M. Fitzgerald

"I'm your man, Chief! Let's roll!"

— An enthusiastic PFC Fitzgerald awaits departure behind the gun of a Warthog

Fitzgerald was a Human Marine assigned to the Pillar of Autumn.

History

When the crashed vessel arrived at Installation 04 in 2552, Fitzgerald evacuated from the ship in the same Bumblebee lifeboat as Sergeant Johnson and Fireteam Charlie. When Foehammer and Echo 419 evacuated Johnson and other survivors from the crash, Fitzgerald volunteered to accompany the Master Chief in his Warthog to search for the other Bumblebee Lifepods. Fitzgerald introduced himself to the Chief enthusiastically.^[1]

While in their search for surviving Marines, he was wounded by a shot from a Needler, after that, Chief ordered him to man his position and keep fire until he returned.^[2] He took cover behind the Warthog and waited until the Master Chief was able to treat his wound with Self-Sealing-Biofoam. He continued to man the LAAG and survived the fight to returned to Alpha Base with the Chief. He was possibly killed in the Battle of Installation 04, probably either when Lieutenant Melissa McKay destroyed the Truth and Reconciliation to keep the Flood from getting out into the universe or when Installation 04 was destroyed.

"Sure, Cortana. All right (ladies), volunteers step up on the double! The rest of you, get to the Dropship." - When Cortana asked for a few men to support the Master Chief, level Halo. This can also be said by Sergeant Johnson if he wasn't killed.
"This lifeboat is trashed, Chief. There are weapons and supplies but...no bodies." - By the fourth Bumblebee.
"The lifeboat's totaled sir. There are weapons and supplies everywhere, but I can't find any bodies. Maybe somebody made out of here alive."
"The lifeboat's trashed Chief. There are weapons and supplies all over the place. Where's the bodies though?"

Fitzgerald was never mentioned again after Halo, including Captain Keyes' search for the weapons cache.
Fitzgerald was the only Marine to ride on a Warthog when attached to a Pelican.
As Johnson's squad did not have any known Corporals, it is assumed Fitzgerald was his second-in-command.