Samuel Gwozdz

"In the years to come, we will be tested as a warfighting unit. No matter who or what stands in our way, we will succeed. Not for our glory and personal gains, but for humanity to live another day."

- Samuel Gwozdz in 2568.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Gwozdz is a retired staff noncommissioned officer of the UNSC Marine Corps. He served in the 44th Marine Reconnaissance Division as a reconnaissance marine and scout sniper before moving up to the 105th Shock Troops Division where he spent the rest of his career serving in many positions.

Early Life
Born on May 17, 2520, Samuel grew up in Côte d'Azur on Sigma Octanus IV. His father served in the UNSC Army Rangers as an officer while his mother taught linguistics at the University of Côte d'Azur. Samuel and his younger sister were raised to follow the family footsteps of serving in the United Nations Space Command. After his father's retirement from the UNSC in 2527 as a Lieutenant Colonel, Samuel promised his father to serve in the UNSC and make him proud. His teachers noted him being excellent in mathematics and history while citing he wanted to serve in the UNSC Marine Corps. After graduating from secondary school in 2538, Samuel enlisted into the UNSC Marine Corps to become a Reconnaissance Marine.

Military Career
Enlisting into UNSC Marine Corps at 18 years of age in 2538, he was assigned to the 44th Marine Reconnaissance Division, 46th Reconnaissance Regiment, 1st Battalion, A Company as a basic reconnaissance marine. He rose to become a scout sniper and became a scout sniper fireteam leader during the Battle of Alluvion in 2542 alongside the XV Marine Expeditionary Force. He joined the 105th Shock Troops Division and deployed with the 105th Marine Force Reconnaissance/ODST Battalion (Special Operations Capable), Bravo Company for one rotation as a scout sniper combat element team member till joining the 193rd Marine Expeditionary Unit (SOC). With the 193rd MEU (SOC), Samuel deployed within the ODST Special Purpose Force as a scout sniper assistant combat element team leader during the Battle of Actium. Sustaining wounds at the Battle of Actium in 2545, he returned to Sigma Octanus IV where he joined the 77th Reconnaissance Training Battalion as a scout sniper instructor while recovering from his wounds. After graduating from a local university with a degree, Samuel tried out for the 105th Shock Troops Division and joined the 9th Shock Troops Regiment, 10th Shock Troops Battalion, Golf Company, on Reach in 2551. He went on to serve as an ODST combat team element leader of a reconnaissance combat team during the Battle of Reach and Battle for Earth in 2552.

Following the end of the Human-Covenant War, Samuel transferred to the 105th Shock Troops Training Center where he served as a scout sniper instructor for the ODST Individual Training Course. He joined the 2nd Shock Troops Regiment, 4th Shock Troops Battalion, Echo Company, and served in another reconnaissance combat team as a combat team element leader till his promotion to Gunnery Sergeant in 2555. Samuel then joined the 105th Shock Troops Division Headquarters Battalion, Intelligence Company where he operated with Detachment THREE as an assistant combat team leader then took command of Detachment ONE to lead forward reconnaissance missions as a combat team leader. After being promoted to Master Sergeant in 2559, Samuel served as a platoon sergeant for a Reconnaissance Drop Jet Platoon of the 19th Shock Troops Regiment, 20th Shock Troops Battalion. He then served as a Headquarters and Service operations sergeant for the 9th Shock Troops Regiment, 10th Shock Troops Battalion.

Becoming a Master Gunnery Sergeant, he served as a Battalion operations chief for two years for the 9th Shock Troops Regiment 10th Shock Troops Battalion. Samuel then transferred to the 105th Shock Troops Division Headquarters Battalion, Intelligence Company where he helped the division as a staff senior enlisted leader. Assigned to the 105th Shock Troops Special Missions Detachment, he served as the Detachment staff senior enlisted leader. There, he oversaw all operations and missions within the detachment and assisted the command in day-to-day tasks. Samuel then joined the 105th Shock Troops Division, 105th Shock Troops Training Center to oversee all training as a staff senior enlisted leader. After working on the staff, he became the staff senior enlisted leader of the 9th Shock Troops Regiment. There, he served as the enlisted leader of the Regiment and monitored the day-to-day operations of the enlisted personnel. Samuel retired from the UNSC Marine Corps after 40 years of service in 2578.

Personality
Known for being a calm and patient individual, Samuel built his career in the UNSC through striking at the right time. Whether it was taking down an enemy or navigating politics during a crisis, he always knew how to adapt to the situation and survive. As a veteran of the Human-Covenant, survival, and luck went hand-in-hand for Samuel as he had near-death experiences with each encounter. Honing his skills as a scout sniper taught him the importance of battlefield stress management and crisis response.

Samuel distinguished himself as an elite among many due to his assignments with the 105th Shock Troops Division and participating in famous missions during the Human-Covenant War. Despite the recognition, he seeks no fame for his actions and strives to improve on his failures to be a better Marine. Being an experienced enlisted Marine, Samuel placed his emphasis on teaching the new members of the 105th to not make the same mistakes as him.

Personal Life
Samuel married Aniela Kasowska, an Office of Naval Intelligence Section One officer in 2557. She retired as a Captain in 2577 after serving as the Group Commanding Officer for the Bravo-9 Division's Cyber Warfare Group. The two had a son in 2561 named Wolfgang Gwozdz.