Shane Schofield - Biography

Biography

Schofield's callsign "Scarecrow" refers to the vertical scars running over each of his eyes. They were inflicted upon him in 1995 when he was tortured in Serbia during the Yugoslav Wars after his Harrier aircraft was shot down. A Marine Force Reconnaissance unit was sent in, one of its members being Buck "Book" Riley, who later joins Schofield's team in Ice Station. Schofield withstood hours of torture, never revealing his mission, before the Serbs technically blinded him, believing (correctly) that he was helping US Navy SEALs that were killing Serbian soldiers. At Johns Hopkins University Hospital, they fixed his eyesight, yet the scars remained, leaving him to cover them with silver, wrap-around, anti-flash sunglasses for the future. Due to military regulations, Schofield was never allowed to fly a military plane again. He then decided to become a ground soldier and returned to Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. A few months later, Schofield was promoted and was eventually given his own Recon unit. He was given command of the unit approximately two years before the events in Ice Station. In Ice Station he holds the rank of lieutenant, and from Area 7 onward he is a captain.

During the events of Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, more details of his family life were revealed. His grandfather, Michael Schofield (callsign "Mustang") was one of the most decorated Marines in the Corps. While Schofield is close to his grandfather, his relationship with his father, John Schofield, is considerably worse. John Schofield resented Michael's standing within the Corps, and despite being a successful businessman, he felt he was unable to step out from his father's shadow. This manifested in a pattern of systematic abuse against his wife and son. John Scofield ultimately committed suicide, leaving twelve million dollars to his son; Shane Schofield donated all of it to a Washington, DC hospital as he felt the money was tainted.