Characters of the Federation

# Military Personnel

## Rene Schneider

"*"The armed forces are not a road to political power nor an alternative to that power. They exist to guarantee the regular work of the political system and the use of force for any other purpose than its defense constitute high treason"."*

-  Maxim of the Schneider Doctrine.
If Rene Schneider's life could be resumed in a single sentence it would be that of a simple man.

From German and French ancestry, Schneider is an educated man, very knowledgeable not only in the military sciences, but politics, natural sciences, philosophy and even the arts, being an accomplished artist, as well as an excellent tactician, skilled sharpshooter and one of the best gunslingers within the military.
His life was forever marked by the coming of the first world war and the following years, a time where the economy of Chile was greatly damaged by the creation of synthetic saltpeter, rendering their main export mostly obsolete.
This marked an important period in his life, with the dead of his father and the complete country bankrupt, Schneider had a childhood filled with hardships, forming the impression of a decisive and disciplined man, if simple in his methods.
Becoming an excellent student throughout his military career, he witnessed firsthand how the various coups and coup attempts in the country did nothing but damage the professionalism and the duty of his comrades in arms, even when his loyalty was tested as the treatment of the military, particularly with the ever-decreasing salaries, was ever worse as the decades went through.

His loyalty paid through, as he quickly ascended ranks within the military. On his return to Chile on 1965, after being part of the military attaché in Paraguay, he became the secretary for the Commander in Chief of the army, position he would hold until the crucial days of 1966.

Amongst the turmuilts of the sudden invasion of Argentina he found himself in a difficult position, most of the military was actually planning on defecting and giving the control of the country to the invaders "For the good of the Fatherland", after discovering the Regiment he was meant to be overseeing in Punta Arenas had been completly slaughtered in "misterious circumstances" he finally took his decision, his duty was with his country and the constitution he was meant to defend. Not the treacherous military high command.

After commanding a brigade of still loyalist soldiers his first mission was to make it to La Moneda Palace, swear his loyalty to the President and escort him to a safe zone, personally dealing with most snipers located throughout the perimeter, after finding out the President had been already jailed, he had to coordinate his efforts with members of the MIR to make a safe escape and finally start the resistance in the Northern Territories with a base in Iquique.

A great deal of the early triumphs of the resistance during the months between the invasion and the counter-invasion made possible by the intervention of the GAF and the Huemul Project Garrison were made possible thanks to his tactical accumen and the knowledge of the preferred tactics of his former colleagues.

Finaly, as the year 1968 came by, the General Schneider was personally approached by the Compañero Presidente and had been commended with a special mission, he was now to become the Commander in chief of all the Land Forces of not only Chile, but all of the Federation, he was an experienced general, loyal to constitution and the people it represented, and had experience commanding not only in Chile, but Paraguay too, making him one of the best choices for this huge task, the humble man he is, Schneider was completly surprised by the decision but nonetheless, he accepted.

In the following months, efforts were made to not repeat the same mistakes of the past, while the country was and is still bankrupt, it was still decided to greatly increase the military expenditure from part of the Government, granting greater salaries and of course fomenting of the New Soldier initiative, both ideas that were greatly welcomed by the now Commander in Chief, after all, he was always a supporter of the military intermixing with the civilian life, and what better way to accomplish that than by having the military actively participate in the reconstruction efforts of the country?