Captain A.J. Conaway
Name: A.J. Conaway
Rank: Captain
Callsign: Buddha
Description: As a child, Buddha heard many stories about
the military from the male members of his family, all of
whom had served. It comes as no surprise, then, that
he signed up as well, becoming a Marine Captain and
highly capable demolitions expert. To paraphrase another
military man, if it's in the way, he blows it up; if it
has a fuse, he defuses it; and finally, if it's hostile
and explosive, he takes it out. In addition to his
specialty, Buddha is also a talented combat soldier, and
with the help of Cipher and Burner is capable of securing
any ground target Colonel Kelly requests.
Though Buddha did, as mentioned, join the military like
his ancestors, he did drive a wedge into the family by
choosing a different branch-his other male relatives were
Army men, while he is a Marine. This did not prevent him,
however, from absorbing his family's prejudice against
women in the military-a prejudice that almost blinded him
to "the best thing that ever happened to him," Captain
Annalisa Lindstrom. Originally, Buddha believed that
Stinger had no right to sit in a Huey's cockpit, much
less fly one. As time wore on, though, he began to lose
that sexism-and it was precisely then that he realized
how attractive Stinger was and how much he cared for her.
Fortunately, they were both able to be stationed at
Quantico following the deactivation of the Sea Dragons,
and despite some hardships, their relationship blossomed.
Eventually, Buddha asked Stinger to marry him, and she
happily said yes.
Buddha is extremely dedicated to his former teammates,
and though he is somewhat distrustful of the former
Flying Bandits, he grudgingly puts his distrust aside for
the sake of his friends. Loyal, efficient, and the best
at what he does, Buddha is an excellent officer.
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