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Richard LaCroix | |
|---|---|
| |
| Anatomy | |
Race |
Human |
Gender |
Male |
| Political | |
Affiliation |
|
Occupation |
Corporal |
Corporal Richard "Doc" LaCroix is the medical officer of the Roughnecks, Doc is laid-back and patient. He and Goss act as the comic relief of the show at times, playing off each other's jokes amidst a folly of Bug drones. Doc is the assigned pilot for the "King Kong" cargo Marauder exoskeleton.
History
Little is fully disclosed about the Roughnecks' medical officer. Along with Lt. Razak, Sgt. Brutto and Cpl. Gossard, Doc is one of the seasoned veterans of the Bug War at the start of the series. He has tended to various troopers during missions including Pvt. Johnny Rico, Pvt. Carl Jenkins and Lt. Razak. He has shown himself to be an avid scientist as he has on occasion analyzed new bug species, including identifying the properties that allowed Imposter Bugs to switch from bug-to-human forms. He explained that was an inherent trait passed on by the infected Lt. Barcalow (who had devolved into a bug after his infection).
Doc was injured during a battle on Klendathu fought in trench-warfare fashion. A Blister Bug spat its corrosive toxin at a retreating Doc who was unable to escape the line of fire. The toxin burned through his power suit, compromising his air supply. Pvt. Flores and others were able to stop the acid but still needed to purify the air within Doc's power suit. This required making a trip to another trooper trench-line to borrow an air filter. While Doc waited, he jokingly said he would "try not to breathe". Dizzy Flores jokingly replied "doctors make the worst patients". Ultimately, Pvt. Rico and Lt. Ibanez were able to retrieve a spare air filter, returning in time to purify the air supply in Doc's suit.
Doc's personal history is never fully elaborated on. He mentioned once during a mission in San Francisco, he had a friend from medical school who had a family living in the area that was the target site of a SICON bomb-drop (later aborted).