encouraging their parents to bring them back to Coruscant to be trained in the ways of the Jedi Order. Partly due to their unique birth, and their status as twins, Rhydon and Katelyn had a unique connection and bond with each other and the Force, proving to be more powerful than any other Jedi at their age. Like all other Jedi and their parents, Rhydon and his twin sister began their training as Jedi Younglings under Jedi Master Yoda’s supervision and tutelage. Once Rhydon was nine years old, he was chosen as his father Obi-Wan’s Jedi apprentice, where Katelyn was chosen by their mother Siri Tachi’s.

Rhydon’s first mission as a Jedi Padawan under his father’s tutelage was to force a settlement with the Trade Federation blockade of the planet Naboo. Rhydon, alongside with his father Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn, his father’s former master, journeyed to Naboo, where he saw the massive blockade fleet of Trade Federation ships. As soon as the three Jedi arrived at Naboo, they were forced to make their way to the planet surface, while also discovering an invasion force.

Rhydon, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon each stowed away on separate landing ships, and regrouped with each other in the swamps of Naboo, meeting a skilled Gungan scout named Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar brought the three Jedi to the Gungan city of Otoh Gunga, where they were allowed to use a special transport to get to the capital city of Theed. Upon arriving at Theed, Obi-Wan, Rhydon, Qui-Gon, and Jar Jar worked together to destroy the battle droids that were escorting Queen Amidala, and proceeded to get her off Naboo, and take her to Coruscant. They were able to liberate the queen’s ship, and began to leave the planet, but had to fly their way past the Trade Federation blockade; they were successful in doing so, but in the process of escaping their ship was damaged.

With the ship, specifically the hyperdrive, damaged the Jedi and their protectorate were forced to fly to Tatooine, with the hope that they can find the parts required to repair the ship. During the trip to Tatooine, Obi-Wan, Rhydon, and Qui-Gon learned that Queen Amidala was Force-sensitive and that she had been given a holocron when she had been born; they also learned that they would hopefully find a Force-sensitive boy on Tatooine, making her and the boy on Tatooine two of the chosen four: the ones meant to bring balance to the Force. Once the ship landed on Tatooine, Obi-Wan elected to stay behind to protect the Queen, while Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Rhydon, one of the Queen’s handmaidens Padmé, and an astromech droid named R2-D2 went out to collect the parts they needed.

The group of five soon returned with the parts that they required, as well as the boy that they were looking for: Anakin Skywalker. However, they were not able to escape without trouble, as they were attacked by a Sith warrior, named Darth Maul. After they were able to escape from the Sith warrior, they proceeded to Coruscant, where Queen Amidala would present her planets case to the Republic Senate, and the Jedi would present the Queen and Anakin to the Jedi Council. The Council agreed that Anakin and Padmé would need to be trained as Jedi, but they would have to wait until after the situation with the Trade Federation and Naboo was resolved. After the Senate failed to do anything in regards to the Trade Federation occupation of Naboo, Queen Amidala decided to return to her home planet, and Obi-Wan, Rhydon, and Qui-Gon decided to accompany the Queen back to Naboo. Upon arriving to the planet, the Obi-Wan and his fellow Jedi began to help Queen Amidala in freeing her planet from the Trade Federation. They began by helping the Queen, who in fact turned out to be Padmé, in forging a better relationship between the Naboo and the Gungans. Next, they worked to liberate the Naboo Royal Fighters, so that they could attack the droid control ship that orbited the planet. Once that was finished, they began to move towards the palace throne room, where Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation would be located.

As they were about to leave the palace hangar, they encountered Darth Maul again. Obi-Wan ordered Rhydon to go with Queen Amidala, while he and Qui-Gon stayed to fight the Zabrak Sith warrior. As Rhydon, alongside Padmé, Captain Panaka, and a contingent of security officers made their way to the throne room, they were eventually captured, and brought before the Viceroy. As Viceroy Gunray gloated over the fact that Padmé’s resistance was at an end, her decoy arrived to take the focus off of Padmé, allowing her to grab two pistols hidden in the arm of the throne, tossing one to Panaka, and prompting Rhydon to activate his lightsaber.

As the Viceroy was captured, all of the battle droids suddenly shut down, and Gunray and his aide Rune Haako were utterly defenseless. Afterwards, Rhydon rejoined his father and Qui-Gon, helping them to look for the Zabrak Sith that they fought against, whom Obi-Wan informed Rhydon was able to get away from the two Jedi when Obi-Wan destroyed the Zabrak's lightsaber, but they were unable to find him. The three Jedi could only assume that the Sith warrior was able to escape. Rhydon would then reunite with Anakin, who explained how he was able to destroy the droid control ship, whom Rhydon was amazed by and quickly befriended.

After the search for the Zabrak failed, Rhydon, his father, and Qui-Gon remained on Naboo, waiting for the Jedi Council and the new supreme chancellor to arrive. When they did he showed respect to Sheev Palpatine, who was the newly elected Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, though he personally did not trust the man. He also didn’t like the way that Palpatine kept looking at his twin sister Katelyn, who had also arrived to Naboo along with their mother Siri, who he happily hugged. After the Council was informed of what happened, Rhydon watched with joy as Anakin Skywalker was allowed into the Jedi Order, as Qui-Gon Jinn’s new apprentice.

Rhydon would then accept his new mission with his father, which was to remain on Naboo to officially serve as Queen Amidala’s protectors and advisers, alongside with his mother and sister. Secretly however, he was to train alongside with Padmé Amidala, as she was secretly a Jedi, and was believed to be one of the Chosen Four. During his training on Naboo, his family was surprisingly summoned by the king of the planet Stewjon; Rhydon’s home-planet, along with his twin sister Katelyn, and his father Obi-Wan Kenobi. Upon arriving at the planet Stewjon, Rhydon would learn that the king of Stewjon was in fact his grandfather: King Orion Kenobi. This in turn led him to meet his grandmother Queen Marion Kenobi, uncle Prince Owen Kenobi, and aunt Princess Helena Kenobi.

After meeting his family, Rhydon and Katelyn happily watched as their grandfather married their parents. Rhydon and Katelyn would even learn the history of their family, and how they were beloved by the people of Stewjon. The only member of their family that they didn’t like was their great Uncle Reuben Kenobi, who constantly belittled the Jedi, and showed nothing but disrespect and hatred to Rhydon and his family. Eventually they would return to Naboo, and resume their duties as Padmé’s protectors and advisors.

Soon, Padmé’s tenure as queen ended, but tensions in the Galaxy had arisen when several planets and star systems defected from the Galactic Republic, and joined a movement known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems, otherwise known as the Separatist Alliance. The tensions were so bad, that there was a potential threat of war between the two government factions, and the Jedi and former queen learnt that the Republic Senate, now under the leadership of Sheev Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor, was voting for the creation of an army. Rhydon and Katelyn, while apprehensive about the idea of a war, were willing to accept that there would be a need for the Jedi to be involved. Rhydon himself felt that the Jedi, as protectors of the Galactic Republic, should do whatever it took to defend the Republic; even if it meant leading an army into battle.

Rhydon would witness Padmé take on the mantel of senator for Naboo, with Jar-Jar officially serving as the Gungan representative, while also secretly serving as Padmé’s protector in the Senate. Rhydon, his father, mother, and sister began to escort the newly nominated Naboo senator back to Coruscant, but when they arrived, an explosive was set off, destroying the ship they used to transport Senator Amidala. Fortunately, the Senator wasn’t really on the ship, but instead a decoy.

Afterwards, Rhydon and his family were given new assignments: with the war soon coming, Obi-Wan, along with Rhydon, had been tasked with finding out who attempted to assassinate Padmé, while Siri and Katelyn would go to Mandalore, to ensure that the alliance between the Jedi and the Mandalorians would remain strong. Rhydon reminded his father of the threat against Padmé, and asked who would take over their role in protecting her, and learnt that Qui-Gon and his new apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, would protect her. Afterwards, Rhydon and his father began their investigation by analyzing the wreckage of the Naboo ship that transported the decoy senator, and when they learned that Qui-Gon and Anakin captured a bounty hunter named Cad Bane, they proceeded to interrogate him. Through their interrogation, they learned that Bane was hired by a pair of rogue Mandalorian warriors named the Borkus brothers, thus leading Rhydon’s father to inform his mother, and have her ask Duchess Satine Kryze if she knew anything about the rogue Mandalorians, while he and Obi-Wan traveled to the planet Kamino, where they could speak to an ally of the Jedi: Jango Fett.

Upon arriving to Kamino, Rhydon and his father met Jango, a Mandalorian bounty hunter who was serving as the genetic template for the Jedi’s secret clone army. During their meeting, they also met with Jango’s wife Zara, and his young son Boba, and then later Jango’s adopted daughter Zarina. Zarina explained to the Jedi that she was originally born as Zarina Vizsla, and how the Borkus brothers were Mandalorian warriors who were part of a rogue Mandalorian group known as the Death Watch, which was also confirmed by Siri from Mandalore. As Zarina explained about her earlier life, Rhydon couldn’t help but feel an attraction to Zarina, and stared at her natural beauty; an act that was equally returned by Zarina, who would later confess to finding Rhydon handsome. Rhydon felt through the Force that he and Jango’s daughter were destined to be together. As the Jedi spoke with their Mandalorian allies, they were suddenly attacked by the Borkus brothers, leading to the two Jedi, Jango, and Zarina to fight the two Death Watch mercenaries.

During the fight, Rhydon and Zarina were able to kill the younger Borkus brother, but the older Borkus brother was able to escape. Alongside with Jango and Zarina in Jango’s ship the Slave 1, Rhydon and Obi-Wan followed the older Borkus brother to the planet of Geonosis, where they would learn that Count Dooku and the Separatist Council were on the planet, and the Jedi and Mandalorians split up, with the Jedi following Dooku and the Separatist Council. In doing so, they learned that the Separatist were building a massive droid army in the Geonosian droid factory, and how they were planning to use it to attack the Republic.

Rhydon and his father found a secluded spot, and contacted Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Padmé on Tatooine, and attempted to contact his mother and sister on Mandalore (only to learn that they were actually on Stewjon), in order to establish communications with the Jedi Council and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant. After doing so, they reported what they had discovered and were soon captured in the middle of the transmission by Geonosians and droids. Rhydon, along with his father, were then imprisoned in a specialized cell within the Geonosian stronghold. Eventually they were approached by Count Dooku, in an attempt to turn the Jedi Knight and his son/padawan to the Dark Side, whom they refused to comply with.

Rhydon and his father would then be taken to the Geonosian Arena of Justice, where they were reunited with Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker, and Padmé Amidala. The four Jedi and senator/secret Jedi were chained to several pillars, and awaited to hear their fates. As Rhydon and Obi-Wan were chained to two pillars, they learned that Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Padmé attempted a rescue mission to get them. The Jedi then observed two more pillars, and watched as several Geonosian guards dragged Jango and Zarina Fett, with great difficulty, and chained the two Mandalorians to the last two pillars. The Geonosians then released seven monstrous creatures: a Reek, Nexu, Ackley, Rancor, Gundark, Krayt Dragon, and an Anooba came into the arena to kill the seven prisoners. Rhydon and the other prisoners were able to get free of their respective pillars, and began to challenge a specific creature that came at them.

Rhydon ended up facing the Rancor, Obi-Wan was faced with the Ackley, Anakin the Reek, Padmé the Nexu, Qui-Gon the Gundark, Jango the Krayt Dragon, and Zarina the Anooba. Jango and Zarina had managed to take down the Krayt and Anooba, while Padmé, with help from Anakin who had managed to get control of the Reek, took out the Nexu. But Obi-Wan was struggling to stay ahead of the Ackley, while Qui-Gon was evading the Gundark, and Rhydon was just barely staying below the Rancor. As the prisoners dealt with their respective creatures, multiple Jedi, among them included Siri and Katelyn, began to activate their lightsabers, surrounding the Geonosian Arena. Soon the Jedi began to fight with swarms of battle droids that were flooding into the arena.

With the exception of Padmé who picked up a discarded battle droid blaster, Jango and Zarina who had their blasters returned to them by Jedi Master Mace Windu, Rhydon and the other four Jedi were given back their confiscated lightsabers by his mother Siri and twin sister Katelyn, and as he cut down the battle droids, Rhydon was also able to take down the Rancor, as Obi-Wan did the same thing with the Ackley, and Qui-Gon the Gundark. Unfortunately for the Jedi and two Mandalorians, they would eventually be surrounded by the army of droids, but stood their ground. Fortunately, they would all be saved when Master Yoda and Jar Jar Binks arrived with clone troopers aboard gunships, and many Mandalorian warriors, all of them arriving to aid and rescue the remaining survivors. Once Yoda, Jar Jar, the clones, and the Mandalorians arrived, the battle began to resume, with the Jedi boarding the gunships, while the clones and Mandalorians provided cover fire; though in the confusion of the evacuation, Rhydon was separated from his father, but joined up with Twi’lek Jedi Knight Aayla Secura. As they escaped the arena, the cease fire would only last until they reached a large plain where the Droid Army engaged the Clone Army.

As Jango and Zarina, both of whom were given replacement jet packs, left to join the Jedi, clones, and their fellow Mandalorians, and Obi-Wan remained in the gunship with Jar Jar, Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Padmé, following Dooku to his secret hangar, Rhydon chose to follow Aayla Secura into the battle. Throughout the battle, he showed exceptional skill in leading the clones, and if he saw a trooper fall from a blaster bolt but was still alive, he would jump in front of that particular trooper and cover him; these actions would later go on to earn Rhydon Kenobi the eternal respect and trust from the clone troopers.

After the Battle of Geonosis, the Clone War began, and Rhydon became a Jedi Commander, and his father was given command of his own clone battalion: the 212th Attack Battalion. Rhydon, along with Obi-Wan and his father’s new clone commander: CC-2224, Clone Commander Cody, took the 212th and turned it into one of the Republics top clone units. As time went by, Rhydon began to wear the orange colors of the 212th Attack Battalion, to have a close connection with the clones that were under his and his father’s command, and it proved to be successful.

Along with the 212th Attack Battalion, Rhydon’s father was also given his own fleet and flagship: the 212th Attack Fleet, with the Venator class cruiser Negotiator. With his new flagship, Obi-Wan also received a new fleet admiral named Admiral Kendal Ozzel. However Rhydon didn’t like Ozzel, and encouraged his father to seek other officers that would be able to do their jobs, and one such officer was Captain Firmus Piett, and with the help of his mother’s fleet admiral: Admiral Cadmus Ordo, he and Obi-Wan also discovered Lieutenant Whitney Thomas; after finding these two officers, Rhydon watched as his father had them reassigned to the Negotiator. To Rhydon’s displeasure Ozzel instantly targeted them, making their assignments to the ship difficult. Ozzel often tried to belittle Captain Piett's efforts on the Negotiator, to little effect; but it was his treatment towards Lieutenant Thomas that truly disgusted the Jedi padawan.

Ozzel made it abundantly clear that he viewed female officers as inferior to male officers, and would either belittle her, scoff at her suggestions, outright ignore her altogether, or even refuse to promote her to a higher rank. Fortunately to Rhydon’s amusement, Captain Piett recognized her potential, and took the young female lieutenant under his wing as his protege, much to Ozzel’s dislike. As time went by, Rhydon and Obi-Wan’s dislike for Ozzel intensified, while their trust and respect for Piett grew. Ozzel even ostracized himself from the Jedi, as well as his fellow admirals, by laughing at any of his Jedi generals orders, and even go through with his own plans, which only resulted in the deaths of many clones, and officers, and even treated the threat of the Separatists with incompetence and laziness.

Eventually Rhydon’s father would have enough, and stripped Ozzel of his position as admiral of the Negotiator and the 212th Attack Fleet, and transferred him off to another fleet. After getting rid of Ozzel, Rhydon happily watched as Obi-Wan promoted Firmus Piett to the rank of admiral, which in turn resulted in Whitney Thomas getting the rank of Commodore. When Rhydon became a Jedi Knight, and was given command of the 101st Fleet, his father gave him permission to take Commodore Thomas as his own fleet admiral.

Rhydon worked closely with his father and Commander Cody, but there were a few times that Rhydon worked with other Jedi on separate missions. One such mission was with Jedi Master Aayla Secura to Hypori, a mission that nearly took Rhydon’s life, as well as his twin sister Katelyn.

Rhydon, alongside Katelyn, went to Hypori to destroy a droid factory on the planet with Jedi Knights Aayla Secura and Tarr Seirr, Jedi Masters Ki-Adi Mundi, Shaak Ti, K’Kruhk, and Daakman Barrek, and Jedi Padawan Sha'a Gi, or as Rhydon and Katelyn liked to call him, Shaggy. Upon arriving at the planet however, their ship was caught in an orbital minefield, and were forced to crash land on the planet surface. In the duration of the crash, each Jedi were separated, but would regroup with each other, with the unfortunate exception of Master Barrek, as he was slain by the Separatist’s new general, a Sith Stalker named Grievous. Rhydon and the other Jedi were then attacked by the Sith Stalker, with Rhydon barely saving Sha’a Gi from getting crushed to death.

As the lightsaber battle began, Rhydon watched as Sha’a Gi was knocked out, and Aayla Secura was thrown up into the roof of the wrecked ship, but witnessed Tarr Seirr being killed, K'Kruhk slashed by Grievous. Rhydon would witness Ki-Adi Mundi kicked down, and Shaak Ti get thrown into a wall, leaving him and his twin sister alone to fight the Sith Stalker. As Rhydon and Katelyn continued to duel with Grievous, Rhydon was knocked down, and pinned by a piece of debris, and was forced to watch as his sister had to battle Grievous alone.

Rhydon struggled to free himself so that he could help his sister, but just as he got free, Grievous used the Force to bash Katelyn into a crumbled wall. As a result, Katelyn achieved a gash on the left side of her temple, and slumped to the ground, instantly feeling the affects of a concussion. Rhydon quickly used the Force to pull his lightsaber to him, along with one of Katelyn's lightsaber, which turned out to be her red bladed lightsaber which she had taken from a Dark Jedi, and began clashing blades with Grievous. Though Rhydon was not as well trained in dual wielding lightsaber combat as Katelyn was, he was determined to protect his sister. Unfortunately for Rhydon, his inexperience of fighting with two sabers turned against him, as Grievous locked his blue bladed lightsaber, while destroying Katelyn's red lightsaber, and then cut off Rhydon's right arm at the elbow, before going further to slash his lightsaber across Rhydon's face.

Now disoriented from losing his arm, and having his face slashed by a lightsaber, Rhydon was unable to stop Grievous from kicking him down onto the ground, only to end up laying near his twin sister. As Rhydon lost consciousness, he felt his remaining hand be taken and held by Katelyn, and blacked out. Fortunately for Rhydon, he and his sister's lives would be saved by Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi, who intercepted Grievous' killing blow, and pushed him back away from Rhydon and Katelyn long enough for ARC Captain Fordo and the Muunilinst Ten to evacuate them, along with Shaak Ti, Aayla Secura, Sha'a Gi, and K'Kruhk, all of whom were still alive.

Rhydon would be transferred to a medical frigate named Bright Hope, where he was placed into a Bacta Tank for healing. Rhydon's wounds took awhile to heal, along with being in a coma, but he would eventually reawaken, and complete his healing. The only reminders of his ordeal on Hypori, were the cybernetic arm that replaced his natural hand, and the scar that now ran across his face. Prior to the Battle of Hypori, Rhydon had made it a struggle for his father to teach him the values of patience and humility, but after his defeat at the hands of General Grievous, Rhydon began to take his father's lessons closer to heart, as well as developing a desire to protect those around him.

Eventually, after his father and mother were accepted onto the Jedi Council, Rhydon and his twin sister Katelyn were allowed to take the Jedi Trials, which they both had passed with flying colors. After becoming a Jedi Knight, Rhydon was allowed to take command of the 101st Legion, which had lost it's Jedi commander in the Battle of Hypori, and selected ARC-101 "Zeus", who was also at Hypori as a part of Muunilinst Ten that rescued him, Katelyn (who took command of a new clone battalion: the 82nd Attack Battalion), and the rest of the Jedi survivors, as his battalion commander. Together, Rhydon and Zeus made the 101st Legion into a formidable fighting force, alongside Zeus' two remaining batch mates Poseidon and Hades; Rhydon also took the liberty with awarding Zeus with the prestigious Jaig Eyes, a revered award among the clones as it was seen ass mark for exceptionable honor, just as Katelyn awarded her own battalion commander, ARC-82 "Arthur" with the same Jaig Eyes. Rhydon also took command of the 101st Fleet, and requested for Commodore Whitney Thomas be promoted to Fleet Admiral under his command; an act that would allow him to form a strong bond of friendship between the two.

Rhydon would lead the 101st Legion in many campaigns alongside Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades throughout the Clone Wars, often teaming up with his father's 212th Attack Battalion, his mother's 414th Legion, the 501st Legion under Anakin Skywalker, or even Qui-Gon and the 12th Legion, but for the most part Rhydon' legion would fight alongside his sister Katelyn and the 82nd Attack Battalion. As the Clone War progressed, Rhydon and Katelyn grew stronger in the Force as they fought side by side, both of them being recognized as heroes of the Republic, and gained reputations and nicknames for their own. Because of his innate desire to protect his own troops and innocent civilians in any battle, Rhydon became known as the Protector, while his sister Katelyn became known as the Peacekeeper.

Rhydon would soon take on a couple of apprentices of his own, with mixed results. The first apprentice he tried to train was a red skinned male Twi'lek named Zolan Chan. Rhydon tried to train Zolan in a manner that was almost similar to how he trained under his father, but instead Zolan proved to be hardheaded and stubborn. This concerned Rhydon as he recognized the darkness inside Zolan, but tried to help Zolan. Instead, Zolan showed animosity against Rhydon, and eventually turned to the Dark Side of the Force, joining the Sith and the Separatist. Rhydon and the rest of the 101st Legion were hurt by Zolan's betrayal, but held hope that he could be saved.

The next apprentice Rhydon would have would be a blue skinned female Twi'lek named Zayla Secura, who was the daughter of Aayla Secura, whom Rhydon held a great amount of respect for since Geonosis and Hypori. Rhydon decided to try a different approach in his training method, and took Zayla under his wing, and treated her as not just his padawan, but as though she was his own daughter, which made their bond as master and apprentice very strong; and far more successful than his first attempt with Zolan. Rhydon even observed, with pride, that Zayla got along well with the clones, better than Zolan, and treated them with kindness, generosity, and decency. Because of Rhydon's success with Zayla, that made her a target in the eyes of the fallen Zolan, but Zayla always made sure to come out on top over Zolan.

Rhydon would soon receive word that his mother Siri and Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi had convinced the Jedi Council to agree in allowing the Jedi to practice polygamy, the practice of multiple marriages, in which a member of the Jedi Order could be married to at least three partners. This essentially allowed Rhydon to be married to both Zarina, and two other women of his choosing, and he chose to follow in his secret romantic feelings for Commodore Taylor Smith, a rising naval officer within the ranks of the 101st Fleet, who he loved equally as he loved Zarina. As time went by, Rhydon came to work alongside another Jedi named Grace June, and he also ended up falling in love her, and asked her to marry him. Happy with his three wives, Rhydon hoped to one day have children with each of them soon.

On many occasions throughout the Clone Wars, Rhydon would encounter General Grievous, and remembering his first encounter on Hypori, Rhydon fought the Sith Stalker with wariness, learning the best way to fight the menace of the Jedi Order. on several occasions, Rhydon would encounter Darth Maul, Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, and his father's arch nemesis: Darth Xanatos, a fallen Jedi that had at one point been apprenticed to Qui-Gon Jinn. Because Xanatos wanted to break Obi-Wan's spirit, he often tried to kill Rhydon and Katelyn, but Rhydon was always careful, and came out on top over Xanatos.

As the Clone Wars drew near to a close, Rhydon was preparing to go to Mandalore, which had been taken over by Darth Maul and the rogue Mandalorian warriors named Death Watch who had become loyal to him, alongside his father, sister, and Anakin Skywalker when word of a Separatist attack on Coruscant was attempted, where Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Senator Padmé Amidala were captured, and Rhydon, Katelyn, Obi-Wan, and Anakin had to go in and rescue them, while Zayla and Anakin's apprentice Ahsoka Tano took a respective half of the 101st Legion and 501st Legion to Mandalore. The space battle above the Republic capital planet was hectic, and Rhydon couldn't help but watch as his father Obi-Wan nearly lost his life to buzz droids at one point, had he not been rescued by Qui-Gon Jinn, who flying with his clone fighter group, Green Squadron. Upon successfully landing in the main hangar of General Grievous’ command ship, the Invisible Hand, the four Jedi realized that Palpatine and Padme were placed in two different parts of the warship. Padme was put up in the top of the ships observation tower, while Palpatine was in an observation room, near the ships bridge at the bow section. Choosing to split up, Rhydon and Katelyn went to get Padmé, while Obi-Wan and Anakin both ventured to the Chancellor’s location.

Fighting any droids they encountered, Rhydon and Katelyn reached the Invisible Hand's observation deck, Rhydon and Katelyn approached Padme as she was held in an observation chair, only to end up finding Dooku waiting for them. Rhydon and Katelyn reluctantly engaged the Count, not because of his formidable Form II Makashi lightsaber combat style, but because they both knew that he didn't really want to fight them, or any Jedi. They sensed, through their strong connection in the Force, that Dooku had had enough with fighting for the Dark Side and wanted to seek redemption, but was hesitant to do so. In the end, Rhydon and Katelyn overpowered Count Dooku, and offered him a chance to seek redemption; when Dooku still hesitated, they managed to contact Master Yoda, who reinforced their offer of redemption to Dooku.

To Rhydon and Katelyn’s great relief, Dooku accepted their offer of redemption, and helped release Padme. After that, the group of four began to make their way back to the hangar, where they rendezvoused with with Rhydon’s and Katelyn’s respective astromech droids: B1-U3 or Blue as she was called, and R3-D1 or Red as Katelyn named him. They learned from the droids that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Chancellor Palpatine were captured, along with Obi-Wan and Anakin’s droids R4-P17 and R2-D2, and were taken to the bridge. Deciding to save their father, friend, and the Chancellor, Rhydon and Katelyn, along with Padme, Dooku, and the droids began to make their way to the bridge, cutting down any battle droids they met along the way.

Soon they reached the bridge where Obi-Wan and Anakin were battling with Grievous’ magnaguards, while the Sith Stalker and Xanatos watched. To their great interest, Grievous and Xanatos initially thought Dooku was on their side, but were instead surprised to see the Separatist leader use his red lightsaber against them, aiding the Jedi, and succeeded in killing Xanatos. Rhydon, Katelyn, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Dooku proceeded to confront Grievous. Rather than be captured by the six opponents, Grievous surprised them by throwing an electro-staff of one of his destroyed magnaguards, and the Sith Stalker was sucked out into space, while the Jedi, astromech droids, politicians, and Dooku held onto different monitors to avoid being suck out into space with Grievous.

As Grievous managed to get back into the ship, only to jettison in one of the escape pods, Obi-Wan and Anakin realized that the Invisible Hand was disabled, and directed on a collision course to the planet surface. Immediately Rhydon, Katelyn, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Palpatine, and Dooku strapped themselves into different chairs while the astromech droids that they had with them magnetized to the floor. Rhydon aides Anakin fly the ship down to the planet surface, while the others strapped themselves into their seats, just in case anything went wrong. Eventually the ship crash lands onto the surface of Coruscant, coming to a stop on an airstrip.

After the Battle of Coruscant, a massive hunt for Grievous would begin, along with the other remaining Sith leading the Droid Army. Rhydon would immediately leave for Mandalore, to assist his apprentice Zayla, the 101st clones under her command, and Ahsoka Tano and the 332nd Legion, a clone division of the 501st Legion that was under her special command, and the True Mandalorian warriors while his sister would go to aid Master Yoda and the Wookies on Kashyyk. Upon arriving at Mandalore, Rhydon wasted no time in having the 101st Fleet engage the remainder of Maul's fleet, while he and Zeus launched their gunships to deploy the ground forces of the 101st Legion. As they landed at the docks of Sundari, quickly beginning their attack, they learned that the 332nd Legion and 101st division were deadlocked in a heated battle with the remaining droid and Death Watch forces, while Ahsoka and Zayla were respectively dueling Maul and Zolan. As the battle continued, Rhydon would hear Zayla over the com-link reporting that she had defeated and killed Zolan, which saddened Rhydon as he hoped that he could redeem Zolan just as he did Dooku. He would however, be pleased to learn that Ahsoka had managed to capture Maul, and prevented him from escaping.

The death of Zolan, and following capture of Maul, was the final nail for the Separatist campaign in the Siege of Mandalore, and the planet was restored under the leadership of Rhydon's stepmother Duchess Satine Kryze. After ensuring Maul's imprisonment in a special Mandalorian tomb that was built in the days of the old Republic, when the Jedi and Mandalorians were enemies. Rhydon allowed Ahsoka and her 332nd Legion to escort Maul to Coruscant, while he and the 101st Legion remained on Mandalore to aid in ridding any remaining battle droids and Death Watch warriors. During this time, Rhydon would learn from Zarina that she was pregnant with their first child, but their happiness would be cut short, when Commander Zeus frantically informed them that Chancellor Palpatine had initiated Order 66, declaring all Jedi as traitors to the Republic.

Fortunately for the Rhydon and his padawan Zayla, Commander Zeus, Lieutenant Poseidon, Major Hades, and over eighty percent of the 101st Legion were still loyal to them and the Jedi Order, but the remaining twenty percent, led by Clone Captain Kronos, were planning to follow through on Order 66. As Rhydon ordered the loyal 101st clones to retreat to the gunships, Satine gave him his toddler half-sister Eliza Kenobi, who be taken to be trained as a Jedi, while his other half-sister Anya Kryze would be trained to be the next Duchess of Mandalore. As Rhydon made his escape with Eliza, he was subsequently shot in the back of his left shoulder by Kronos, who was hot on his tail. Fortunately Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades would come to Rhydon's aid, as they began to fire upon Kronos, who was forced to take cover as the Jedi, toddler, and clones made their way to the main dockyards of Sundari. Unfortunately for the Jedi, loyalist clones, and Mandalorian warriors who were aiding the Jedi in their escape, the majority of their gunships were shot down by the traitorous clones, preventing them from escaping.

Forced to hold their ground until Admiral Thomas could send rescue gunships, Rhydon gave Eliza to Zarina, who was being protected by Mandalorian warriors from Clan Fett, and activated his lightsaber to fight the clones under Kronos' command. As the situation was beginning to look grim for Rhydon Zayla, and their loyalist clones and Mandalorian allies, gunships and shuttles soon arrived, but the clones aboard them turned out to be female clones. Regardless, Rhydon ordered all of his allies to get aboard the ships, and escaped. As the gunships approached the Venator Star Destroyers that were waiting for them, Rhydon watched in shock as his command ship the Jedi Cruiser Republic, blew up in flames from the other Venator star destroyers that were trying to stop them. Fearing that his second and third wives, along with their close friend, all of whom were aboard the Republic, were killed in the explosion, both Rhydon and Zarina would be relieved to know that Taylor, Grace, and Whitney were able to escape the Republic, and made their way to the Jedi Carrier Enterprise. Once the gunships landed in the main hangars of the Enterprise, Admiral Thomas gave the order for the remaining ships to jump to hyperspace.

The remainders of the 101st Fleet and Legion would proceed to to rendezvous coordinates given by Yoda, which were taking the ships to the planet of Dagobah. Once at Dagobah, Rhydon would learn of Yoda’s contingency plans, and make their way to the secret jedi planet of Ceresta, where the Jedi Order would go into exile in the Unknown Regions, hiding from the new Galactic Empire. After arriving at Ceresta, Rhydon would reunite with his family, who had all thankfully survived Order 66, thanks to their loyalist clone troopers. Rhydon would eventually oversee the of the integrations of female clone troopers and male clone troopers, which turned out to be relatively quick and easy, as the female and male clones had already accepted and openly welcomed each other.

Rhydon would continue to serve as the general of the 101st Legion, and to his surprise, he would be given a seat on the Jedi Council, along with his twin sister Katelyn, Anakin, and Padme. After that, Rhydon would eventually take a Varactyl of his own, and named it Saphira, witness the birth of his newest sister Miranda from his mother and father, and happily witnessed his apprentice Zayla graduate to become a Jedi Knight. Rhydon would also go on to take on his firstborn son, Thomas Kenobi, as his third apprentice, and would witness the births of his next two children from Zarina: Sofia who was also Force-sensitive and combined her jedi and Mandalorian heritage by using her Jedi lightsaber, and wearing a specially crafted Mandalorian armor and given training under Aayla Secura, and Jango Kenobi, who wasn't Force-sensitive, but would follow in his Mandalorian heritage, while also being named after Zarina's adopted father Jango. There was also the subsequent births of his two children from Taylor: Kimberly Kenobi who would become a commodore in the Jedi Starfleet, and Orion Kenobi II who was named after his great grandfather, and be a military officer in the Jedi Loyalist Forces. Then Rhydon would see the birth of his last three children from Grace: Harry Kenobi who would be trained by Ki-Adi Mundi, Gwen Kenobi who was taken under the tutelage of Kit Fisto, and Zoey Kenobi who not only decided to wear a set of Mandalorian armor of her own after being inspired by her stepmother Zarina, but was also trained by Jedi Master James Matthias. Because of his friendship with Admiral Whitney Thomas, and with the blessing of his three wives, Rhydon chose her to be the godmother of all of his children.

As time went by Rhydon, along with his twin Katelyn, advocated for a modification to the military ranking system of the Jedi Loyalists Forces, and Jedi military ranks. Fortunately for him, the Council agreed, and the ranks were modified, as well as the military powers and ranks of the Jedi Order, with the addition of a special rank known as the Jedi Supreme General, who would hold all military power and decision. To Rhydon's surprise, he would be given this very rank, but felt concerned that the power would be too much for him, and requested that his sister be given the same rank, to balance him out, and his request was granted. Rhydon would continue to lead the 101st Legion, which like many the many other loyal clone units was now comprised of male and female clone troopers, in many battles against the Empire.

When Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn, who Rhydon had previous interactions and experience with, decided to defect from the Empire and join the Jedi, he, along with his twin sister Katelyn and father Obi-Wan advocated for the induction of Grand Admiral Thrawn, believing that the Jedi and their clones would benefit from the Chiss’ knowledge, which earned him and his family Thrawn’s respect and loyalty. With support from Thrawn and his sister, Rhydon advocated that the Jedi reorganize themselves, as they captured more territory form the Empire. When asked how the Jedi should reorganize, he controversially suggested that they make an empire of their own, but different from the Palpatine Empire that they were fighting against. Understandably the Jedi Council were concerned by this recommendation, and so both Rhydon and Katelyn came to Thrawn's aid. To ease his fellow Jedi, Rhydon and his sister recommended Padme to be the empress of the Jedi Empire, since she was extremely respected throughout the Galaxy. In the end, the Council agreed, but with some counter-arguments stating that the Jedi Order be slightly separate from the government of the new empire, and thus the Amidala Empire was born, with not only the planet of Naboo, but countless worlds and star systems flocking to the Amidala Empire for protection from the Palpatine Empire.

When it came time for the Jedi Order to consider an alliance between the Amidala Empire and the Rebel Alliance, Rhydon was somewhat wary as he feared that the Rebels wouldn't want to ally with one Empire, just to fight another, but fortunately the respect that Padme had in the Galaxy was more than enough for the Rebellion to ally with the Jedi. In the end, the Amidala Empire and Rebel Alliance came to work together quite well, though to Rhydon's dismay, Senator Mon Mothma, who served as the executive leader of the Rebel Alliance, was not as fond with the idea of another Empire, or that former Palpatine Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn was openly accepted and protected by the Jedi, but held her reserves to herself.

Rhydon continued to serve the Jedi, leading Commander Zeus, the 101st Legion, and the clones through multiple engagements with the Empire. He would advocate for having Whitney promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral after the successes of Thrawn as a Jedi Starfleet Grand Admiral, and seeing his children grow up to be great Jedi or military leaders in their own rights.

Rhydon would participate in the Battle of Endor, where he would eventually go onto the Death Star alongside his twin sister Katelyn, Anakin and Padme Skywalker. They would engage in a lightsaber battle with Darth Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Darth Hunter, Sara Palpatine, and Grievous’ Sith Stalker guards, along with Palpatine himself, as Maul had already been killed by Qui-Gon nearly a year prior to Endor. The Sith Lords of Palpatine’s Order proved difficult for the four Jedi to fight, but fortunately, Rhydon son Thomas, Katelyn’s daughter Sierra, and Anakin and Padmé’s twins Luke and Leia came to their aid. With the additional aid from their respective kids, Rhydon and the others were able to take down the Sith Lords and stalkers, with Rhydon and Katelyn finally ending Grievous’ reign of terror on the Jedi, and avenging themselves for their humiliation on Hypori during the Clone Wars. With all the Sith taken care of, Rhydon recognized that Palpatine was the last threat, and watched as Anakin and Padme fought the Sith Emperor. With the assistance of Luke and Leia, Anakin and Padme defeated and killed Palpatine, and began to get off the battle station as it began to blow up.

The Jedi would successfully manage to escape from the dying battle station, and witness the Second Death Star be destroyed during the Battle of Endor. With the destruction of the Second Death Star, it officially ended the reign of Emperor Palpatine with his death, and his high ranking Sith Lords. To Rhydon’s happiness, from the dying embers of the Palpatine Empire, rose the new and better Amidala Empire, which guaranteed and protected peace, freedom, and justice for the people of the Galaxy, with Padme as the Empress, and Anakin as Emperor.

Phantom Menace:

Jedi Padawan.

Jedi Padawan (Cloak).

Jedi Padawan (Cloak; Hooded).

Lightsaber.

Attack of the Clones:

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Helmet).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Hooded).

Lightsaber.

The Clone Wars:

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; 212th Attack Battalion).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Helmet; 212th Attack Battalion)

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; 212th Attack Battalion).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Hooded; 212th Attack Battalion).

Lightsaber.

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; 212th Attack Battalion; Battle of Hypori).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; 212th Attack Battalion; Battle of Hypori; Arm sliced off).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; 212th Attack Battalion; Battle of Hypori; Face slashed; Unconscious).

Jedi Padawan (Medical Frigate Bright Hope).

Jedi Padawan (Medical Frigate Bright Hope; Healed and cybernetic arm).

Lightsaber.

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; 212th Attack Battalion; Scarred).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Helmet; 212th Attack Battalion; Scarred).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; 212th Attack Battalion; Scarred).

Jedi Padawan (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; Hooded; 212th Attack Battalion; Scarred).

Lightsaber.

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; 101st Legion).

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; Phase 1 Helmet; 101st Legion).

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; 101st Legion).

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; Hooded; 101st Legion).

Lightsaber.

Jedi Knight (Cold Weather Gear).

Jedi Knight (Cold Weather Gear; Goggles)

Jedi Knight (Cold Weather Gear; Goggles & Hood).

Lightsaber.

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; 101st Legion).

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; Phase 2 Helmet; 101st Legion).

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; 101st Legion).

Jedi Knight (Jedi Combat Armor; Cloak; Hooded; 101st Legion).

Lightsaber.

Jedi Robes.

Jedi Robes (Cloak).

Jedi Robes (Cloak; Hooded).

Lightsaber.

Revenge of The Sith:

Jedi Knight.

Jedi Knight (Cloak).

Jedi Knight (Cloak; Hooded)

Lightsaber.

Post-Order 66:

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Robes).

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Robes; Cloak).

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Robes; Cloak; Hooded).

Lightsaber.

A New Hope/Empire Strikes Back/Return of The Jedi:

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Armor; Supreme General).

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Armor; Phase 3 Helmet; Supreme General).

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Armor; Cape; Supreme General).

Jedi Master (Jedi Combat Armor; Phase 3 Helmet; Cape; Supreme General).

Lightsaber.

Family: King Orion Kenobi (Grandfather), Queen Marion Kenobi (Grandmother); Prince Owen Kenobi (Uncle), Princess Helena Kenobi (Aunt), Prince Samson Kenobi (Cousin), Princess Jessara Kenobi (Cousin), Sayuri Kenobi (Cousin); Obi-Wan Kenobi (Father), Siri Kenobi (Mother); Zarina Kenobi (Wife), Thomas Kenobi (Son), Sofia Kenobi (Daughter), Jango Kenobi (Son); Taylor Smith (Wife), Kimberly Kenobi (Daughter), Orion Kenobi II (Son); Grace June (Wife), Harry Kenobi (Son), Gwen Kenobi (Daughter), Zoey Kenobi (Daughter); Katelyn Kenobi (Sister), Daniel Klerk (Brothers-In-Law), Arthur Klerk-Kenobi (Nephew), Sierra Klerk-Kenobi (Niece), Jack Klerk-Kenobi (Nephew); Miranda Kenobi (Sister); Satine Kryze (Stepmother), Eliza Kenobi (Half-Sister), Anya Kryze (Half-Sister); Lord Tobias Kenobi (Granduncle), Lady Belle Kenobi (Grandaunt), Ellen Kenobi (First Cousin), Oliver Kenobi (First Cousin); Jango Fett (Father-In-Law), Zara Fett (Mother-In-Law), Boba Fett (Brother-In-Law), Sabrina Fett (Sister-In-Law); Whitney Thomas (Best Friend).

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lyselkatzhappynerding · 4 years ago

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Richard Speight Jr's speech at the All Heroes Monument in Tonawanda

A couple of articles in full in case you have trouble accessing the links without a VPN:

Article by Peter Gallivan

BUFFALO, N.Y. — On June 6th, 1944, Warren "Skip" Muck was one of hundreds of American servicemen who dropped into Normandy to force Adolf Hitler's army out of France and beat them back to Germany.

On January 10, 1944, the City of Tonawanda native was killed in a foxhole in Foy, Belgium at the Battle of the Bulge. For decades, his family back here in Western New York had few details about his service and the day he died. That all changed with a simple phone call according to his niece, Becky Krurnowski. Becky says her mother, Skip's sister, got off of a call back in 2001 with more questions than answers. "She said there's an actor trying to get a hold of me, and something with Tom Hanks. They want to make a movie."

As it turned out, the actor was Richard Speight, researching for his upcoming role in "A Band of Brothers." Becky and her sister began a series of emails back and forth with the actor, telling him stories of Skip growing up, such as the time he swam across the Niagara River. Speight then took the stories to the writers and all of the sudden what was a bit began to grow, and Skip Muck became a series regular.

Krurnowski adds that this 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion will have special meaning to her, taking her back to the world premiere of "A Band of Brothers"— one she attended as a guest of the studio, on Omaha Beach, Normandy.

Krurnowski says until Episode 7, they had no idea exactly how Muck had died. It showed him sharing a foxhole with one of his best friends, Alex Penkala, when they took a direct hit from a German canon shell. Becky says her mom found comfort in knowing that Skip was with his men and with his friends when he lost his life.

Lou Michel article from the Buffalo News

Saluting 'unbelievable sacrifices' Monument honors local ties to "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers"

As some area veterans know, the story lines of two epic movies about World War II - "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" -- center on two local families.

Now the memories of those World War II soldiers will be enshrined along the banks of the Niagara River in the City of Tonawanda.

That's because the four Niland brothers, whose story helped inspire "Saving Private Ryan," and Sgt. Warren H. "Skip" Muck, a central figure in "Band of Brothers," hailed from Tonawanda.

An Amherst couple, Rick and Lisa Lewis, donated $150,000 for the multistone monument to pay special tribute to the Nilands and Muck for their sacrifices.

"There will be one stone for each family, and etched on the stones will be the stories of the Niland brothers and Skip Muck," said Rick Lewis, whose family lived nearly a century in Tonawanda and became prominent when it owned the Talking Phone Book.

In the center of the veterans memorial plaza, which will be dedicated Saturday, will be a 10-foot-tall granite replica of the Washington Monument with a tribute to all other City of Tonawanda veterans from various wars.

"This will be in Niawanda Park directly behind City Hall, and at night it will be prominently illuminated, and I believe it will become a signature landmark for the City of Tonawanda," Lewis said.

The story about the Niland brothers is well known in some veteran circles.

On June 6, 1944, at the start of the Normandy invasion, Michael I. and Augusta Niland received the first of three telegrams that three of their four sons were missing in action. Two other telegrams soon followed, notifying the parents that two more sons were missing.

Their fourth son, Sgt. Frederick W. "Fritz" Niland, an Army paratrooper, was participating in the invasion.

War Department officials wasted no time ordering Fritz Niland out of the combat zone, once his whereabouts were determined. It was that effort that inspired the basic storyline of Steven Spielberg's 1998 movie starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon.

The other Niland brothers were not as fortunate. Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Niland perished on the day of the invasion, and the next day, Lt. Preston T. Niland died. The third missing brother, Tech. Sgt. Edward F. Niland, was shot down over Burma and captured by the Japanese. He survived 11 months as a prisoner of war.

As for Muck, he became famous posthumously, with his story told in the best-selling book, "Band of Brothers," and later in the HBO cable network movie miniseries of the same name.

Muck was a member of Company E, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and one of about a dozen main characters. The story told of how the soldiers, first meeting in paratrooper school, became like a family.

"They banded together because they were up against so many hardships. That's why they called themselves the Band of Brothers. If any got injured, they would go to the hospital, get patched up and want to be back with their guys," said Becky Krurnowski, a 55-year-old niece of Muck.

In her City of Tonawanda home, she has a reminder of her uncle, who was killed Jan. 10, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge.

"A million years ago, my mother gave me the American flag that had covered my uncle's coffin," Krurnowski said. "It's been in my family room for about 20 years now on display."

Adding a sense of irony, Lewis said, is the fact that Skip Muck and Fritz Niland were best friends before going off to war.

"The sacrifices made by the Muck and Niland families in Tonawanda are just unbelievable," said Thomas Beilein, a Niland family cousin and former sheriff of Niagara County who now serves as head of the State Commission on Correction.

"As children, we didn't hear stories about the sacrifices. The family never talked about it. They never held it out there for the world to see. They didn't wear it on their sleeve," said Beilein.

The monument will be officially unveiled at 11 a.m. Saturday with members of the Niland and Muck families present. Surviving members of the Band of Brothers, all around 90 years of age, are scheduled to travel here from different parts of the country to attend.

The actor who played Skip Muck, Richard Speight Jr., will also attend and speak at the dedication.

A military flyover and reception are also planned, and HBO has agreed to provide free showings of Band of Brothers after the ceremony in the nearby Riviera Theatre on Webster Street, North Tonawanda.

Pete Niland, son of the late Edward Niland, also is scheduled to speak at the ceremony.

"I'm going to especially thank Rick and Lisa Lewis, who are sponsoring this, and I'm going to make mention that this is an honor not only to our family but to all the Tonawanda families who sacrificed, and there were a number of them," said Niland.

Lewis said he and his wife have wanted to honor the two families for years and put a spotlight on the City of Tonawanda.

"The area has been very good to my family, and we're anxious to do some things for the community," said Lewis, who organized a special committee a year ago with City of Tonawanda Mayor Ronald Pilozzi and representatives from several veterans groups, including Post 264, American Legion.

Pilozzi, a Vietnam veteran who was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart, says he feels a special closeness for the monument.

"One of the reasons I'm so proud of it is I was in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam," Pilozzi said, explaining that Muck and a Niland family member were in the 101st.

The 101st faced its toughest assignment during the Battle of Bastogne, one of the more famous encounters against the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.

"The 101st Airborne was completely encircled and cut off by the Germans, but they made their stand and held out long enough for Gen. [George S.] Patton to come in and relieve them and basically defeat the Nazis," Pilozzi said of the division's bravery.

Describing himself as an amateur historian for the modest working-class City of Tonawanda, Lewis said the memorial will ensure that no one ever forgets the sacrifices and bravery demonstrated by the deceased relatives of the Niland and Muck families.

The City of Tonawanda has a tremendous history of which it can be very, very proud," he said. "I still have family members there and consider myself an amateur historian of the city."

The monument, Lewis explained, is designed with enough open space to add additional stones in the future, should Tonawanda want to honor other veterans.

The monument was chiseled and inscribed by Stone Art Memorial Co. of Lackawanna. The grayish colored granite was quarried in Maine.

#skip muck #warren muck #the niland brothers #band of brothers #saving private ryan #richard speight jr #niland brothers #wwii #history #memorial

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