Welcome to the third edition of the column, The Life Stories of Higher Command Members of Armies. In this post, we shall be getting to know Austin, who is currently a Second in Command in the Army of Club Penguin. As an individual who has been around in the community since 2014, he has a lot of experience in armies and has even led some of them during his time here.
Austin, more commonly known by the name AustinFraud, joined the army community in 2014 by being recruited into the Rebel Penguin Federation. However, after attending some of their events, he would leave the Rebels to join the Nachos. Soon, Club Penguin announced its closure, but when Club Penguin Online came about in 2018 – Austin rejoined armies once again, his first army being the Pirates. His time in Pirates was extremely brief as in less than a day of joining, he decided to move over to the Aliens. At Aliens, he made it to Fourth in Command before he decided to create his own army, the Athletes.
Athletes during Austin’s leadership
He led the Athletes for quite some time before the army merged with the Elites. After serving as a Vizier (Leader In Training) in the Elites, he went on to lead the 8th and 9th generations of the army in December 2020, standing by them through their war with the Redemption Force. However, the army would close its doors soon after, during which Austin decided to revive Dark Champions and lead it for a brief period.
Elites Closing Event where the army maxed over 60
Shortly after this, he was offered an invitation to lead a new generation of Fire Warriors when Sweater decided to revive the army in February 2021. Under his leadership, the army flourished and grew to a great extent having achieved quite a lot of accomplishments, which included getting high positions in Top Tens. The army also took part in March Madness VI, where the Warriors maxed more than 33 in their first round against the Silver Empire. All throughout his time with the Fire Warriors, the army became a force to be reckoned with and even competed against armies like the Rebel Penguin Federation, the People’s Imperial Confederation, the Water Vikings, and the Templars in practice battles. However, Austin decided to retire from the army on August 23, 2021. A post about him, introducing him, and highlighting his army career can still be found on the official Fire Warriors website.
Fire Warriors max 33+ in March Madness 2021
In February 2022, Austin would once again make a comeback to the community, this time as one of the Head Judges of Club Penguin Armies Judges. As a Head Judge, he was responsible for reviewing, appointing, and releasing Judges and Judges in Training within the organization, and helped update and maintain the Judging Guidelines. He also served as one of the judges for March Madness VII, Legends Cup XII, and the Beach Brawl Tournament before retiring from his position of Head Judge on October 7, 2022.
Austin retires from the position of Head Judge
At the end of 2022, Austin joined the Army of Club Penguin as a troop. He was quickly able to climb through the ranks joining their staff team in January 2023. Given his work ethic and immense efforts to help out the Clovers, he was soon welcomed to the Higher Command team of the army, being promoted to the rank of General (Third in Command). On March 21, he received his promotion to Field Marshal (Second in Command) and was also inducted as the Commander of the AUSIA Division of the army. Currently, he holds this position in the army alongside Coolguy.
A recent event of ACP led by Austin
This is what, Calgocubs21, the current Commander in Chief of the Army of Club Penguin had to say about Austin when he was promoted to Second in Command in the army –
I’d like to talk about an HCOM member who has consistently been my crutch to lean on since he joined our team in early January. Austin took on the challenge of growing our AUSIA when I called upon him to answer our call to arms during our SWAT war. Without hesitation, he quickly made himself known within our team and took it upon himself to always show initiative in his work. Austin’s exceptional performance leading during this tournament has signaled to me that he is ready to take the next step up as a Field Marshal (2ic). Not only did he go above and beyond for us in preparation for the tournament, but on the battlefield, he either tied or won every single room that he led. This is not a rank I hand out quite often as I believe it should be reserved only for those who have earned my trust, earned my respect, and shown qualities becoming of a leader. In fact, only one other staff member has served as a 2ic under my tenor. I congratulate you Austin on all your achievements thus far and I look forward to working with you more closely as my right-hand man.
We, at Club Penguin Armies, had the opportunity to have a conversation with Austin and get to know more about him.
You have been HCOM at the Army of Club Penguin for three months now. How does it feel to be a Higher Command of a renowned army like the Army of Club Penguin?
I continue to be delighted to be a part of ACP HCOM. The ACP community is unquestionably one of the friendliest ones out there, and I consider myself fortunate to be a part of it. It’s simple to fit in and I feel valued because the members and staff are friendly and inclusive. For me, being a member of the ACP HCOM has been a tremendously rewarding experience. I take great pride in having the chance to make a more significant contribution to ACP. It is encouraging to see the teamwork that goes into making ACP a thriving community. I consider myself fortunate to be able to return some of what has been given to me to the community.
Could you share some of the memorable days/times in your army career so far?
The most memorable moment of my army career was when my army, Fire Warriors, proved to the entire community that we should not be underestimated during a March Madness tournament battle against Silver Empire. That battle gave me the thrill of leading a battle that I will never forget. In addition, the recent MM tournament battles with Water Vikings and RPF gave me the same rush as before.
Has this journey from being a troop in the army to a member of higher command changed you in any way as a person?
My initial plan was to begin in ACP and work my way up to HCOM. This type of mentality is extremely rare in the community; no one will put in the effort to work their way up the ranks. There are numerous reasons why this is uncommon, but what I can say is that being a troop is a lot of fun. I believe I have humbled myself because there is no way in 2021 I would have considered flying through the troop ranks to become a leader, and I would never accept anything less than being a leader.
According to you, what is the best part about being an HCOM?
Personally, I consider HCOM to be the leader’s wings. ACP HCOM practically makes decisions alongside the leader and has leader-like responsibilities. It’s as if the HCOM and leader are leading the army with the staff being the backbone and I feel like that’s the best part of being ACP HCOM. This type of system is uncommon in most armies because HCOM are viewed as another set of staff members rather than leaders if that makes sense.
What are your plans personally with the army, and what do you wish to achieve in the army?
Because I am an ambitious individual, I aspire to have the most powerful AUSIA division ever seen in an army. With my AUSIA division, I want to break all records. This goal appears to be a huge challenge, but my team and I are willing to do the impossible. Another major goal of mine is to add a prestigious trophy to our trophy cabinet. I also want ACP to have the friendliest and most welcoming communities out there.
What would your advice be to the people who are working towards getting HCOM?
Work hard for it, and you will feel great and honored to be an HCOM in ACP. But please remember to have fun while doing it, because if you’re not having fun, don’t do it, quit it, and do something that you truly love and gets you excited.
It is certain that Austin has come a long way since 2014. He has not only shown how hardworking and dedicated he is on innumerable occasions but his journey at large has also made him a humble and trustworthy person, who many look up to. We cannot wait to see all that he is yet to do and achieve for himself and his army. From the whole of Club Penguin Armies, we wish Austin and the Army of Club Penguin, the very best in all of their future endeavors.