Lincoln Gerald Rockford

Lincoln G. Rockford (9 March 2061 - 30 February 2144) is one of the founders of the United American Federation and the founder of the American Unionist Party. In 2118 he ran an unsuccessful run for the presidency.

Early Life:
Rockford was born to a working class family in Springfield, Illinois, the forth of seven children. Both his parents were rye farmers. His father, a US Air Force veteran of the Second American Civil War, taught the all the children how to fly in the farms crop duster from an early age. After his father was brought out of retirement in 2066 flying lessons were taken over by Lincolns eldest brother Carl. In 2070 Lincoln's mother took a clerical job with the Illinois National Guard taking her away from the farm for long periods of time. Carl being the oldest was put in charge of the farm.

In 2074 the Rockford family ignored the evacuation warnings from the Illinois National Guard and instead planned to defend their farm from Communist forces themselves. The farm being the families only asset the Rockford children agreed to set up defenses and ride out the battle if they could and defend themselves if necessary. The sisters locked themselves in the cellar with the food store while the brothers took up positions around the farm. During the ensuing fight Lincoln's older brothers were both critically wouldn't, Paul (then 15) losing his left arm and Carl (then 19) being paralyzed from the waist down. The family was saved by the German 442nd Panzer Brigade and its commander Gen. Hanz Wilhelm. Reportedly after the battle the General met with the young Lincoln to commend him on his bravery and chastise him on his stupidity. After that the tide of the war shifted. the Rockford farm was safe. Lincoln served as a volunteer emergency worker until he joined the US Navy at age 17.

Military Carrier:
After joining in 2078 Rockford was rushed along the Navy's Aviator Program. During the Second Mexican-American War he served as a ground mechanic for Cdr. Robert Lynd. Lynd had especially requested Rockford as he served with his father during the Civil War and wanted too see if his son possessed the same skill. Evidently he was not disappointed as after the war Lynd, now pushing 65 was forced to retire and recommended that Rockford take his place in the squadron. During this time Rockford received a promotion to Lieutenant.

In 2081 Rockford flew his first combat mission during the Battle of Los Angeles providing air support for Loyalist California National Guard units inside the city.

On 1 August 2082 Rockford's jet was shot down by a radar cloaked surface to air missile during the battle of Portland. Rockford ejected safely but broke his right leg landing on an uneven rooftop. After engaging a patrol squad of rebels with his sidearm Rockford managed to escape. He stayed in an ally self-treating his wounds until he was extracted by Cap. George Taylor and his squad during the night. He would maintain a correspondence with Taylor throughout the the rest of the war and soon the two would become close friends.

Rockford was brought to a MASH unit set up by US and Canadian Marines at the beachhead outside of Portland. Here he would meet his wife Alexandria "Lexi" Tillsley, a Canadian volunteer nurse. Later in life he would say that being shot down that day was the best thing to ever happen to him. Although injuries kept him from flying the rest of the war Rockford continued to serve. The surgeon who preformed the operation Cap. Donald Barton would become a life long fried of Rockford.

After the war he married his wife Lexi on the beaches near Portland where they first met. Cap. Taylor served as Rockford's best man for the ceremony. After he healed, Rockford continued to fly as a navy pilot in conflicts around the world. During this time he would earn the rank of Commander as well as his reputation as an ace pilot.

In 2086 Rockford attended the German-American Leadership Summit as a member of a delegation of war heroes. During the summit Rockford got the opportunity to meet now Kaiser Hanz Wilhelm I for the second and last time. In addition he met Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Victor Wilhelm as well as many German war heroes from the Third World War and the Kaiserreich Coup D'Etat. including the some of the soldiers who saved his life as a child.

Founding Period:
After his election President Taylor offered Rockford the position of Secretary of the Navy however Rockford declined citing his distaste for politics. After much pestering by Taylor, Rockford decided to take a lesser position as Vice Admiral instead. Despite his objections to joining Rockford quickly became a key figure in the United American Federation Navy being the driving force behind adopting Anthony Barbe's treatise On Intergalactic Warfare into doctrine. Rockford is also considered the father of modern starfighter combat doctrine, although most of his ideas were not implemented until after his death.

Rockford served with distinction through the formative years of the UAF and through the Zeta 7 Occupation. in 2112, after the Occupation, Rockford resigned citing objections over the way President Taylor handled the war.

Political Carrier:
After leaving the navy the Rockford family settled in Conwaystown, Trappist-1g. During this time he published his memoir as well as several books on warfare and politics leading to much critical acclaim. Scholars agree that during this period he became disillusioned this the goals of the UAF. Rockford had always admired the first Kaiser and despised the Second. Rockford argued the Third Kaiser, Felix von Wilhelm, was more like his grandfather and sure to be a good leader.

"The current system of democracy and republicanism is a system that does not              operate as advertised. It has no plans, nor consideration for the goals of a               society. Instead it flows with the breeze, being governed by whoever bothers               to show up. What is worse is that those who show up more often than not               operate in only their self-interest, with the good of the society as a               pushed deep to the back of their mind.               A politician is only concerned about his next term and following the whims               of his constituents to secure it. Society needs a strong hand to grow and               guide it. Democracy works well in the beginning when people are energized               and full of hope as they are now but after a century or so it decays and               stagnates as the populaces becomes jaded as charlatans and demagogues take the place of competent men. One need only look at the last century of the United States." On Democracy, Rockford 2112.

In 2114 Rockford, several other officers who had resigned their posts after the war, and many like minded civilians formed the American Unionist Party, the first Political party in the UAF. They advocated for unification with Germany and Sol under the Kaiser believing many of the problems that plagued the United States would find their way into the UAF because the UAF Constitution addressed none of the weaknesses of the old system.

Rockford ran for the presidency in 2118 on the Unionist ticket losing to the Libertarian candidate Carl J. Lambright. In the end the Unionist Party won only 34.121% of votes cast.
 * 1) Lambright 52% Libertarian
 * 2) Rockford 34% Unionist
 * 3) Roberts 10% Federalist (SaS)
 * 4) Wheeler 3% No Party Affiliation
 * 5) Buck >1% No Party Affiliation

Retirement:
Rockford retired from public life in 2130 handing the resigns of the Unionist Party to Franklin O'Rorke. The only public appearance since then was in 2140 when he was asked to comment on the escalating German-Martian Conflict as part of a LION special. He predicted that this new conflict should it lead to war would be as impactful to the course of human history as the Fourth World War. After retiring Rockford lived with his wife Lexi in Conwaystown, Trapist-1g until he died at age 83.

Legacy:

 * Rockford is considered to be a controversial figure in modern UAF politics even among right wingers. There are those who would even call him a traitor.
 * Recently a statue of Rockford was removed from the American Naval Academy's Campus.
 * In 2211 a ceremony commemorating Rockfords 150th birthday put on by Unionist Party members in Conwaystown was crashed by protesters.
 * Unionist Party members and free speech advocates recently protested the editing out of Rockford from history textbooks by the Trappist-1f Department of Education.
 * Rockford is venerated by Unionists in-and-outside of the UAF.
 * In 2211 the government of Springfield, Germany commissioned a memorial at believed site of his birth for his 150th birthday.
 * The American Fascist Party formed after the German-Martian War can trace its ideological roots back to Unionist Party.

Controversy:
Many contemporary and period sources lay the blame for the First Reichist Succession War as well as the assassination of George Thomas Taylor at the feet of Rockford and the Unionist Party.