Antwon Ridgeway

Colonel Antwon Ridgeway was a colonel of the Maryland National Guard and the self-appointed "General" and leader of the True Sons in Washington, D.C. and serves as one of the four main antagonists in Tom Clancy's The Division 2. He appears as the final boss in the final Stronghold, at the Capitol Building.
Ridgeway served during the start of the outbreak in Washington, D.C. and was given the responsibility to administer the quarantine on Roosevelt Island to make sure everything ran smoothly. When the chaos erupted in the quarantine, he deployed guards to make sure nobody could leave the area. He let people starve to death and withheld medicine from the infected.
Ridgeway abused his authority for a long time until the commander of the JTF discovered him and imprisoned Ridgeway for his actions. Once loyal members of his unit freed him, Ridgeway gathered men from his former unit and the stockade where he was held prisoner, they captured JTF officers that had imprisoned him and held a symbolic tribunal for them, only to execute them all moments later.
== Biography ==
Ridgeway was once a top salesman as well as "weekend warrior" in the Maryland National Guard. Having financed his college studies through ROTC he went on to become a reserve officer and his effortless charm and dogged salesman's perseverance won him early favor with his superiors. During his time as a Major (presumably when he was in the Marine Corps), he ordered a fire mission on an insurgent village after his unit recovered his subordinate's body (though the insurgents decapitated his head and displayed it as intimidation tactic). The collateral damage that was caused by his order led him to attend a mandatory counseling session, where he explains the counselor why he made the order in the first place. During that session, he maintained that a belief can be disproven, though it wouldn't be as easy as it takes conviction, commitment, and willpower.
Later on, he got promoted and was commanding a company of the Maryland National Guard as a Colonel when the pandemic struck.
As the National Guard was assimilated into the JTF, he became increasingly disgruntled with how things were run, and led his unit in a rebellion in early February, taking command to form the True Sons militia. After some infighting amongst the primary instigators, he emerged as the sole and undisputed leader of the True Sons and he has led them ever since, promoting himself to general, as he will never take orders again.
== The creation of the True Sons ==
When the pandemic broke out, chaos and panic quickly spread across Washington, D.C. In an attempt to control the spreading of the virus, the newly formed JTF established a quarantine on Roosevelt Island, Colonel Antwon Ridgeway formerly of the Maryland National Guard was given the responsibility to enforce the quarantine and ensure that everything ran smoothly. Seeing all the tragedy caused by the virus and how overwhelmed the JTF had become, Ridgeway started to lose faith in his commander's ability to save Washington, D.C. He quickly came to the conclusion that there needed to be drastic actions taken to ensure their survival.
As a strong believer in the need for proper authority and discipline, Ridgeway decided to take matters into his own hands. In frustration and fear for the city's future, he ordered his guards around the quarantine to bar the entrances and exits and not let anyone in or out even the medical staff attending to the sick. He started to redirect essential resources from going into the quarantine, letting people starve to death and withholding medicine. In his eyes, the sick and the weak were already dead, so his number one priority became to secure the future of his own men. When confronted by a CERA doctor that she would report Ridgeway's actions to his superiors, he murdered the doctor right in front of terrified civilians. He then ruthlessly ordered his men to put down any resistance from inside the quarantine.
Ridgeway's actions were tainted by his willingness to do whatever it took for the well-being of his soldiers and his repulsion of the sick. Due to the chaotic state of the city, he was able to abuse his authority for a long time before the commander of the JTF found out and dispatched a Division agent to investigate. This led to a confrontation at the CERA Constitution Camp where the Division agent witnessed Colonel Ridgeway murder a civilian for breaking quarantine, this led the agent into shooting one of Ridgeway's unit and place Ridgeway under arrest on 55 counts of murder. He was then court-martialed along with several officers of his unit and found guilty on all counts and imprisoned in the American History Museum JTF stockade. However, it did not take long until Captain Keates and Major Ashford, two loyal members of Ridgeway's unit seeing the JTF's actions as a betrayal, broke into the stockade with Corporal Masters and Staff Sergeant Greystoke and freed him.
In Ridgeway's eyes, he had done nothing wrong. According to him, he was the only one with a realistic and viable solution to the situation. Therefore, the betrayal of his fellow JTF officers and imprisonment filled him with rage and hate towards the JTF and the federal government. As soon as he got out, he gathered men from his former unit and the stockade where he was held, prisoner. Together they captured the JTF officers that had imprisoned him and held a symbolic tribunal for them, only to execute them all moments later – and so the True Sons were born.
Ridgeway also gave the order to Captain Wilson to decimate the Castle Settlement with weaponized DC-62 mortars, killing its citizens and ruining the settlement with DC-62 chemicals for a little while as punishment for the settlement's defiance against the True Sons.
== Standing the ground ==
But justice would soon come to Ridgeway as Division agents came to Washington, D.C. not only to restore their SHD Network but take back the city from its brink. One by one, the True Sons lost their territories as well their operations in D.C. Underestimating the Division, he ordered to throw more of his True Sons against them. Despite a protest from one of his strategists about the loss of soldiers, he maintained that order as losing control is less acceptable to him than losing soldiers.
Ridgeway was in the Capitol Building when the Division and their allies assaulted it to extract President Ellis' briefcase. Despite an attempt to prevent this via SAM launchers, the agents managed to extract the briefcase. Ridgeway made his stand against the agents alongside his forces, but he'd be killed not long after.
His death effectively scattered the True Sons as they found themselves disorganized and at war with every faction in the city.
== Ridgeway's Legacy ==
In the wake of Ridgeway's death, many True Sons units attempted to continue his legacy and finish what he started. One unit led by Colonel Morozova took over the United Ironworks facility, hoping to use the Iron Horse train to decimate the Division and take over D.C. But that never came to be as a team of eight agents assaulted the facility, destroyed the Iron Horse, and killed Morozova.
A few months later, the True Sons would have a resurgence under the command of General Peter Anderson, who formerly worked as a strategist for Ridgeway. He sent a unit led by Captain Frederick Lewis to D.C as a "homecoming party". However, the Division clashed against Lewis' unit, eventually fighting with the Captain against Black Tusk forces in Jefferson Trade Center.
Realizing that his troops are no match for the Division, Anderson decided to rebuild the alliance with Black Tusk. This didn't set well with Captain Lewis nor with Candice "Wally" Wallace as they went to aid the Division in preventing this by eliminating Anderson's lieutenants as well as the general. Sadly, the general managed to escape his assassination attempt when Division agents went to Pentco Fairview to rescue Captain Lewis. Meanwhile, Anderson got aboard a Black Tusk hovercraft, officially re-establishing the alliance with Black Tusk.
During a counseling session Wally had with Doctor Mitchell Billings, she felt that General Ridgeway's vision was about saving Washington, D.C despite the atrocities he committed. On the other hand, General Anderson doesn't care for the future of the True Sons and is only it for power. In other words, by allying his True Sons with Black Tusk, Anderson sullied Ridgeway's legacy.
== Personality ==
Ridgeway is ambitious and has a strong desire to lead. He will always dominate the conversation and express his concerns if he disagrees with the people. He can become decisive when under intense pressure. He is extremely aggressive as the leader of the True Sons and wants to achieve victory at any cost.
During his time with the JTF, Ridgeway was likely dutiful and possessed competent leadership and planning skills as he achieved the rank of Colonel and was tasked with administrating the quarantine on Roosevelt Island. During the quarantine chaos, Antwon demonstrated to be quite cold as he prioritized the safety of his men over the infected and allowed them to die. Conversely, he can be caring and charismatic to his men as some of his soldiers defended his actions during his arrest.
He can tolerate those who question his priorities as he can easily persuade them into agreeing with him. However, Ridgeway will not tolerate insubordination, and worse, desertion, and will personally execute those who try.
Ridgeway seems to have established a cult of personality within his faction as he self-promoted himself as a General and has the fierce loyalty of those under his command. He also views himself and the True Sons as the only hope in restoring order in Washington, D.C. and thus justifies the act of demanding tribute from other settlements. He and his men believe it's mutually beneficial as the settlements get protection in exchange the True Sons get supplies despite some settlements wanting nothing to do with the faction or believing the demands as too harsh.
Consequently, Ridgeway considers those who offer tribute (willing or by force) to be considered, by default, part of the True Sons and thus as his "citizen" he expects them to obey. A phone recording between him and a random civilian showed him intimidating the civilian into handing over his supplies by indirectly threatening him by mentioning the civilian's neighbor was "not a good citizen" and was dealt with.
Throughout the conversation, while Ridgeway clearly intimidated the man, he treated the civilian nicely by calling him a "good and model citizen" and that he was doing his part by contributing to the True Sons but nonetheless told the civilian that he expects more supplies to be handed over the following week.
As the True Sons started to lose more men and territory to The Division, Ridgeway became incredibly more impatient and egotistical, ordering a large counter-offensive while they still had the chance. Although a True Sons' Strategist advised there would be heavy casualties, Ridgeway retorted that they would either lose men, or lose control. 
Ridgeway had some level of respect for the Division during a drunken stupor, as he believed the Division understood they were fighting a war while the JTF were too busy trying to police a civilian population while chaos engulfed the city. His hatred of JTF officers goes deep as they weren't in the field and hiding in bunkers, giving orders that gotten their people killed, and even going as far as saying "firing squad were too good for these cowards".
Ridgeway has even developed hypocritical and delusional beliefs, as an ECHO shows him executing True Sons Deserters and talks about loyalty which has some irony in it because he went rogue from the JTF, he talks of hordes of degenerates, yet it was because of him that the Outcasts exists because of what he did at Roosevelt Island and mentioning the corruption in government shows he is the corruption as he went AWOL.
Ridgeway is a strong believer in discipline and authority, talking harshly and brooking no insubordination.
== Abilities ==
Colonel Antwon Ridgeway is the final boss of The Capitol Building Stronghold. He is a unique Heavy Weapons Unit armed with a Military M60 E4, Carl Gustav RPG, and M9 pistol. He also possesses an armored helmet and Black Tusk medical drones that revive fallen True Sons, similar to a Black Tusk Medic.
He usually lays suppressive fire on the agents to stop them moving, though he often switches to the Carl Gustav to knock the agent out of cover. His weakness is the ammo box on the back of his waist, which if shot will set off a spray of bullets, distracting him and making him a prime target for about 20 seconds. If this is shot he will then act as an elite RPG, using his pistol and Carl Gustav.
== Trivia ==
*Despite being listed as a National Guard, he may have also previously served in the U.S. Marines, as he wears a coat that resembles Marine dress blues. The same goes for his True Sons, who all have elements of Marine Uniforms in their outfits. 
**This is the further evidenced from Profile: Antwon Ridgeway comms as two of those comms involved him in a mandatory counseling session when he was a Major.
*He also possessed the Liberty Exotic Pistol at some time.
== Gallery ==
Ridgeway gear.png
Ridgeway face.png
== Appearances ==
*Tom Clancy's The Division 2
Category:The Division 2
Category:Enemies
Category:People
Category:True Sons