General Nicholas Winters
Born in 1876 to a middle class family in Vermont, much of Nicholas Winters’ childhood was spent in preparation for military service. His Uncle had served in the army during the Anglo-American War of 1861, and since then had gone on to become an instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. It was correctly assumed that Nicholas, being the second son of the family, would follow his Uncle’s example. He graduated from West Point, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1899, shortly before the outbreak of hostilities with Gran Colombia.
During the war with Gran Colombia Winters served well, earning some accolades, but was not seen as an exceptional officer. After the end of the war, he was transferred from the infantry to a supply company, which is where it is generally agreed he came into his own. Winters spent the next few decades steadily climbing the ranks through a combination of dependability and good nature, eventually earning the rank of Major General. During the 1920s, he supervised food distribution efforts with the Army Corps of Engineers, and was a major proponent for further mechanization.
After the failure of the Amsterdam disarmament conferences in 1933 Winters advocated strongly for expansion of America’s standing army, as well as logistical streamlining in support of the Concord Colonies. He is partially responsible for the integration of Army Aviation with the United States Aether Fleet. His efforts earned him a slightly negative reputation, with a number of major papers running articles accusing him of being a warhawk, and encouraging wasteful government spending.
Winters retired from active service in 1937, however continued his advocacy past his retirement. When war between The Holy Roman Empire and The New French Republic broke out in August of 1938, he asked to be reinstated. Over a year later, his request was approved, but only to a limited extent. Winters was appointed as the director of the War Bonds program, a campaign designed to raise money from the public for the purchase of additional materiel for the war effort. This position earned Winters an amount of fame, as during December of 1940, he was the model for a popular poster featuring a militarized version of Santa Claus. He made additional appearances in a number of films during this period, his bushy white beard a holdover from a different era of American militarism, giving him a distinctive look.
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