Raven Rickenbacker

Raven Rickenbacker is a main character from the Eagle Legion series.

He has appeared in all the books of the series, namely A Valiant Beginning, The Rise, The Road Ahead, Redemption, and Revolution. One of the main protagonists and also one of the series' founding characters, he was known as "The Man from Manila" and as "Manila Sky". He is also recognized as "The Unkillable Filipino", known for surviving otherwise fatal attempts on his life.

Early Life and Career Prospects
Raven was born during the Martial Law era to his parents, then-Philippine Army Colonel, Roman Rickenbacker and Mrs. Anna Navarro-Rickenbacker. He was the first of four siblings, preceding Baron, Kelly, and Weene. As a kid, he was a fast learner, having learned to read at the age of three, and entered first grade classes at the age of five. He attended his elementary and secondary classes at San Beda College in Mendiola, Manila, where he first dreamt of being a writer and journalist in the volatile Martial Law years after being assigned to write articles for the High School newsletter. While in San Beda, he became a student council president, and was, without fail, elected as class president for seven straight years, beginning from his third grade up until senior year in high school.

He lived in Manila alongside his family, as his father was assigned with the Philippine Army unit in charge of protecting the capital from attack. As a brother, he was known for being caring, compassionate and warm, but when triggered, especially from people who wronged his siblings, he would be volatile and sometimes outward when it comes to dealing with them. Their family joined the first People Power Revolution in 1986. Raven, sixteen at the time, saw his father join the rebel side in Camp Aguinaldo, and realized that his calling was to be a military officer and continue his father's legacy. He consulted his father about deciding to enter the Philippine Military Academy, but had to be at least of legal age to enter the military. Raven ended up working for a local radio station, DZRB (Radyo Bandido or Bandit Radio) as a beat reporter, the youngest ever in the station's history.

Becoming the Lawin
Upon him reaching legal age in 1988, Raven decided to enter in the Philippine Military Academy. While inside the PMA, he was often recruited by his fellow "mistahs" to join the subversive Young Officers Union or YOU, one of the core rebel groups during the presidency of Corazon C. Aquino. Raven flatly declined all these invitations, believing that being in such an organization is a means of turning back on his Motherland.

Raven graduated from the PMA Class of 1993 as the Class Baron or top-scoring cadet. By that time, his father Roman had become a Major General in the Philippine Army. He first chose to be in the Army, but because of nepotism issues that his commanders had in him, he was forced to pick a commissionship in the Philippine Air Force.

Raven first attended the Philippine Air Force Flying School (PAFFS) in Fernando Air Base, Lipa, Batangas province. It was here that he discovered his true potential as a pilot. He became a top-scoring officer and upon graduation, he was called to active duty first as an attack pilot of the 15th Strike Wing, 20th Attack Squadron, based at Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga, part of the Mindanao islands where Islamist seperatists of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the communist rebels who are part of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) were located. He went there first flying the T-28D Trojan, locally known in the Philippines as the "Tora-Tora". When the T-28Ds were retired in 1996, he qualified to fly the newly-procured OV-10A Bronco counterinsurgency aircraft, and he remained in this role for two years, until 1998.

During his stint with the 20th, he worked his way into the leadership, first becoming a Deputy Adjutant A-4, to Squadron Adjutant A-2, and eventually becoming Squadron Commander of the "Lobo" (Wolf) Squadron. His brazen exploits in Mindanao earned him several badges and awards, and was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1994, and Captain in 1996.

As a Captain, he was redesignated to the 1st Air Division, 5th Fighter Wing, 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, known as the Bulldogs. It was here that Raven first qualified to fly the locally-upgraded "Warrior" version of the Aermacchi AS-211. He also spearheaded several projects to refurbish some of the Air Force's F-5A Freedom Fighters. President Fidel V. Ramos's AFP Modernization Program, that included the first batch of Taiwanese-imported F-5As and F-5Bs, was the culmination of lobbying and international efforts to bolster the Philippines' defensive capabilities. As a result, he was given access to one of these fighters, #10-521, which became his signature aircraft.

Three Stars and a Sun
While flying in his "Three Stars and a Sun", as he named his aircraft after the famed Francis M. hit, he was credited for having engaged in numerous air support operations as the "Lawin" who rained hell on insurgent MILF and later Abu Sayyaf forces when then-installed President Joseph Estrada launched an all-out offensive against them. He flew several sorties, attacking Camp Abu Bakr and supporting troops in Lamitan, Basilan and in Jolo, Sulu. For this, he was awarded the Mindanao Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal.

But Raven, growing discontent with the numerous scandals that rocked the Estrada administration, secretly prepared for his defection. As such, he reported to EDSA alongside his Bulldogs, and joined the rest of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the second EDSA People Power in 2001. He helped secure the crowd and also assisted in the cleanup after the revolt. For this, the unit was awarded the People Power II Unit Citation.

After EDSA, he returned to his Squadron and was promoted to Major in February 2001, and was selected to participate in the annual Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) military exercises. A U.S. Navy unit commander stationed aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) discovered his skill, and he was recommended to participate in the U.S. Navy's Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) program, part of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) program, popularly known as "Top Gun". He stayed in Florida for the duration of his training course, and returned home to organize a similar unit for the Air Force's own homeland defense in September of that year, which coincided with the deadly September 11 terrorist attacks.



The IJSF and forming the Valiants


Personal Life and Trivia

 * Raven writes right-handed. He also is fond of watching the news, as he was a former journalist. If he was not a career officer, he says, he would have pushed through with pursuing a fully journalistic career.
 * A big music lover, he is a fan of Original Pilipino Music (OPM), his logo and moniker taken from Francis Magalona's hit song of the the same names ("The Man from Manila" and "Three Stars and a Sun"). Raven is clearly seen listening to OPM music whenever he has time, his personal favorites include that of Francis M, Parokya ni Edgar, the Eraserheads, among others. He also admires foreign artists such as Westlife, New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, to name a few.
 * He is the only character in the series whose name is patterned after a bird.
 * His surname, "Rickenbacker", is a notable brand of guitar made in the USA. Pinoy OPM bands such as the ones mentioned earlier use this brand of guitar, which also explains the reason why he loves music.
 * He is the first Filipino to earn the career grade of O-11 while still being a soldier.
 * A lover of food too, he is seen in the novel many times preparing food for his cohorts.
 * He dislikes controversial leaderships, which is explained by his defection during the 2001 EDSA People Power II.
 * He also has a liking for camouflage patterns, as evidenced by his flight suit and later paint jobs.

Relationships
Raven is married to Julia Rickenbacker (nee Valdez), his high school classmate in San Beda. They married in 1996 and have three children: Erwin (adopted), Yanie, and Bart. The three eventually followed their dad's footsepts and joined him in the later part of his military campaigns.

Notable Quotes
"When all else fails, do not dare to resist the enemy by force. Force him to resist, and you will win."' 

"Treat your enemy with compassion and respect, but if he does the reverse, rain hell on him." 

"'Wait, WHAT!? Lucien Drake? Oh, for God's sake Adrian. THAT MAN has been responsible for heinous crimes and you let him fight on the side of freedom!?" '- Raven to Lynch, about Lucien Drake's defection. 

'"CLOSE AND ENGAGE!" '- His trademark line for ordering the Valiants to attack. 

'"Tell you what, Stan. Relationships can transgress boundaries and can create the boundary of your future. Try looking for one now, now that you're out of the academy. You're in the real world, kiddo." '- Raven to Stanley, advising him to get a girlfriend.<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> </li>

Awards and Decorations Recieved

 * 8 Military Merit Medals


 * Combat Commander's (Kagitingan) Badge (CC(K)B)


 * Sagisag ng Ulirang Kawal


 * Military Civic Action Medal


 * PAF Aviation Badge


 * AFP Home Defense Badge


 * AFP Parachutist Badge


 * Mindanao Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal & Ribbon


 * People Power II Unit Citation


 * 3 Wounded Personnel Medals


 * IJSF Member Brevet with Three Star Gold Device and Sun Badge


 * IJSF Combat Commander Badge


 * AFP Distinguished Conduct Star (awarded by the President of the Philippines 24 Feb 2002)