War hero

[Major Harkonnen]

His first memory was when he pledged his service to the Vaterland about 12... no it was more like 15 years ago. He recalled all the celebration around getting his first shoulder pads with the "Leutnant" insignia on them, and when he could put the "Lt." sign in front of his name, he literally experienced one of the best days ever in his life.

"Leutnant Einar Harkonnen.... no, *Herr* Leutnant Einar Harkonnen" - he kept repeating to himself.

Later he did that every time he was promoted, Oberleutnant, Hauptmann, Major... as the war with Liberty broke out and officers were dying left and right, it was easy to make progress on the rank ladder.

His superiors mostly didn't mind that he was a fanatic in the beginning. As he charged into battle and got his first few kills, he became even more fanatic. He actively took up politics immediately after he scored his first aerial victory as a squadron leader, and joined the nationalists, a minor faction aspiring to bring back the great glory of Rheinland, lost about 200 years ago. That made him not only a fanatic, but an actively political radical rightist as well.

"FÜR RHEINLAND! ONWARDS TO GLORY!". - he shouted as he kept charging into battle.

Neither his wingmen, nor his enemies (those that survived, that is) ever forgot the stupid-degree bravery which he exhibited. The fact is, most of the time, he only survived thanks to pure luck, such as when the LNS-Trump misfired its flak cannon and took out its escort wing, which pinned Harkonnen's Wraith into a four-on-one.

Regardless of the circumstances, he got noticed by his superiors. There were those who were impressed, and there were those, who wanted him dead. As he got more and more radicalized and became more and more indiscriminate against not only Libertonians, but basically anyone who was even remotely of non-Rheinländer origin, there were always attempts to remove him from the front, one way or another.

But he stayed. And kept killing. Mostly Libertonian soldiers, but some Kusarian workers and Bretonian tourists also were victimized by the overzealous nationalist, when no one was looking. Such is war. Such are war heroes.