Marine

The **UNSC Marine Corps**, mostly referred to as the **Marines**, is a branch of the UNSCDF that is responsible for land-based military operations, as well as the protection of Naval vessels and installations from attack.

They are separate from the Soldiers of the Army, which are stationed exclusively on a planet for its defense against attacks. Marines are always stationed onboard the space fleets of the United Nations Space Command, with an elite subset consisting of ODSTs meant for orbital insertions.

## History

#### Battle of Installation 04

*Main article: Battle of Installation 04*

The surviving Marines from the Battle of Reach served an important role in the Battle of Installation 04, taking part in such engagements as securing the UNSC *Pillar of Autumn* crash site, launching multiple guerrilla assaults on Covenant convoys and base of operations and rescuing captured Pillar of Autumn's personnel from a Covenant Battlecruiser.

Initially, the Marines were part of a special operation consisting of a sizable Orbital Drop Shock Trooper special forces detachment and a standard Marine detachment to infiltrate Covenant High Command and kidnap a Covenant Prophet.

There seemed to be some presence of Hellbringers, specialized Marines dedicated in pyrotechnics and equipped with the Flamethrower. Despite this, no Hellbringers were ever seen nor mentioned despite the presence of such weapons in Flood levels.

## Overview

 Armored Marine
 Fatigue Marine
 Dress Uniform Marine

## Gameplay Information

### Advantages

* Marines now carry a myriad of weapons, far more than in Halo: CE, including Rocket Launchers. This allows them to be useful in more combat situations.
* Marines add extra firepower to any vehicle the player is driving. For vehicles like the Warthog, they are the only means by which it can drive and shoot simultaneously, as the player cannot drive and use their weapons alone.
* Marines can board Ghosts and assist the player in battles by driving them.

### Disadvantages

* Marines are not always careful when using their weapons, especially grenades and rockets. Thus, in some instances, they can accidentally injure or kill themselves, other marines, or even the player.
* Marines are not very durable and will easily go down in overwhelming gunfire. They struggle when fighting against tougher enemies, like Brutes, Elites, Hunters, and vehicles. Additionally, they are extremely susceptible to Flood Infection Forms.
* Whether by accident or design, Marines can become hostile if the player attacks and kills them and **every** advantage listed above becomes a disadvantage should this happen.

## Trivia

* In the *Halo SPV3* level The Truth and Reconciliation, Captain Keyes tells a Marine to "*Stow your bellyaching soldier -- remember, you're a leatherneck!*" Leatherneck was a nickname earned by U.S. Marines in the era of the Continental Marines. The Marines would wear leather collars to provide protection from slashing attacks as they boarded enemy ships. Although an appropriate reference to Marines, the term "Leatherneck" and "Soldier" are viewed by their respective service members as being incompatible, and a means of differentiating between service in the Marine Corps or Army.
* Players have noted that the Marines tend to fight better against Master Chief than the Covenant, should the player betray his allies. This is due to increased damage and accuracy values for the purpose of punishing the player.
* Pre-SPV3.1 featured skulls that could be turned on and off, much like in the official Halo titles. One of these skulls, the *Angry* skull, turned fellow Marines against the player when activated, regardless of the players actions. As with all skulls, this was an optional feature to change aspects of the game, in this case, to achieve a huge surge in difficulty. As of SPV3.1, skulls, including this one, were ommitted and replaced with Cross-Map Unlocks.

## Gallery

A Marine firing his weapon.Marine with a wounded Johnson.The Bumblebee Pilot.Foehammer.