Ashton Croft

Ashton Croft is a soldier in the Special Forces of branch of the UNSC Marine Corps, the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.

Early Life
Ashton Kyle Croft was born on the fifth of July, 2510. His father, Kenneth Croft, was a decorated military personnel, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at what seemed a very young age. His mother, Linda Rostwell, was a regular civilian living in Harlem, New York, making her living by working in her father's bakery. How Croft's parents met is still a mystery, but a letter that Lt. Col. Croft wrote to his parents saying that he was taking a R&R trip to New York.

While on this trip, he must've met with Rostwell and conceived young Ashton there in Harlem. We also don't know if Ashton was a mistake, or a purposeful decision. Either way, Ashton arrived into the world without a father. Kenneth Croft's R&R had long expired, and he was sent back to the line. Most of Ashton's childhood was without a father, but he managed to get by. He was always top of his class, always. By the time of his graduation from his high school he had the best grades that could net him a high-paying job that would make his mother proud. While all this was happening, Kenneth Croft was out fighting against a new threat towards the human race; the Covenant.

Exactly a week after his graduation, Ashton and his mother were greeted by a young Marine in parade dress who was standing on their doorstep with a letter. After a brief salute, the marine spun on the balls of his feet and left. Thinking it was a letter from his father, Ashton tore open the envelope, waiting to hear what antics his father had been up to. But instead, a much more gruesome tale lay on the white piece of paper.



Ashton's father had been announced KIA. It had said on the letter that a rebel ship had hijacked the small frigate Elana Hope that was under his father's command. The death of his father caused a sharp u-turn in Ashton's life, throwing all of his hopes and dreams out of the window.

After a week of dealing with the news and contemplating what to do with life after his father, Ashton signed himself up to the United States Marine Corps. At first he was going to be sent straight to the standard Corps battalion, but a post-humous referral from his father noted that he wished for his son to become an ODST was found. Since his father was so high up in the chain of command the order was instantly set in motion and Ashton was thrown into the deep end of the ODST, being the lone soldier in a squad that knew each other inside out.