Captain Jacob Keyes

Summary
Twenty-six years into his military career, Captain Keyes commanded respect as a keen strategist and inspirational leader of his men. He bacame a minor hero early in his career, when he led a small group of security troops against a Covenant ambush of the frigate Meriwether Lewis and held the Covenant off long enough for the ship to escape. His many decorations and years of combat experience against the Covenant made him a natual choice to command the Pillar of Autumn and its secret cargo.

Leiutenant (J.G.) Keyes was picked early in his career to help Dr. Catherine Halsey with her task of searching for able subjects for her SPARTAN-II project. Though after this task was complete, he went back to normal duty and became an excellent strategist when dealing with Covenant. Once promoted to Commander, he assumed command of the UNSC Iroquois and shortly thereafter, he outwitted and destroyed a covenant destroyer as well as two frigates with a daring manuver dubbed the "Keyes' Loop". This awarded him the rank of Capiain and command of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn.

Unfortunately, Keyes was killed during the events on Installation 04. After being taken by the Flood, he and several Elites were infested and merged into a large mass. Master Chief destroyed his brain after his mind had been absorbed by the Flood infection. His CNI enabled Master Chief and Cortana to start up the Pillar of Autumn's engines so they could destroy the Halo by overloading them.

His surviving daughter, Miranda Keyes, accepted a posthumous Colonial Cross awarded to him for his bravery during the events on Installation 04.

His decorations included: The Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, and the Colonial Cross (Posthumous).

Interesting notes
On Captain Keyes' tunic is the Marathon logo. It has also been noted that the text on the tunic states "My Name Keyes". Does the missing "is" hold any significance? Or did it just not fit?

Related Links

 * Comander Miranda Keyes