Editing William MacLeod

{{Update Needed|[[Era Report: 3062]]| [[20 Year Update]]|[[Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade]]|[[The Hunters]]}}
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{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = William MacLeod ER3062.jpg
| caption             = William MacLeod
| name                = 
| birthdate           = [[3005]]<ref name=NHp48>''Northwind Highlanders'' p. 48: "William MacLeod profile"</ref>
| died                = 
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[Northwind Highlanders]]
| rank                = [[Colonel]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''William MacLeod''' was a [[colonel]] with the famed [[Northwind Highlanders]] [[mercenary]] unit and the commanding officer of [[MacLeod's Regiment]].

==History==
In [[3025]], [[Major]] MacLeod was serving as the commanding officer of the [[Marion's Highlanders]], First Battalion.<ref name=HLp78>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 79: "Marion's Highlanders"</ref>

===Fourth Succession War===
By the [[Fourth Succession War]], MacLeod was a [[lieutenant]] in [[Marion's Highlanders]]. The unit suffered moderate casualties in a two-month campaign on [[Ningpo]] against the [[Third Davion Guards]] [[RCT]] before a truce between the units was negotiated. As a result, on 15 December [[3028]] Marion's Highlanders, like the other Highlander regiments, were allowed to lift off to reach their new home on [[Northwind]].<ref>''Warrior: Riposte'', p. 269: "Tsen Shang comments that only Colonel Pavel Ridzik kept the McCormack's Fusiliers from avenging the destruction of Marion's Highlanders. The 3rd Davion Guards were named as unit that defeated them. But that was maybe misinformation as Marion's Highlanders clearly survived the war."</ref>

===War of 3057 and independence===
In [[3057]], [[Loren Jaffray]], son of one of the Highlander families that had remained in the [[Capellan Confederation]], arrived on Northwind with an offer from Chancellor [[Sun-Tzu Liao]]: he would recognize the independence of the planet should the Highlanders leave the [[Federated Commonwealth]]'s service. Matters came to a head when [[Operation GUERRERO]] was launched by the Confederation and the [[Free Worlds League]], a major invasion of the [[Sarna March]]. This led to the secession of the [[Lyran Alliance]].

MacLeod ordered those Highlander units protecting the Alliance/[[Clan]] border to return to Northwind, a decision that led to a minor rebellion among his own troops who wanted to stay in the employ of [[House Davion]]. Matters worsened when the [[Third Royal Guards]] RCT landed on Northwind, seeking to ensure the Highlanders remained in the Federated Commonwealth's employ. With Jaffray's assistance, MacLeod was able to reunite the Highlanders, and with the timely arrival of [[Stirling's Fusiliers]] they were able to drive the Royals off the planet. Northwind was independent for the first time in centuries.

===Star League Reborn and Task Force Serpent===
When the [[Second Star League|Star League]] was reborn in [[3058]] with the goal of fighting the Clans, the Highlanders were quick to sign up. [[MacLeod's Regiment]] was chosen to join [[Task Force Serpent]], a group of elite [[Inner Sphere]] regiments with a mission to travel to [[Huntress]], the homeworld of [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]], as part of a [[Trial of Annihilation]] against that Clan. The mission was ultimately successful, though casualties among the Highlanders were extremely high.

===Allied Mercenary Command and Jihad===
In [[3066]], the Highlanders joined [[Jaime Wolf]] and [[Wolf's Dragoons]] in the [[Allied Mercenary Command]], an alliance dedicated to stopping [[Word of Blake]] expansion in the [[Chaos March]]. The sudden death of several Clan Elders forced the Highlanders to activate escape clauses in their contracts to return to [[Northwind]] so they could participate in emergency elections. The Word of Blake seized the opportunity to blockade the system in [[3067]] and keep all of the Highlanders regiments on Northwind. What became of MacLeod during this time is unknown.

==BattleMechs==
As late as [[3057]], MacLeod was piloting a ''[[Gallowglas]]''. He then switched to a ''[[Huron Warrior]]'' that was a gift from Chancellor [[Sun-Tzu Liao]]. He was still piloting the ''Huron Warrior'' on [[Huntress]] with [[Task Force Serpent]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
William McLeod NWH.jpg|At age 54
William MacLeod ER3062.jpg|At age 57
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
* ''[[Highlander Gambit]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)|Northwind Highlanders]]''
* ''[[Twilight of the Clans]]''

[[Category:Northwind Highlanders Characters|McLeod, William]]
[[Category:Notable Huron Warrior Pilots|McLeod, William]]