Starship Troopers

by

Robert A. Heinlein

Fleet Sergeant Ho Character Analysis

Fleet Sergeant Ho is the face of Federal Service at the recruiting office where Johnnie, Carl, and Carmen volunteer. He’s a proud combat veteran of the M.I., where he lost both his legs and most of his right arm. It’s his job to scare away as many people as he can who volunteer without fully understanding the weight of that decision.

Fleet Sergeant Ho Quotes in Starship Troopers

The Starship Troopers quotes below are all either spoken by Fleet Sergeant Ho or refer to Fleet Sergeant Ho. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Militarism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2  Quotes

“I,” we each echoed, “being of legal age, of my own free will—”

“—without coercion, promise, or inducement of any sort, after having been duly advised and warned of the meaning and consequences of this oath—

“—do now enroll in the Federal Service of the Terran Federation of not less than two years and as much longer as may be required by the needs of the Service—

[…]

“I swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the Federation against all its enemies on or off Terra […]

“—and to obey all lawful orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Terran Service and of all officers or delegated persons placed over me—

“—and to require such obedience from all members of the Service or other persons or non-human beings lawfully placed under my orders—

“—and, on being honorably discharged at the completion of my full term of service […] to carry out all duties and obligations and to enjoy full privileges of Federation citizenship including but not limited to the duty, obligation, and privilege of exercising sovereign franchise for the rest of my natural life.”

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Carl (speaker), Mr. Dubois, Fleet Sergeant Ho
Related Symbols: Terran Federation
Page Number: 42-43
Explanation and Analysis:

“I just got my orders.”

“For what?”

“Mobile Infantry.”

His face broke out into a big grin of delight and he shoved out his hand. “My outfit! Shake, son! We’ll make a man of you—or kill you trying. Maybe both.”

“It’s a good choice?” I said doubtfully.

“A good choice? Son, it’s the only choice. The Mobile Infantry is the Army. All the others are either button pushers or professors, along merely to hand us the saw; we do the work.”

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Fleet Sergeant Ho (speaker)
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:
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Fleet Sergeant Ho Quotes in Starship Troopers

The Starship Troopers quotes below are all either spoken by Fleet Sergeant Ho or refer to Fleet Sergeant Ho. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Militarism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2  Quotes

“I,” we each echoed, “being of legal age, of my own free will—”

“—without coercion, promise, or inducement of any sort, after having been duly advised and warned of the meaning and consequences of this oath—

“—do now enroll in the Federal Service of the Terran Federation of not less than two years and as much longer as may be required by the needs of the Service—

[…]

“I swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the Federation against all its enemies on or off Terra […]

“—and to obey all lawful orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Terran Service and of all officers or delegated persons placed over me—

“—and to require such obedience from all members of the Service or other persons or non-human beings lawfully placed under my orders—

“—and, on being honorably discharged at the completion of my full term of service […] to carry out all duties and obligations and to enjoy full privileges of Federation citizenship including but not limited to the duty, obligation, and privilege of exercising sovereign franchise for the rest of my natural life.”

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Carl (speaker), Mr. Dubois, Fleet Sergeant Ho
Related Symbols: Terran Federation
Page Number: 42-43
Explanation and Analysis:

“I just got my orders.”

“For what?”

“Mobile Infantry.”

His face broke out into a big grin of delight and he shoved out his hand. “My outfit! Shake, son! We’ll make a man of you—or kill you trying. Maybe both.”

“It’s a good choice?” I said doubtfully.

“A good choice? Son, it’s the only choice. The Mobile Infantry is the Army. All the others are either button pushers or professors, along merely to hand us the saw; we do the work.”

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Fleet Sergeant Ho (speaker)
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis: