Alan "Dutch" Schaefer
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- "If it bleeds, we can kill it."
- ―Dutch (from Predator)
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Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer was the leader and sole survivor of a private military team hired by the U.S. military and the CIA for a rescue mission in the Central American country of Val Verde in 1987. After discovering that their mission was a set-up to dupe them into eliminating the rebels in the area, Dutch's squad came into contact with a Predator that stalked and killed the elite mercenaries one-by-one.
Dutch was a specialist in guerrilla engagements and had been posted in both Da Nang and Cambodia during and after the Vietnam War, alongside George Dillon. He was one of only two survivors of the encounter in Val Verde, the other being guerrilla Anna Gonsalves.
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Biography
Early life
Dutch attended boot camp with Davis in 1967 and had a brother in the NYPD. He served in the Vietnam War alongside his close friend George Dillon, seeing action at the Battle of Hue. At some point during the war he was captured and brutally tortured by the Viet Cong. The prolonged interrogation eventually caused him to become resistant to pain. Prior to events in Val Verde, Dutch left the United States Army and set up his own private military company, mainly recruiting other US Army personnel.[1]
Dutch's team saw operations in Afghanistan and, more recently, Berlin, Germany. A notable condition of employment for Dutch and his men was that they only ever operate as a rescue team, and he refused to take on any mission where the prime objective was the elimination of enemy personnel, such as a proposed operation in Libya that he turned down.[1]
Mission to Val Verde
In 1987, Dutch and his men were deployed to Guatemala in Central America, meeting there with George Dillon, who now worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. The team had been hired for a mission to rescue a Guatemalan cabinet minister and his aide, who had been kidnapped by guerrilla forces in neighbouring Val Verde. After discovering several US Army Special Forces soldiers skinned and hanging from the trees, including Dutch's old friend Jim Hopper, Dutch and his men assaulted the guerrilla camp where the hostages were being held, wiping it out in short order, although the hostages were already dead.
Dutch quickly deduced the "cabinet ministers" had actually been CIA agents, and after confronting Dillon he learned the mission had been a set-up from the beginning — the agents had been captured reconnoitring for an attack, and after Hopper's team vanished while attempting to rescue them Dillon created the cabinet minister story to manipulate Dutch into destroying the guerrillas. Angered that a once close friend had betrayed him, Dutch and his men made for their extraction point, although Dillon ordered them to take along the sole surviving Guerrilla, Anna, as prisoner.
Last stand
It soon became clear something was stalking Dutch's team. Despite Dutch's improvised attempts to kill the creature, including an elaborate ambush involving traps constructed from the forest itself, over the next 24 hours Hawkins, Blain, Mac, Dillon, Billy and Poncho were all killed, leaving just Dutch and Anna alive, the latter apparently spared because she was unarmed. After sending Anna on ahead to the extraction helicopter, Dutch made a stand against the Predator that had hunted his team, although he was quickly outmatched and lost most of his equipment in a desperate escape over a cliff and down a waterfall.
After constructing improvised traps and weapons, including a bow, spears and several incendiary grenades, and covering himself in mud to mask his thermal signature, Dutch confronted the Predator. Though the creature fell victim to a number of Dutch's traps, they failed to kill it, and eventually Dutch and the Predator faced off in a hand-to-hand duel. Despite Dutch's impressive physique, he was no match for the Predator, only surviving when he managed to lure it underneath the counterweight for one of his traps, triggering it and causing the huge log to crush the creature. The Predator, mortally wounded, activated its Self-Destruct Device and Dutch narrowly escaped the resultant explosion, eventually being picked up by the extraction helicopter.
Disappearance and legacy
Dutch disappeared shortly after being rescued from Val Verde and giving his account of the creature he fought in the jungle. Several years later, Dutch's older brother would encounter the Predators while searching for him.[citation needed]
In certain circles, it seems Dutch's story became legendary. Ten years later, Peter Keyes would make mention of the team's encounter with the Predator whilst he and his OWLF taskforce attempted to capture another Yautja in Los Angeles. Likewise, Isabelle told the individuals stranded with her on the Game Preserve Planet about Dutch and his team, including the mission to Val Verde and details of the creature that stalked and killed them.
Personality and Traits
- "We're a rescue team, not assassins."
- ―Dutch, on turning down the mission to Libya (from Predator)
Dutch was an intelligent and resourceful leader, and was both liked and respected by the men under his command. His extensive experience in the military had made him gruff and battle-hardened, but at the same time he was always sure to protect his team from unnecessary risks, and always adhered to his strict moral code to only undertake rescue missions.
In battle, Dutch was a lethal combatant, both aggressive and inventive, often improvising and adapting to great effect. Physically he possessed incredible prowess, able to lift huge weights single-handed, although he was still no match for the Predator in unarmed combat.
Equipment
Dutch carried an M16A2 with an underslung M203 grenade launcher as his primary weapon in Val Verde. He also had a Desert Eagle as a backup sidearm, although he never had a chance to use it. In addition to his firearms, Dutch carried an array of hand grenades and satchel charges, as well as a large combat knife for close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.
After losing virtually all of his equipment escaping from the Predator, Dutch constructed a torque bow from materials found in the forest, along with an array of arrows and spears. He used the warheads from two 40mm grenades that he had left to create an explosive-tipped arrow and spear, while he used the propellant to create several leaf bombs.
Trivia
- Schwarzenegger was originally going to reappear as Schaefer in Predator 2, but the actor declined the role, citing his previous bad experience on the sequel Conan the Destroyer and his dislike for the city-based concept as reasons not to commit. The role was eventually rewritten as Peter Keyes.
- In the 1994 game Alien vs. Predator there is a character that goes by the name of Alan Schaefer. In the game he is shown wearing a mechanical arm and is described as being a cyborg. Although they share the same name they are largely regarded as two different characters; some have speculated that the Schaefer in the game is actually a clone of the one in the film, although there is no official confirmation on the matter. The Schaefer cyborg is possibly a reference to the movie Terminator, in which Schwarzenegger starred as the titular Terminator cyborg.
- A picture of Alan "Dutch" Schaefer appeared on the packaging for the NES game Contra, along with an image of John Rambo from the Rambo franchise. Contra is about human military soldiers battling extraterrestrial beings.
Appearances
- Predator/novel (First Appearance)
- Predator: Concrete Jungle (mentioned only)
- Predator 2/novel/comic (mentioned only)
- Predator: Cold War (mentioned only)
- Predator: Dark River (mentioned only)
- Predators (mentioned only)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jim Thomas, John Thomas (writers) and John McTiernan (director). Predator [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ↑ Predator Concrete Jungle
