Fifteen years ago, there was a war that engulfed the world.
It was sparked in the far east, pitting nation against nation. Nuclear weapons were used with abandon on Japan, while China, Korea, and a resurgent Soviet Union surged forwards, annihalting anything in their path. It was a war that was fought in the air, in the sea, on land. Through it all, one small group fought with courage, bravery, and honor; the tip of the spear of American might, the 9-1-1 force of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Ten years ago the war was ended abruptly when The Visitor arrived. Alien Space Ship One, a large ship we classed as a battleship. The sudden appearance of proof of extraterrestrial life shocked the world into a ceasefire, as scientists from all over the world explored the spaceship and coaxed its secrets from it. The realisation that there were giants in outer space, giants who would be hostile to us, spurred the world into action. This was the whole purpose behind the development of the Destroids and Variable Fighter series: weapons that would allow humanity to fight toe to toe with the giants. As work began on countering these aliens, the nations of the world united under the banner of the United Nations. World peace seemed within grasp. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Soldiers train for war, but they don't love it, because they understand what war truly is. That great Confederate General, Robert E. Lee said "It is good that was is so terrible, or we would be too fond of it." And so we waited, hopeful yet watchful, training for war and hoping for peace.
Not everyone was like us.
Two years ago, the world was engulfed in war once more.
Countries resistant to the world unification formed the Anti-UN, fighting long and bitterly against UN forces. Once again we were at the forefront of the fighting, retracing in the steps of those who'd gone before us. Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima; our forerunners fought on those islands in their war. We fought on new islands in our war: Saipan, Taiwan, Mayan Island; these were the big ones. It was appropriate we fought on so many islands. Our crowning moment of awesome happened on an island, afterall.
And when the dust had barely settled, the aliens arrived early, tripping the SDF-1's defenses and plunging us into Space War 1. We were there - in Destroids strapped to the hull, in Valkyries in the depths of space, in engineering crews working to keep the ship running, in infantry trying to comfort the panicking civillians. We were there when enemies fell in love and married, when a girl sang her song and brought peace to to humanity
and Zentraedi.
We were there, and this is our story. The story of members of the smallest of the UN Spacy's branches.
The Few and the Proud.
Marines.