Land Warrior Character Feature: Part Two

Land Warrior Character Feature: Part Two

Last week we launched the first of our five-part Delta Force: Land Warrior character features with an in-depth look at Sergeant Cole "Gas Can" Harris, the game's demolitions expert. This week, we profile First Lieutenant Rydel Wilson - or Pitbull, as he's more commonly referred to by his superiors. Wilson specializes in handling the automatic weapons and big guns of the game, and while he can use just about any of Land Warrior's 27 weapons, he excels with munitions that pack a bigger punch, like the Barrett .50- caliber rifle. Wilson is also the squad leader of the Land Warrior team. Below is his official file:

Character: First Lieutenant Rydel Wilson
Call sign: Pitbull
Specialty: Heavy gunner and automatic weapons
Age: 31
Height: 6 feet, 5 inches
Weight: 270 pounds
Ethnicity: African American
Birthplace: Bronx, New York

Distinguishing marks: Wilson is a giant of a man. Aside from being a walking mountain of muscle, his only distinguishing mark is a deep scar that runs underneath his lip - a relic of his boxing days.

Background: Born in Bronx, New York, Rydel is easily the toughest member of the Delta Force team in Land Warrior. Rydel grew up with his mother and sisters in a one-bedroom apartment located above a boxing gym, where he eventually spent most of his teenage years learning from local boxers and trainers. By the age of 18, Rydel was 6 feet, 4 inches and 290 pounds of pure muscle, and he often had a hard time finding someone who would agree to spar with him. By the time he was 19, Rydel became a Golden Gloves Heavyweight contender. But even though he had a future as a pro fighter, Rydel felt that he could make more of a contribution to society by joining the military.

Rydel started his military career in the enlisted ranks, where he earned his E-6 (staff sergeant) stripes by the age of 27. He was a natural rifleman, and he took easily to the difficulties involved with firing squad automatic weapons. He became so good, in fact, that he was asked to instruct at the Army Infantry Center in Fort Benning, Georgia. He did this commendably for two years but longed to return to duty with a field unit. He got his chance after he was prompted to apply to OCS (Officer's Candidate School). After his commission, he was transferred to active duty with the First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. While he was there, he trained his men as rigorously as he drove himself. It was this tenacity and single-minded drive that earned him his nickname, Pitbull.

Pitbull's squad entered nearly every regimental and divisional competition and earned top honors in many of them. Not surprisingly, Pitbull was soon approached by Delta Force recruiters, who were interested in making him a member of their elite task force. Pitbull quickly jumped at the opportunity, and he was soon given the responsibility of squad leader of the team. Regardless, he still has a tough time finding sparring partners.