Swefred Hayden

Lieutenant Commander Swefred Gerald Hayden (Navy ID No. SW-94-16) is a main protagonist in the universe that is Foxtrot: Foxes in Arms. He is an animatronic swift fox who serves as a physician within the United States Navy's Medical Corps. Besides being a medical officer, Swefred is also quite the cowboy and is considerably proud of his heritage.

Physical Appearance
Swefred is an animatronic fox standing roughly 6 feet tall, shorter than Justin but taller than Arthur. His fur is a lighter orange with white on his front torso and black on the tip of his tail. Swefred's skin is peach on his muzzle and an almost creamy white inside his ears, while his neck is metallic silver. His eyes are bright green, considerably different from some of the others.

Swefred has three fur tufts on each side of his head, and unlike many others, Swefred doesn't have hair arranged into bangs. For attire, a staple part of Swefred's look is a yellow bandana, while his outfits can vary from standard Navy uniforms to that much more standard to a cowboy-like figure. Such things include a brown vest, a black belt with a lasso, and a holster for a six-shooter.

Early Life
Swefred was born on August 25, 1980, in the Texan port city of Corpus Christi. Like many individuals who happen to be animatronic animals, Swefred was still able to grow and develop like an organic being. Raised in Texas, Swefred has not only the accent but a pretty good upbringing where his lineage comes from, as he would have put it, "The Ole Wild West."

Early on in life, Swefred met and formed a connection with a red fox named Justin Redding upon getting out and about. They, in turn, would also create a relationship with Arian Torres, a Canadian American grey fox. He wasn't much of a talker but appeared to have some kind of similarities which allowed them to become acquaintances. Moving back to Justin’s relationship, their friendship would grow to where they're (almost) like brothers. And later on down the road, they'd also form a close relationship with a pair of arctic foxes, the Snow brothers Arthur and Sewell. The group of five became a pretty close-knit group. However, as the clock ticked, things began to go differently. Arian eventually disappeared from the group, not just them, but no one would see him again. Then, there was a more significant problem Swefred and the others had to deal with; Arthur became the target of "ridicule." And while Arthur did his best to brush it all off, Swefred and the others noticed it was hurting him. Fortunately, Swefred, along with Justin, took it upon themselves to help Arthur with all of these problems, giving him encouraging words, defending him against these bullies, and the like. Swefred would be the one that gave Arthur the most emotional support, and it got to the point where Arthur could stand on his own two paws thanks to all this support.

Not only would Swefred give emotional support if it was needed, but he'd also give help when things got physical, and that's thanks to a unique something about him. From a young age, Swefred would always help Justin and Arthur and many of their peers if they had injured themselves or came down with something. Swefred even knew how to help treat illnesses or injuries in humans, surprising and impressing many others. This part of his character would help influence where he'd go in the future, even if a path was down the military road.

When they'd come of age, it became apparent that the boys were beginning to crave some kind of adventure, as many would. Swefred, having that inner cowboy in him, was within that train. Justin pitched the idea of joining the military, specifically the Navy. Swefred immediately jumped on the idea, but Arthur and Sewell were hesitant to do so as well. However, they would come around; Arthur would want to continue his family's lineage in the Navy, and Sewell wished to follow in his own brother's paw steps, so it was decided then.

U.S. Navy Service
Following their initial training at the Navy boot camp, Swefred would move onto his selected profession; he'd decided to become a physician and use his medical knowledge to help others on the high seas. Perhaps this wouldn't fit a cowboy-like guy from Texas, but it was what he wanted to do. Within a few years, Swefred graduated the medical school and achieved the title of "hospital corpsman."

The Texan swift fox's first assignment at sea was the USS Iowa (BB-61), the lead ship of the Iowa-class battleship brought back into service after several years out of service. Swefred was entrusted with being one of the top-ranking medical personnel aboard the battleship, and he would go on to perform his duty exceptionally well. He would be kept pretty busy during one period as the Iowa operated in the waters around Central America, where she conducted several civic actions and humanitarian projects. Swefred was among some of the doctors who brought medical supplies to those who lacked them; he took it as his duty to help anyone ill or sick.

Several operations would follow the humanitarian relief efforts, including naval exercises in European waters and escorting reflagged tankers around the Persian Gulf during a war. As a medic, Swefred was ready to treat any of the Iowa's sailors or any refugees that needed to be taken aboard the ship if they needed to, though surprisingly, none of that was eventful aside from everyday things though that would change one day.

The Day Goes Up In Smoke
This particular day saw Swefred face his greatest challenge yet and truly open his eyes to the Navy’s ugly side of life. While the Iowa was operating in the Caribbean Sea several hundred miles north of Puerto Rico, she'd been conducting live-fire exercises with allied forces. There were some problems loading the middle 16-inch (406-millimeter) gun on Turret 2, but those had been sorted out by the gunners mates aboard. The shell was loaded into the gun, and the powder was rammed. From what naval authorities understand, the men were just about to close the breach on the weapon when something completely unexpected and inexplicable happened; what exactly happened remains a mystery to this day.

Without warning, the center gun on Turret 2 exploded. The resulting blast damaged the turret and, most probably, killed many sailors aboard and wounded many more. Along with the damage control parties, hospital corpsmen went out to the turret to look for survivors within the turret; Swefred was among them. Though he had been trained to deal with all sorts of injuries, what he'd find inside the mangled turret would haunt him to near no end. Many bodies lay face down in water seeping inside, smoke billowed everywhere, and worst of all, red-hot powder bags. Swefred, though feeling very disturbed and sick, checked over every single body he came across, but they were all dead. One of his friends, a member of the Damage Control Party, reported the hot powder bags to the bridge and received orders to flood the compartment to prevent another and potentially more catastrophic explosion from following. Swefred helped his friend turn the valve to start flooding the chamber. Then, as they were leaving, Swefred almost got trapped after tripping over one of the bodies. He only just made it out before the compartment wholly flooded.

By the time they reached their homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, the final death toll was 47; it was the biggest tragedy to ever strike the Iowa. Swefred was undoubtedly devastated by the event; not only did he know some of the deceased gun crew members, but he was also bothered by the fact he failed to save any of the 47 casualties. He couldn’t escape the smell of burning powder and flesh, and by the end of the journey, he’d been sick himself. When the Iowa reached port, Swefred begged the captain to let him go because he couldn’t bear to stay aboard the ship a second longer. Ultimately, Swefred was allowed to leave the ship and promptly did so once given the opportunity.

Aftermath of the USS Iowa Incident
Following the return to port, Swefred tried to move past his experiences, though the thoughts of not helping 47 of his fellow sailors plagued him to no end. He wanted to resign so badly; unfortunately, the Navy didn't discharge him, and he was reassigned.

The ship Swefred was reassigned to the nuclear cruiser Virginia, and his first departure aboard the cruiser was to the Mediterranean Sea. This was in support of Operation Desert Storm, the Persian Gulf War. Many other ships were sent into the region to support the coalition forces, including the battleship Missouri under Arthur’s command. Swefred knew that Arthur was in command of the Missouri, and he secretly worried about the younger arctic fox. It did stem from what had happened to him aboard the Iowa not too long ago. Despite not being able to watch over Arthur if he needed his assistance, Swefred pushed on and performed his duties to the best of his ability.

After the operation ended, the Virginia was decommissioned, and Swefred saw that as the perfect opportunity to resign from the Navy, promptly doing so.

Post Navy Life
It wasn't too long before Swefred returned home following all that's happened. Upon his return, he initially took up a job in his home state of Texas that called back heavily to his heritage; a legit and official cowboy. He'd gone off the ranch lifestyle for quite some time before ultimately moving onto other lines of work. Eventually, he'd reconnect with Justin, Arthur, and Sewell after they had also resigned from the Navy. Each of them had their own ideas about what they wanted to do outside of Navy life, but as friends, they would still hang out together just as they had in the old days.

However, as a new foe surfaced in the world and presented a pretty significant threat to national security, the American government wanted to increase its budget for the military. Many programs were started to build up the US's military readiness, and it even included many people signing up for it. Justin, Sewell, and Arthur (hesitantly) all answered the call to return to service with the US Navy. Like Arthur, Swefred was a bit hesitant to join back up, but wanting to make sure his friends were going to be alright, he also made plans to return.

Return to Service
Upon his commission being reactivated, Swefred once again joined up as a medical officer. This time, he would be assigned to the Missouri, which had also returned to service as a part of the Navy's plan to build up its fleet. Though having moved on from the Iowa incident by now, Swefred secretly had his fears about serving on a ship like it. However, he was reassured that he'd be able to look after Arthur as he'd be taking back command of the battleship.

Personality
Swefred is a very friendly fox when you get to know him. Though he is very proud of his Texan heritage and seldom shuts up about the Wild West’s stories, he does appreciate the friends and family he has. Many describe him as a stereotypical cowboy, a glamorous or heroic figure who works hard but happy with a sense of freedom. While cowboys aren’t actually like this, Swefred is the walking incarnation of cowboys’ well-known stereotype from the Wild West.

He is also very loyal to not only his country but to his friends as well. Through the times when they were all together, Swefred made absolutely sure Justin, Arthur, and Sewell are all "fine and dandy" and wanted to be there for them. Swefred is also extroverted, something he shares with Justin and Sewell, though not as energetic as the latter. He won't turn down a chance for adventure, though, given his profession, he will make sure he's prepared for situations that may arise when on the plains or the seas. If anyone wanted a cowboy-like figure as a friend, Swefred would be a pretty good match for that friend.

Abilities
Swefred has fast reflexes and large amounts of stamina, though his reflexes are not as fast as Arthur, and he doesn’t have the same stamina as Justin. Thanks to the boot camp training, Swefred does know how to put up a good fight, and if necessary, will do what he can to push through and come out on top. Being a corpsman in the Navy, Swefred is displayed to have knowledge in the medical field, allowing him to offer aid to wounds if needed. He also knows how to treat illnesses and is even certified to perform surgeries and even did once before.

Swefred is very fast as he can run at around 40 miles an hour, twice as fast as a human and about the same natural swift foxes. He is also quite proficient in using firearms like the revolver/six-shooter, something pretty peculiar for a fox who's supposed to be a medic.

Friends and Allies

 * Justin Redding the Red Fox
 * Arthur & Sewell Snow the Arctic Foxes
 * Pilots of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 242 "Flying Foxes"
 * Crew members of USS Iowa & USS Missouri

Enemies

 * General Arian “Arthree” Torres the Grey Fox

Honors and Awards

 * Bronze Star Medal
 * Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal
 * Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal
 * Navy E Ribbon
 * Navy Good Conduct Medal
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal
 * Sea Service Ribbon

Trivia
Swefred earned the Bronze Star award for his action in the USS Iowa turret explosion.

This animatronic swift fox has a pretty interesting given name. The name "Swefred" is a male name of English origin which means "A swift, fast man." This can be linked with the fact that he's based on a swift fox (Vulpes velox).

Swefred is the only one of the main fox characters that doesn't have bangs; he doesn't appear to have hair at all (excluding his fur). This was a conscious design choice that could best distinguish him from the others, though some thought has been given to create concept art in which he has hair/bangs.

Swefred is only to be described to be in line with a stereotypical cowboy in terms of personality. He may have cowboy traits, that doesn't mean he's an exact incarnate of the stereotype.

Hayden, the last name Swefred had, was the surname of a real US Navy Hospital Corpsman. David E. Hayden served in the First World War and is actually a recipient of the Medal of Honor; the highest award military personnel can receive.

Out of the main four boys, Swefred is the only one to have an accent.

Swefred is said to have become an official cowboy after resigning from the Navy initially. In actuality, Texas does maintain the use of cowboys on ranches to help reel in cattle that's gone astray.

Swefred, along with Justin, are the only male main characters not to have nicknames based on their ID numbers.