Colonel Damian Highsmith
Name Damian Keller Highsmith M.Eng
Position Commanding Officer
Rank Colonel
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Terran | |
| Age | 34 | |
| Branch of Service | Starfleet Marine Corps | |
| Rank Type | Commissioned Officer | |
| Starfleet Serial Number | HI-2681-7238 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6 Ft | |
| Weight | 190 Lbs | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Damian stands at six feet even with short cut black hair and blue eyes. He has a wiry physique that is rigorously maintained. |
Family
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Damian is a straight laced individual with a rough personality who has no tolerance for disrespect and will show extreme anger when he feels that he has been slighted. He cares about three things: his family, the Federation, and his Corps and will gladly die to protect all three. He does not show confusion in the presence of his men to keep their morale high. Also, when Damian finds someone he truly identifies and falls in love with, he will devote all of his affection and energy to them. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Strengths +Damian has a strong sense of dedication to his job. +He is strong in many specialty areas which allows him to be more versatile in his duties and pick up slack when needed. + His leadership skills are a force to be reckoned with in any course of duty. Weaknesses -Damian's emotions, especially his anger sometimes get the best of him. -His abilities and urge to overachieve does not endear Damian to many people. |
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| Ambitions | Damian has very few ambitions as he has achieved most of them at this point in his career. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Damian is an avid fencer and chess player, indulging in these activities in most of his off time. Also, Damian is a social drinker, rarely being seen at the bar unless there is an event of some sort going on. |
| Personal History | Damian Highsmith was born in San Presidio, California in 2354. Throughout his early life, Damian showed a knack for leadership but also a tendency for trouble. After being arrested for leading a mass act of vandalism at the age of 12, his parents found him a place that he could apply his leadership ability: The Young Marines. This organization allowed him to constructively channel his ability to lead and showed him something that he was good at and could make a career of: Engineering. So after years of intense studying through high school, Damian was selected to study abroad at Exeter University on a full scholarship in 2370. In June of 2376, Highsmith graduated from Exeter University with a Master's Degree in Engineering. The night of his graduation, Damian was approached by a Starfleet Marine Corps Recruiter who offered him a chance to commission. Damian quickly accepted and was sent to Officer Candidate School in San Diego, California. During his first weeks, Damian was exposed to a culture that was not familiar to him. It was one that stressed teamwork, camaraderie, and dedication to duty. After learning some of the painful lessons of his new life, Damian quickly adapted and flourished in his remaining months at Marine Corps Base San Presidio, graduating fourth in his class. Second Lieutenant Highsmith's next stop was the Starfleet Engineer Officer's Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood where Damian not only demonstrated superior leadership but outstanding knowledge of his craft in the field. Upon graduation from the course in 2377, Damian was assigned as a Platoon Leader in the First Battalion, Second Marines. In November of 2377, Damian was selected to attend the Sapper Leader Course at Fort Leonard Wood. Graduating later that month, Damian was quickly reassigned to the Starfleet Support Craft Flight Course, where he learned the basics of flying support craft. In March of 2378, Damian was assigned to Camp Sendaro, home of Starfleet's Expeditionary Warfare Command, here Damian coordinated several operations and supervised the building of a small Forward Operating Base near the Romulan homeworld that would assist in monitoring the Romulan fleet for an extended period of time. In September of 2378, Damian was again reassigned to the elite Starfleet Marine Corps 1-12 Combined Arms/Mobile Construction Battalion Detachment or SEABEEs as the DETCOM or Detachment Commander for their deployment to the Round Table in the Delta Quadrant where Damian assisted and supervised the construction of two facilities to safeguard against enemy attacks. Two months before the construction was completed on the second facility, it came under attack by forces of the Devore Confederacy and was totally obliterated. Damian rallied the survivors for a short lived counterattack against enemy patrols in the area for a period of two months until reinforcements could be diverted to their position. In January of 2379, the salvation for the surviving members of the detachment finally came in the form of the USS Arleigh Burke which provided medical attention to the wounded and dying. After taking a period of medical leave, Captain Highsmith was assigned to Starfleet Academy as a Marine Option Company Commander or a 'Blue Cord' until September of 2384 when he was transferred back to combat duty onboard the USS New Jersey-A as the Marine Battalion Executive Officer for a short time. Less than a week after his assignment, he was assigned as the Battalion Commander onboard. During this time, the New Jersey was called to investigate a planet inhabited by the I'manitas, a highly predatory, xenomorphic species. In the engagements that followed an ill fated attempt by the battalion to capture one of the creatures, over half of the battalion was killed or assumed dead in the carnage and the New Jersey was destroyed. Transferred to the newly commissioned USS New Jersey-B as the Company Commanding Officer, this assignment was to be short lived. Shortly before the shakedown cruise was to begin, Damian was ordered to report to the Starfleet Officer Candidate School as it's Commanding Officer. In 2387, Lieutenant Colonel Highsmith was ordered to report to the Concorde Class USS Valhalla and the Valhalla Carrier Battle Group as the relief of the outgoing commanding officer, Brigadier General Christopher Mitchell. |
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| Service Record | Name: Highsmith, Damian Keller Rank/Paygrade: Senior Colonel (O-6a) Highest Academic Degree Earned: Masters in Engineering- Exeter University Date of Birth: September 5th, 2354 Branch: Starfleet Marine Corps Specialty Codes: 153A (Combat Engineer-Generalist), 091C (Pilot- Support Craft) Active Duty Start Date: October 9th, 2376 Active Duty End Date: Not Applicable Current Billet: PCU Hammersley Previous Billets: Starfleet Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (San Presidio, California)- 1OCT76-5DEC76 Starfleet Marine Corps Engineer Officer Basic Course (Marine Corps Base Leonard Wood)- 1JAN77-3MAR77 First Battalion/Second Marines- Platoon Leader- 6MAR77-4OCT77 Starfleet Marine Corps Sapper Leader Course (Marine Corps Base Leonard Wood)- 1NOV77-29NOV77 Starfleet Support Craft Flight Course (Marine Corps Base Pensacola, Florida)-5DEC77-29FEB78 Starfleet Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare Command (Camp Sendaro)(Undisclosed Location) 5MAR78-11SEP78 Starfleet Marine Corps 1-12 Combined Arms Detachment (Deep Space 12)- 15SEP78-5JAN79 Starfleet Academy/Marine Option Cadet Company Commander (San Francisco, California) 3MAR79-6SEP84 USS New Jersey-A/Marine Executive Officer/ Marine Commanding Officer- 08SEP84-1OCT84 USS New Jersey-B/ Marine Company Commanding Officer- 10OCT84-8DEC84 Starfleet Officer Candidate School/Commanding Officer- 9DEC84-3APR86 Starbase 400/Chief of Staff 4APR86-4MAR87 USS Valhalla/Commanding Officer Badges/Tabs Earned Starfleet Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare Badge Sapper Tab Starfleet Academy Instructor Badge with Wreath (Authorized for Permanent Wear) Expert Marksmanship Badge with Type II and Type III Ribbons/Medals Earned Christopher Pike Medal of Valor Starfleet Marine Corps Achievement Medal- Fourth Award Starfleet Commendation Medal- Third Award Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon with Arrowhead Device and Two Gold Stars Starfleet Cross with Silver Star denoting exceptional valor. Starfleet Distinguished Flying Cross Starfleet Distinguished Service Medal Starfleet Academy Instructor Ribbon with Gold Frame Starfleet Joint Operations Ribbon- Second Award Romulan Assistance Force Ribbon with Star Miscellaneous Awards Starfleet Distinguished Marine Officer Award (2382)- Navy Blue/Steel Gray Aguillette (Authorized For Permanent Wear) Effective Dates of Promotion Second Lieutenant- 5DEC76 First Lieutenant- 9DEC77 Captain- 13JAN79 Major- 4FEB81 Lieutenant Colonel- 1OCT84 Colonel- 1JAN87 Senior Colonel- 4JUN2388 |