GI JOE #53



Marvel 25th Anniversary cover. Personally, I hated that idea, as most of them looked the same, which kind of summed up my reaction to their books, by that stage. The interiors all looked alike and it wasn't a style that grabbed me, nor did most of their plots.

Mike Zeck's perspective is kind of wonky, on the Uzi, as it seems caught between being a profile image or a 3/4 view and achieves neither. At least the proportion is right, as some artists drew an Uzi as big as a rifle (Frank Miller, in Dark Knight) and others as small as a pistol (there were two other versions of the Uzi: the Mini-Uzi, which was designed for use by security types, with a smaller frame and side folding stock; and, the Micro-Uzi, a bulky pistol-sized version, for easy concealment).

Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Rod Whigham & Andy Mushynsky-art, Joe Rosen-letters, George Roussos-colors, Bob Harras-editor, Jim Shooter-scarfing down cake, at the party.

Synopsis: After last issue's stand-down of the GI JOE Program, an inspection team is at the Pit to tour the facilities The team consists of General Ryan (who appears to be serving in the US Navy, in the 1960s), General Hollingsworth (in correct Army uniform) and Admiral Dyson, who appears to be from some foreign navy, where they have sleeve braiding and shoulder board insignia......



He's also got his warfare badge in the wrong spot.

General Ryan (who is somehow still serving, with an eyepatch, instead of being medically discharged), question the lavish technological expenditures, to "counter a bunch of terrorists who dress up in Halloween costumes." Hawk argues and even General Hollingsworth points out that Cobra is considered a national threat. Ryan isn't buying it and uses footage to illustrate that the JOE Team decimated Springfield, but turned up n proof of Cobra activity, which Hollingsworth refutes with images of Serpentor and abandoned Cobra HISS tanks, at the airport......



Wait....so, based on that badly drawn Globe and Anchor, I am supposed to believe that Ryan is a Marine Corps general?

BRAVO SIERRA!

(That's BS, for you civilians....or, to put it another way, waste matter from the male of the bovine species)

Meanwhile, the effete mama's boys of the Chaplain's Assistants School are horrified by the ruffians who have been quartered with them....



Has Larry Hama ever heard of Father Duffy?

Two of the Chaplain's Assistants flee the scene and run into a transport group, who ask for directions to the motor pool, to deliver spare parts....



Spirit Iron Knife overhears, from the window, and thinks something smells fishy in Lakota Country.

Elsewhere, Flint is attempting to fraternize with an enlisted woman, Lady Jaye, when she pulls him to the ground and then bursts his bubble to point out Cobra Eels emerging from the bay....



The transport unti pulls into the motor pool garage and Zartan and the Dreadnoks get out of their cover disguises, while Serpentor oversees the unloading of Cobra BAT combat androids. They are sent down into The Pit.

Down below, the security system alerts the flag officers (general and admiral) to the threat from above. Hawk activates a counter measure in the elevator platform that brings it to a halt and then drops the bottom out, sending the androids to the bottom of the shaft, 50feet below. However, the damaged units still function and carry out their attack, pinning the committee down. Hawk breaks out weapons and arms the desk jockeys. General Hollingsworth lays down covering fire, with an M60, while the others fall back. Somehow, the paunchy middle aged general is firing the heavy weapon with one hand on the pistol grip and no sling or support to carry the weight of the machine gun, while he feeds the belt with his other hand.

Outside, Flint does his macho routine, to impress Lady Jaye and dives headfirst into the squad of Eels, to distract them, so she can escape.

The generals continue fighting, with Ryan firing a LAW rocket at the BATS and Admiral Dyson firing an M-16, with M203 Grenade Launcher. The BATS transmit data to Cobra. Destro says they lack initiative and need human leadership and reinforcement and Cobra Commander interrupts Serpentor, in taking the lead, and demands to lead his forces, which is granted and he is joined by Destro. Spirit Iron Knife observes, from outside, through the window. Quick Kick and Cross Country are with him. They are surprised by Lady Jaye, who alerts them about the Eels. They split up to arm everyone and keep tabs on the command group.

Cobra Commander and his troops rappel down the elevator shaft and spread out. They spot the defenders and CC demands that Hawk be left to him.

Outside, Flint appears to be down, but he is playing possum and he disarms an Eel and goes for more.

Cobra Commander dispatches a BATS suicide bomb, strapped with explosives, down the stairwell and Admiral Dyson throws himself on it, to let the others get away. Hawk slams the blast doors shut, protecting them from the resultant explosion.

The NCO in charge of the Chaplain's Assistant armory doesn't believe the guys and refuses to break out weapons, until the bloody Flint turns up and orders him to do it.

The generals are in the lower levels, making for the escape tunnel, which leads to the camp water tower. Ryan notices the support pillars and comes up with a plan to rig explosive charges to destroy them and bury Cobra Commander and his troops under the rubble. Hawk and Hollingsworth provide covering fire, while he rigs the charges.

Above ground, the JOEs assault the motor pool and the Dreadnoks and Serpentor return fire. However, they have no line of retreat.

Down below, Ryan is hit and tells the others to move, while he detonates the charges.



The Cobra force breakout on a tanker truck and plow through the main gate and away from Ft Wadsworth. General Hollingsworth and Hawk emerge from the water tower to view the mopping up. Hollingsworth tells Hawk that the JOEs have proven their value and he reactivates them. The Pit is destroyed and Hollingsworth tells Hawk that they will have to become a mobile force, to eliminate them from being targeted easily.

Thoughts: Well, that wraps up things quite neatly, as The Pit is gone, but the JOEs survive, to gain an new HQ, though the suggestion is that it will change, frequently. That will create a logistics nightmare. The only truly mobile force in the US military is the United States Navy, as a carrier battle group can go anywhere in the world and carry out operations, complete with amphibious landing forces and supply ships to carry ammo, food, and other supplies. Only problem is, despite the world being over 70% covered by water, not all of the land is accessible, from the sea. You have to establish a beachhead and then move inland and build bases, along the way. It was a little easier job, in the Pacific, than in Europe, in WW2, as witnessed by the fact that Henderson Field was landing F4F Wildcats within two days of the Marines taking it, at Guadalcanal, while it was months before the Allies had air bases in France, after the Normandy landings.

I'm pretty well fed up with the depiction of the Chaplain's Assistants, in the comic. it is done for comic effect; but, it's pretty damn insulting. Makes me wonder if Hama had a bad experience with a chaplain, during his service. Maybe it is a general disdain for rear echelon soldiers; but, Chaplain's Assistants are combat trained and are armed in the field. Their job is to protect the chaplain. Since 2015, they have been redesignated as Religious Affairs Specialists. They carry out normal military duties, so long as they do not inhibit their assigned activities to provide religious support, including weapons training and field exercises, maintenance duties, and other assigned duties.

Hama's depiction also borders on the homophobic. It is never stated, but the stereotyped depiction suggests similar stereotypes of gay men as effeminate "wilting flowers." the truth is that homosexuals have served in every war in US history and probably every armed conflict in world history and have done so with bravery and distinction, just as their heterosexual counterparts. Hama doesn't outright engage in homophobic jokes, but the jokes he does use are close enough to the mark that he should have been taken to task. However, that wasn't going to happen from Shooter and probably not most of the editors in mainstream comics, at the time. Maybe one or two would have suggested something different. Had this series been done in conjunction with the Department of Defense, I suspect they would have taken a dim view of the stereotypes, though not for the same reasons and not in support of actual gay soldiers. Not in 1986, anyway.

I don't know where Mushynsky and Roussos are getting their reference material, but General Ryan is not wearing any Marine Corps uniform I ever saw. This is the US Marine Corps working uniform.....



Note that the uniform consists of forest green jacket, trousers and camp, with khaki shirt (either a soft garrison cap or peaked combination cover). Since 2013, female Marines wear the same cover as the men. At no point did they wear a khaki brown service uniform or other shade or brown.

The Globe and Anchor is very poorly rendered, even for a comic book panel. In a long shot, it wouldn't matter; but, the close-up of General Ryan calls for a better rendering.

Admiral Dyson is seen wearing his Service Dress Blues, with double breasted jacket. he is also shown with gold braid sleeve rank insignia and shoulderboard insignia. Shoulder boards are not worn on the Service Dress Blue Jacket; they are only worn with the Service Dress White (aka "Choker" White, with the high collar) and the revived Service Dress Khaki Jacket, as well as the Summer White uniform (the "ice cream" uniform). Service Dress Blues consist of navy blue jacket and trousers (gold buttons for officers), necktie, and a white dress shirt, with epaulets. On the epaulets of the white shirt are worn soft shoulder insignia, to indicate rank while not wearing the jacket, in an indoor setting. The Navy doesn't expect you to be working at a desk with the jacket buttoned up, so it can be removed while working indoors. Gold sleeve braids indicate rank on the jacket, with full and or half stripes indicating rank, as follows:

Ensign-single full stripe
Lieutenant (Junior Grade)-one ful stripe, one half stripe
Lieutenant-two full stripes
Lieutenant Commander-one half stripe between two full stripes
Commander-three full stripes
Captain-four full stripes
Rear Admiral (Lower Half)-one wide stripe (twice the thickness of the lower ranks)
Rear Admiral-one wide stripe, one half stripe
Vice Admiral-one wide strip, two half stripes
Admiral-one wide stripe, three half stripes.
Admiral of the Fleet-One wide stripe, four half stripes
(Note: Admiral of the Fleet can only be bestowed by act of Congress and is usually reserved for wartime, in a joint command structure, to lend authority to unified commanders)

Shoulder boards have the same basic structure, except for admirals, where it is a wide gold strip, running the entire length of the shoulder board, and the width, with stars indicating flag rank, from one star for Rear Admiral (Lower Half) to 4 stars for Admiral. Lower ranks also have a gold star, to indicate an officer, while midshipman shoulder boards have an anchor, to indicate their status as cadets.

Jim Lee made a similar mistake in the first issue of Deathblow, where he had a Naval officer in Service Dress Whites, with sleeve braids (white uniforms do not have sleeve insignia for officer ranks) and shoulder boards; plus, the character was wearing glasses, but was supposed to be a Navy SEAL (who have to have 20/20 vision, to qualify, like pilots). These days, there is no excuse for making these kinds of errors, with the internet; but, even in the 80s, you could contact the local recruiting office and get a uniform reference chart or at least go down to the office and snap a picture of one. This isn't down to matching the mistakes of the toys; these weren't toy figures.

General Ryan's eyepatch is also ridiculous. An injury like that would likely result in a medical discharge, especially in that era. This is not WW2, where combat experience is essential and certain disabilities would lead to a desk job, to maintain the expertise. In the 80s, there was enough competition to fill any flag spot. The officer in question, if carrying an expertise of great value, might be made a DOD employee, as a civilian, after a medical retirement. It is possible that there are examples to refute my assertions, but I never saw any during my 8 years of service, nor heard of one.

No idea whether the name Ryan is an homage to Pat Ryan, of Terry and the Pirates, or just a coincidence, as Ryan is a common Irish surname. Might have been a reference to someone at Hasbro or Marvel, or just a friend of Larry Hama. Same for Hollingsworth and Dyson.

Now, the other egregious offense, though it is a potentially accurate situation. Flint is a warrant officer and Lady Jaye is an enlisted sergeant (E5). The Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Army Regulations specifically ban the fraternization of officers an enlisted, under penalty of court martial. That doesn't mean it didn't happen. In fact, it was more common with warrant officers than other officer ranks. Warrant Officers are usually enlisted soldiers promoted to that rank because of technical expertise. It is not uncommon for warrant officers to be more comfortable with chief petty officers and senior petty officers than commissioned officers. It tends to create a sort of grey area, though not when it comes to romantic relationships. It is always classified as fraternization and an offense. Officers are expected to lead and to maintain a certain impartiality to their subordinates and a romantic relationship prejudices judgement. That's the theory, anyway, with a ton of evidence to support that. Still, put men and women (or gay men and women) together, in close working conditions and human nature happens. I served 6 months temporary duty on a destroyer tender, one of the few ships to carry women in the crew, and they had a previous incident with a male warrant officer and a female enlisted sailor. Meanwhile, after I left the ship and returned to my regular assignment, I learned that a female ensign, from that ship, was relieved of duties and working at the Group HQ, awaiting disciplinary action for striking a subordinate and fraternizing with an enlisted chief petty officer. She and her chief had been engaging in a romantic relationship and a sailor made a crack about it and she slapped him. There are no secrets aboard ship, so it was stupid behavior on their part and her reaction to the remark was further indication of poor judgement. She hadn't been commissioned for even a year and was likely to be administratively discharged from the Navy. I have no idea how it turned out, as I left the Navy before her court martial. I seriously doubt she was found innocent of the charges. It was too clear-cut situation.

All of that said, the scene also reflects a major issue within the US military of the period: sexual harassment by a superior officer or non-com. Sexual harassment of female enlisted was a serious problem of the US military, in the 1980s and early 90s, with a history that stretched back into the 70s and before. Women served in greater numbers, in integrated commands, compared to previous decades, when they would serve in limited numbers, primarily in clerical and medical capacities, at military installations. Starting in the 1970s, women were integrated more into commands, in a variety of support functions, though not combat. In the Navy, they could serve on non-combatant ships, like auxiliaries (supply ships), bot not submarines, aircraft carriers or warships. That began to change around the time of the Gulf War, as women were allowed to fly on and off aircraft carriers and were soon being added to other classes of ships, with separate berthing compartments (something impractical on submarines, though I don't know if that is still the case). The issue started getting more and more attention just before I graduated college and we had to watch a training video on the subject, as a midshipman and the command was going to have its first female Commanding officer, following my graduation and commissioning. The video dealt with blatant harassment, which didn't do much to address entrenched attitudes and sexist behavior. After the Gulf War, the Tailhook incident further hammered the problem home.

The Tailhook Association is an "unofficial" organization of Naval Aviators, started in 1956. It gained popularity during the Vietnam War and it held an annual convention for members. There had been longstanding concerns about conduct of members at these conventions, including while in uniform, with activities that included lewd behavior. This had included strippers and prostitutes, nudity and sexually aggressive and drunken behavior. In 1985, after their convention, protests were lodged by senior officers after they witnessed conduct they felt crossed the line. That resulted in a crackdown at the following convention, but it was soon back to business as usual. In 1991, they held their bigegst gathering, to celebrate the victory in the Gulf, calling it the "Mother of All Parties." Attendance was greater than seen in many years and the behaviors were out of control, at all levels. There were hospitality suites with strippers, activities such as Leg shavings for women and the infamous gauntlet, where women were forced to walk down a line of men, who groped them repeatedly along the way. Making the situation even worse was that there were other conventions going on, in the same complex and there were large groups of civilian women in attendance, who were harassed by these groups of naval officers. Servicewomen were also harassed, including the female aid to an admiral. She reported the incident to the admiral, who dismissed the behavior and told her to get over it. She wouldn't take it and filed a complaint up the chain of command. Civilian women filed criminal complaints, which ended up turned over to the military. A Congressional Investigation was launched, which documented over 80s individual acts that constituted court martial offenses. In the end, most were dispensed with in Captain and Admiral's Mast, and any brought to trial were referred back to Admiral's mast, with no punitive actions rendered by a court and nothing stronger than fines and letters of reprimand placed in service records. Admiral Kelso, the Chief of Naval Operations, who was present at the convention, was forced to resign as was the Secretary of the Navy, Henry Garrett, after criticisms of the Navy's investigation of the incidents.

The admiral's aid, Lt Paula Coughlin, resigned from the service in 1994. After bringing charges up the chain of command and seeing little response, she went public with her accusations. In a meeting with President Bush, he expressed sympathy and promised a full investigation and reckoning. She met with Sec of Defense Dick Cheney who told her that he had fired the Sec of the Navy, and implied it was her fault. She faced retaliation for bringing forth her accusations and sued the Tailhook Association and the Las Vegas hotel, for inadequate security. Her status as a public whistleblower had great impact on her ability to find work in the public sector and she ended up owning and operating her own yoga studio.

Hama is trying to add an element of romance, as with Snake Eyes and Scarlett; but, it is impractical for members of a special operations team to be romantically involved, even if it were allowed. It affects their judgement and creates dangerous situations where they act in response to their partner, rather than in response to demands of the mission or the situation, even more than an endangered colleague.

GI JOE Special Missions #2



Clutch is using a sporting version of the Uzi, with longer barrel, which could only fire semi-automatic, without being (illegally) altered. I don't know what Roadblock is firing, because it looks like the love chil;d of the Browning M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun and the M1919 .30 cal light machine gun. The latter was used by infantry units, for theirt machine gun section, up through Vietnam, where it was replaced by the M60 General Purpose Machine Gun (inspired by the German MG-42 GPMG, of WW2 fame. The .30 cal wasn't light; but, it could be humped around, while an assistant gunner carried the tripod (and some had bipods mounted, for lower profile firing. The .50 cal was usually mounted on anti-aircraft platforms or heavy vehicles, like tanks or half tracks and they were too heavy to haul through marches and set up. You might set them up in special positions, to shore up a line of defense, as with Korean War and Vietnam emplacements, such as a firebase or a Special Forces A-Camp. Most of what you see in WW2 movies is the .30 cal, even on jeeps, like in the tv series The Rat Patrol. They had some early shots with .50 cal mounted on the jeeps; but, for the bulk of filming, they were .30 cal, with modifications to make them look more like the .50. As it was, in the first season, the Patrol carried Spanish Star Model Z-45 submachine guns, which were derived from the German MP-40, both for German characters and the heroes, until they had enough Thompsons, for later episodes (they shot in Spain, for the first season).

Recondo is firing his grenade launcher, which does not match any model I recognize, but has some features like the Federal Riot Gun, an old grenade launcher, developed by Federal Laboratories, in the 1930s, for use by police and military, with tear gas grenades. It could also fire non-lethal projectiles, like rubber anti-riot slugs or beanbags.

Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Herb Trimpe-art, Phil Felix-letters, Bob Sharen-colors, Bob Harras-editor, Jim Shooter-typewriter-launcher*

*(Allegedly)

Synopsis: Hawk briefs the team on a new mission, showing them slides of a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft, embedded in a glacier, in Greenland. It was discovered by a routine patrol and news of it flushed out a Nazi war criminal, Dr Otto Totenshcadel (Skull), a poison gas researcher, who used concentration camp prisoners for experiments.



He claims to know about the bomber's mission and how to safely deactivate the cannisters of nerve toxin within. The plane could break off and fall into the sea, in which case the toxin could be released into the air and move southward. He wants amnesty in exchange for deactivating them. Two teams are tasked. Snowjob leads a team, consisting of Airtight, Alpine and Breaker, to secure the plane and deactivate the cannisters. Clutch, Recondo, Roadblock and Dial Tine are tasked with meeting up with Totenschadel, in Brazil, without his Nazi pals getting wind of it. So, pack your samba records!



We catch up with Clutch and his team, as they conduct a recon of Totenschadel's compound, in the jungle. It has barbed wirre fencing, watch towers, searchlights, armed guards and dobermans. Clutch sounds a bit cranky and Roadblock asks him about it and he relates the story of his little grandmother, with a tattoo on her arm....



Suffice to say, Clutch isn't happy about any mission to make a deal with a Nazi.

Clutch's anxiety is increased when they are surprised by a group of armed men, who are definitely not Nazis. Recondo identifies their leader as a Morrocan Jew and the others as sephardim (Mediterranean) and concludes they are a MOSSAD team. Their leader compliments them and says they are too scruffy for Delta Force and not weird enough for SOG, so they must be the GI JOE team.

Um, SOG hasn't existed since the Vietnam War and issue 31 of GI JOE pretty much said they were Delta (specifically, Special Counter Terrorist-Group Delta, Codename GI JOE).

The leader, Ibrahim, makes the JOE team drop theirr weapons and Recondo starts to object and reveal mission data; but Roadblock cold-cocks him and maintains mission security.

Inside the compound, Totenschadel hears something and is jumpy. His watchers assure him that he is in safe hands, with the sons of the SS, the "elite of the New Reich".

Bunch of punk-@$$ $%^*$es, just like all the rest of the mouth-breathing Aryan-wannabes.

Elsewhere, in Greenland, the Arctic team is ferried to the glacier via their spiffy new utility helicopter, the Tomahawk, which looks more like a CH-46 Sea Knight than any of the Blackhawk family of helicopters.



They debate rappeling from the helo onto the plane, but the rotor-wash would put too much pressure on the Condor's wings. Landing on the ridge isn't practical, as there are fissures that look sketchy and could turn into fractures, with the weight, causing the ice to break and the plane to crash into the sea. They decide to insert further inland; but, due to the inclines, Lift Ticket (the helo pilot) decides to winch them down (faster for them to rappel, in a group). They debark and the Tomahawk heads back to the USS Flagg to refuel and await the extraction signal.

Breaker and Snowjob remain at the top of the glacier, anchoring Alpine and Airtight, as they rappel down to the plane. Snowjob wishes they had more time to have head a heavy lift helo bring in a tracked snow cat and use power winches to lower themselves to the plane. Just then, they hear tracked vehicles and spot a Cobra force, in HISS tanks, headed for their position. Firefly is leading the Cobra force.

In Brazil, the rains set in and Ibrahim and Clutch debate about Totenschadel. Ibrahim and his team have tracked him for 8 years and he relates his crimes against his people. Clutch reminds him that they "they" are his people, too and Ibrahim remarks he overheard Clutch's story. He questions how Clutch can broker a deal with such a man, knowing that and says Totenschadel is likely lying, to save his skin. He then notices the poncho that was thrown over the unconscious Recondo hasn't stirred, yet he should be awake. he lifts it and finds Recondo go. We cut to the compound, where he is infiltrating the perimeter wire...



He breaks into the villa and finds Totenschadel, who requests him to sit and bargain.

Back in Greenland, Cobra attacks, but without guns, as they don't want to lose the plane. They intend to crush the JOEs under their treads. Breaker throws a grenade, despite the avalanche danger and the his tank slips on the blast crater and starts heading over the edge and Firefly and his men abandon tank.

Back in Brazil, Totenschadel relates how he was forced to come to the SS compound, for protection from Ibrahim and Recondo asks how much money he wants for the disarming codes. He scoffs at money and shows Recondo the gold bullion, taken from the Reich treasury. He wants protection from the Israelis.

Outside, Ibrahim has Clutch and Roadblock tied up; but, Clutch convinces them to release them, to join in the assault on the compound, to get to Recondo and Totenschadel. Ibrahim believes that they will still try to follow their orders and Clutch says they can face off after eliminating the SS boys. Ibrahim cuts them loose.

In Greenland, Alpine and Airtight reach the plane. Alpine finds the flight log and reads the records, while Airtight bypasses the anti-tampering systems, to neutralize the gas. Alpine finds something interesting, in the last log entry, when he is interrupted by a Cobra viper, who is hanging onto the face of the glacier and decides to take the JOEs with him.



The viper unleashes a barrage, as he falls and a shot hits one of the tanks. Airtight tells Alpine to get his respirator on (he's not already wearing it?!?) and hope that it is a binary agent.

In Brazil, the combined MOSSAD and JOE team assault the compound. The "elite of the New Reich" turn out to be a bunch of armchair soldiers and are easily driven back by trained and experienced soldiers, who have fought against long odds. Hans, leader of the SS men, finds Totenschadel dealing with Recondo. Totenschadel says to meet his new protectors, as Ibrahim and Clutch enter the room.

In Greenland, Airtight confirms that the gas is a binary agent, requiring a second compound to mix with, to create the lethal weapon; but it is highly flammable and volatile and a spark could engulf them in a conflagration. They decide to vent that mixture to get it to dissipate rapidly in the air.

Firefly pins down Breaker and Snowjob, while two vipers rappel down the glacier face. Airtight and Alpine exit the Condor, just ahead of Cobra. Breaker and Snowjob drop into a crevasse, causing Alpine and Airtight to be hauled up rapidly, as the Cobra vipers land on the aircraft, causing it to break loose and fall into the sea. They haul Breaker and Snowjob back up and Breaker gets on the radio to the Brazil team.

Dial Tone passes on a message about the gas being neutralized, but says Alpine wants to speak to Clutch. He takes the handset and his expression changes. Totenschadel hears them say the gas has been neutralized and gets edgy. Clutch then relays a story, about two Condor aircraft, one carrying nerve toxin for a raid, and the other taking gold, taken from concentration camp prisoners, to Argentina, for safekeeping. Totenschadel was in the gold plane and faked an emergency lading, due to hydraulic trouble.



He killed the other crew and then flew to Argentina and screwed over his comrades to live the high life. Totenschadel demands they honor the bargain and Recondo and Clutch do, forcing the Israelis to march out. However, Clutch adds a little wrinkle to the bargain....



He leaves Totenschadel to Hans and his men and they hear gunshots, as they exit the compound.

Thoughts: Excellent story, with an exciting and suspenseful mission, as we have a ticking time bomb, with the nerve gas, and a deal with the devil, in Brazil. For the first time, the series addresses Clutch's Jewish heritage, as he relates the story of his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. He has to find a way to fulfill his mission and his orders, and honor her memory. Luckily, the flight log in the Condor gives him the way out, as it reveals Totenschadel's treachery. The JOEs uphold their bargain, with the agreement of the MOSSAD team, and leave Totenschadel to the tender mercies of his fellow Nazis.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor wasn't exactly a bomber, though it was used in such a role. It was originally designed to be a trans-oceanic commercial arliner, for Luft Hansa, though, like the Junkers Ju-52, it could easily be converted and was. it's 2000 mile range made it perfect for maritime patrol and commerce raiding and it was used to spot and attack convoys and initially inflicted heavy losses on Allied shipping, in the North Sea. However, the Allies used special catapults to launch Hawker Hurricane fighters from specially adapted merchant ships, to attack such bombers, before the pilot would ditch in the sea, near the convoy (for pick-up). Then, as escort carriers became available, the Allies could field more fighter aircraft to protect the convoys and conduct aerial reconnaissance. The Condor's were also used to launch the Henschel Hs-293 guided missiles, against maritime targets. Such a plane, with modified tanks, could reach New York, as a pre-war example did, flying from Berlin to New York, in just under 24 hours. The plane was also used as Hitler's personal air transport, with a modified unarmed prototype converted into a luxury aircraft for him.

At no point does Larry Hama identify the aircraft beyond the Condor name (so-called because of its large wingspan). My guess would be because Focke-Wulf might not reproduce well, with the cheaper comic book printing, even in 1986. It wouldn't take much for the O to look like a U and lead to all kinds of headaches, for Marvel and Hasbro.

The MOSSAD team is not far-fetched, as the MOSSAD has fielded agents throughout the world, hunting down war criminals and terrorists. MOSSAD agents located and kidnapped Adolf Eichmann, in Argentina, bringing him to Israel to stand trial for his crimes, as one of the senior officers in charge of the "Final Solution." MOSSAD teams were also responsible for locating and exterminating Black September members, involved with the Munich Massacre, where members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and executed, during a firefight at Furstenfeldbruck airbase. The Morrocan Jew is also not fanciful, as their were other Jewish people across North Africa, including a large group in Ethiopia. In fact, in 1984-85, the MOSSAD carried out two operations, Operation Moses and Operation Joshua, to evacuate Ethiopian Jewish refugees from the region, with the aid of the US government. In 1961, the MOSSAD also carried out operations to evacuate Moroccan Jews...like Ibrahim.

The story mixes elements of thrillers, like Ice Station Zebra and The Boys From Brazil, where competing groups race against each other to reach their target. In Ice Station Zebra, they are after spy satellite footage, which came down near an Arctic drift station. A US submarine is tasked to effect a rescue of the personnel, trapped at the station, after a fire (in the novel). They end up in a stand-off with Russian paratroops and fighter support aircraft. The Boys From Brazil features an amateur journalist and Nazi hunter who uncovers the location of Dr Josef Mengele, who has been carrying out experiments and headed a project that placed several babies with families with very specific criteria. Friends of the journalist and Ezra Lieberman (based on Simon Wiesenthal), a famed Nazi hunter, track down the children and discover a conspiracy to murder the boys fathers. Liberman discovers the boys are nearly identical in appearance and personality and uncovers their true parentage. In that story, the SS also send out murder squads, to kill the fathers, then also target the journalist and others. They call off the operation, but Mengele refuses to halt the experiment and finds himself a fugitive from his comrades. You could also add The ODESSA File, a Frederick Forsyth thriller about a German journalist who comes into possession of a diary, of a Holocaust survivor, identifying a German industrialist as a former SS officer and war criminal, known as "The Butcher of Riga." The journalist tries to follow up the story and is nearly killed; but, a MOSSAD team, trying to get close to the man in question, recruit the journalist to infiltrate the ODESSA, under a false identity as an ex-soldier, whose identity as a war criminal has been uncovered. Together they work to place him near the industrialist, but for different reasons.

You can't go wrong with Nazi legacies of evil, as it was the bread and butter of 1960s action-adventure tv series, like The Man From UNCLE, Mission Impossible, The Saint, Department S, and The Avengers.

So, two excellent stories in a row. I like this series, so far, as it gives a chance to highlight the specialties of various team members, in missions which are generally realistic in scope. It contrasts well with the more fanciful main book, especially as it has evolved to reflect more of a battle between super soldiers and super terrorists, with the flamboyant Cobra officers and wilder and wilder plots. It has transformed into SHIELD vs HYDRA, with HYDRA more like the Silvermane cell, in Daredevil #120-123, where there were supervillain section chiefs for different HYDRA specialty sections, as well as the Japanese anime series, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, aka Battle of the Planets and G-Force, Guardians of Space. In the Japanese original, the alien terror force, Galactor, the field commanders all had fanciful uniforms, like supervillains, including their leader, Berg Katse. They are then opposed by the Science Ninja Team, aka Gatchaman, who wear special bird-themed outfits that let them glide on air and have enhanced physical abilities and weapons and vehicles. This is more like a special operations version of the DC war comics, with some more fanciful characters, but still a relatively serious plot.

Next, we switch back to the regular book, then return to Special Missions for a Middle East mission, with Slipstream (the new X-30 Pilot), Ace, Stalker, Leatherneck and Crankcase, as they revisit the Arab nation seen in the back-up story, in the firt issue of the main series.

ps The Tomahawk was a poor choice of names, by Hasbro, as the military already had a Tomahawk: a ship-launched cruise missile, as used to devastating effect during the Gulf War. Regardless, it is about time they put ot a utility helicopter toy, as using the Dragonfly in a role beyond a gunship was getting ridiculous. Now, Cobra needs a helicopter that doesn't look like Little Nellie, in You Only Live Twice. Kind of hard to look threatening in an open-air cockpit!

GI JOE Special Missions #3



Someone hotwired the A-Team's van!

Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Herb Trimpe-art, Phil Felix-letters, Bob Sharen-colors, Bob Harras-editor, Jim Shooter-clock is ticking down.

Synopsis: We are in the Middle East, somewhere, as an American mercenary pilot (ah, so this is Asran...where's Shin Kazama?) meets at a cafe, with covert JOE Team members Leatherneck, Stalker and Slipstream. The city is filled with APCs moving troops, as the waiter says rebels are attacking the city and fighting is about to erupt in the streets. The mercenary pilot, Deke, passes a map tot he JOEs, with SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) sites marked on it.



Deke was an Air Force pilot, shot down over North Vietnam and had a stay at the Hanoi Hilton. He returned home to be classified as too unstable to fly, killing his military career and any chance of flying civilian jets. He jumped at the chance to aid the JOE team. However, the waiter is an informant for the secret police. A report is given to Col Sharif, who is in charge of defenses. He orders their arrest.

Deke is hauled in an interrogated and gives up the location of the JOE team, who are in a garage, outfitting a van with armor and armament. Stalker radios the SAM site coordinates to Ace, who is leading a strike force of US Navy A-6 Intruder attack bombers and Air Force F-111 Aardvark fighter-bombers and ECM (Electronic Counter Measure) aircraft. The Navy will hit the base, the Air Force the SAM sites.

Deke is made to sign a confession, but he impales the hand of the chief of the secret police with the fountain pen and escapes.

The A-Team...I mean JOE Team, breaks out of the garage and fights their way through Sharif's men.....



The police chief revealed that there is a hidden SAM site, not on the map and Deke tries to relay that information to the JOEs. The JOE team races to the air base, to hit it in time with the air strike.....



An officer tries to scramble the mercenary pilots, but they refuse and are shot by him. Stalker and his grew go after their real objective: stealing a Soviet Yak-36 VTOL fighter.....



Slipstream helps himself to a nearby Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO codename: Condor) transport aircraft, which is big enough to hold the Yak in its cargo bay, with the wings folded. The grunts get it on board, while Slipstream familiarizes himself with the flight manual....in Russian. The strike aircraft begin their bombing runs and Deke races to warn them about the hidden SAM battery. He spots a Mig-21 Fishbed fighter aircraft and swipes it. Slipstream is able to start up the engines and start taxiing the aircraft, just ahead of the F-11 attacking the parked row of Condors....



They get airborne and learn that Deke is at their 9 O'clock, providing escort. The hidden site fires a missile and they deploy chaff, while Deke breaks hard left. His aircraft is unarmed, but he is able to neutralize the SAM threat anyway.



Thoughts: Exciting and realistic mission that would make a great thriller novel or movie, as well. At various times, efforts have been made to get ahold of enemy aircraft, for study. During WW2, a Mitsubishi A6m Zero crash landed on soft ground, killing the pilot instantly, but leaving the aircraft mostly intact. His wingman thought he might have survived and went against doctrine to destroy downed aircraft. The plane was discovered by an American slvage team and was taken for study, at NAS North Island, in San Diego. There it was test flown to learn its strength and weaknesses, which aided in developing tactics to fight them in air combat (along with experience gained in China and during the Battles of The Coral Sea and Midway). During the Korean War, the Mig-15 proved highly effective and a bounty was placed on the recovery of one. In April of 1951, a downed model was spotted, near the Chongchon River and a team was flown in to photograph it and recover portions of it. To get an intact aircraft, the US offered $100,000 to anyone safely bringing one in. A Polish pilot brought one in to Denmark. US experts photographed and examined it, before it was returned to Poland, as per international agreements. Noth Korean pilot NoKum-Sok landed his plane an Kimpo Air Base, claiming he was unaware of the bounty (though he resettled in the US). Chuck Yeager flew the aircraft and evaluated it, considering it a dangerous "flying boobytrap," because of its handling characteristics.

Th Soviets did have a VTOL fighter; but, Larry Hama and Herb Trimpe are on different pages. The Yak 36 was an experimental plane, with a blunt nose section. What Trimpe has drawn is the operational Yak-38 "Forger." The aircraft was flown by Soviet Naval Aviation, off of Kiev-class VSTOL carriers.....



The Yak-38's airframe and general design greatly copied the Hawker Siddley Harrier, though the mechanics and avionics were much different. In theory, they were a multi-mission fighter-bomber, capable of providing combat air patrol and attacking surface and land-based targets. In practice, however, the aircraft were rarely out of line-of-sight with their mothership and their effectiveness in a dogfight was considered dubious, at best. The USMC already possessed the Harrier, which was vastly more capable than the Yak, with more powerful engines and advanced avionics. Stealing a Yak would hardly reveal anything NATO didn't already know. Still, it sounds cool, for an adventure plot. Not quite as sexy as Clint Eastwood stealing the Firefox; but, Marvel didn't have that kind of budget...or imagination.

Deke makes for an interesting character, reminding us that most POW pilots did not fly again, for the military and that mercenary soldiers come in many types, though you don't get many pilots, since most governments that resort to mercenaries don't have aircraft to provide them. More often, they fly converted aircraft or outdated models. In the Congo, during the Congo Crisis and the siege at the village of Jadotville, where Irish peacekeepers held off attacking Katangese gendarmes and French mercenary soldiers (drawn from the Foreign Legion and commanded by Legion officer Roger Faulques, on detached service, but with the tacit approval of the French government). The Katangese were supported by Fouga Magister trainer aircraft, converted for ground attacks, but flown by Katangese pilots. Technically, the Flying Tigers of WW2 were a mercenary force, though that was more a cover, due to US neutrality laws, than actual fact. Almost all the pilots were recruited from the Army Air Corp and Navy and Marine Corps Aviation and served on detached service, with many, such as Greg "Pappy" Boyington rejoining the US military, when the US entered the war.

The Japanese manga Area 88 centered around a civil war in the fictional Middle Eastern/North African nation of Asran (or Aslan), with the government recruiting mercenary pilots, who serve a one year contract and receive bounties for every kill. They can buy out of their contract with a million dollars, cash. They are, however, responsible for their own maintenance, fuel and ammunition, except for government-sponsored missions. In the story, Shin Kazama, a young pilot and graduate of an international airline pilot school is tricked by rival Kanzaki, into signing up to serve int he mercenary air force, getting him out of the way to roamnce the daughter of the head of Yamato Airlines and take Shin's place as the best pilot. Kanzaki moves up in the company, while also reducing safety to pocket savings, and tries to woo the love interest, who is in love with Shin. Shin wakes up from a drunken night to find that he is now a soldier in the war and has to survive a year of combat or rack up enough kills to earn a million dollars and buy out of his contract. He hates the killing, but thrills at flying and is the top ace there. The series was one of the earliest manga imports, in the US, with translations by Studio Proteus and published by Eclipse Comics (before Viz finished the US run, but only part way into the series) A trio of anime OVAs were produced and there was a later tv series, which returned a character from the manga, who was eliminated in the OVAs. The creator, Kaoru Shintani, was an aviation enthusiast and filled the series with all kinds of aircraft, including Migs, Mirages, A-4 Skyhawks, a Harrier, a Saab Viggen, Thunderchiefs, an F-14, and Israeli KFIRs. Shintani had been an assistant to Leiji Matsumoto, who introduced a character in Captain Harlock, Yattaran, based on the young plane enthusiast.

Based on the name Col Sharif, we can assume that this is the same nation as seen in GI JOE #1, in the back-up story, "Hot Potato."

The air strike depicted is obviously inspired by Operation El Dorado Canyon, the US bombing of targets in Libya, in retaliation for terrorist attacks on US servicemen, at a Berlin disco. Targets in Tripoli and Benghazi were simultaneously attacked, including the personal compound of Col. Muammar Gaddafi, by a combined strike force of A-6 Intruders, from the USS Coral Sea and F-111 fighter bombers, based in the UK. The Air Force was involved because the Coral Sea couldn't provide enough aircraft and bombs for all of the targets. The F-111s were denied overflight of France, Spain and Italy and planes were not allowed to fly from European bases. The UK-based aircraft flew along the coast of France Spain and Portugal, before turning at the Straits of Gibraltar. This necessitated in-flight refueling, from KC-130A tankers. The strikes were successful, though Libya claimed that the US killed Gaddafi's adopted daughter. Research since that time has thrown into question whether she ever existed, let alone died in the raid. However, the raid proved controversial and the claims of a dead child led to protests, including a peaceful display inside the Armory, at the University of Illinois, where I was going to school and training in the Navy ROTC. We had been briefed to avoid confrontation with the protesters and carry on with our studies and, for the most part, there were no issues. However, at one point, some student protesters manning the display (which included a doll in a casket), were a bit more aggressive in their protest and called a pair of Marine options "babykillers." One of the Marine options took immediate offense and was about to retaliate, when the other, with a cooler head, grabbed them and walked them away, telling them it wasn't worth losing their scholarship and they both knew it wasn't true. As it was, the Univ of Illinois' student population, in 1986, tended to skew conservative, as the bulk were from the Chicago suburbs and upper middleclass families, and there was little mass support for Leftist protests, during that period, unlike the 1960s and early 70s, during the Vietnam War. As it was, the protesters were told to leave by the university after a couple of days, as they were trespassing on the building (though it was open to the public and student population, during daytime hours). There were no other major protests or any flashback at the administration. This was the Reagan 80s, in the heart of Reagan country. Similarly, a shanty town erected to protest the university's investment in Apartheid South Africa was mostly exposed to ridicule and deaf ears from the public and administration.

I was always skeptical of the government's use of military force and public justifications, but also was well aware of the evidence that Libya was sponsoring terrorism around the globe and providing safe haven for training camps. As it was, the US had been playing a game of "chicken" with Libya, in the Gulf of Sidra, where Gaddafi claimed a border that was well beyond international conventions and the US Navy regularly sailed into, to provoke a response from Libya, including an incident just weeks before the air strikes, with 4 Libyan naval vessels sunk or crippled and SAM sites destroyed, after Libya fired missiles at US warships who crossed their "Line of Death." A lieutenant I worked with had been assigned to a cruiser, that was deployed in response to the Libya provocations and was stopped, in Virginia, for speeding, as he was trying to get back to base, as a trooper saw a Virginia license plate on the vehicle and a New York driver's license (the driver was from Queens and purchased the car in Virginia). He thought he was going to mess with a Yankee, possible car thief, until the lieutenant showed his military ID and explained he had to report back to his ship and they were deploying to the coast of Libya. The trooper gave him back his license and told him to "...go kick ass."

Gaddafi put down an internal rebellion, in relation to the aftermath of the strikes, but, he got the message and kept a lower profile, though, in 1988, two Libyans were involved in the planting of a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. One was convicted and the Libyan government accepted responsibility.

These incidents also influenced part of the plot for the movie Top Gun, especially the third act, where the carrier is deployed and pilots briefed on hostile encounters, ultimately leading to the dogfight where Maverick engages the enemy Migs (F-5 Tiger II aircraft) and saves Iceman.

So, this is like a summer reunion, for me.

Next, back to the fantasy stuff.

It amuses me how fiction can often conflate things, e.g. steam trains being seen in fiction at times when they were long gone, or police shows being set in one city (implied or not), but having a uniform which definitely isn’t part of that city.

I guess sometimes it’s deliberate, e.g. the timelessness of Batman: TAS. Other times it’s probably about plot convenience or lack of research.

It’s very different from your example, but when I watched Police Academy 3, two academies in the same state had vastly different uniforms. The academy run by Lassard (George Gaynes) had LAPD-style uniforms and flat caps; the academy run by Mauser (Art Metrano) had military-style uniforms and berets. Now, expecting logic and the like in a Police Academy film is a fool’s errand, but when I revisited the movie as an adult, it did make me smile. I’m no expert, but I’d have thought two academies in the same state (and in proximity to each other, so most likely the same city) would have had the same uniform.

GI JOE #55



Holy Cobra-spit!

Also, in honor of the double nickles.....



Creative Team: Larry hama-writer, Rod Whigham & Andy Mushynsky-art, Joe Rosen-letters, George Roussos-colors, Bob Harras-editor, Jim Shooter-tick-tock, tick-tock

Synopsis: Destro is able to locate the emergency escape tunnel, from the Pit. There's just one problem, it's filled with rubble. Cobra Commander screeches out a whine about it being unfair.

Hey, all's fair in love & war!

CC starks freaking out and tries to dig through the rubble. Destro decides to let him work it off and searches around for an alternative.



Wouldn't you know it? There just happens to be a new drilling machine, parked right there. I bet the keys are in it and it has a full tank of diesel!

Meanwhile, above ground, at eh Admin Office, Grunt receives his DD-214 and says sayonara to Uncle Sam!



Hawk and Duke are there, to thank him for his service and congratulate him on being accepted at Georgia Tech (Boo! Go Dogs!) and say goodbye to Mr Robert Graves, civilian. Clutch meets him at the bus stop and gives him a salute, as the bus pulls away.

Meanwhile, in Sierra Gordo, Snake Eyes is blocking Dr Mindbender's Thought-Image Simulator. Baroness recommends a more analog method, like thumbscrews or bamboo shoots under the fingernails. They are distracted by the local junta whining about counter-revolutionaries attacking and Baroness sends Tomax and Xamot to handle it.

In the Pit, Destro sure enough finds the keys and starts up the drilling machine and points it upward and they eventually emerge in a mall, outside a toy store that sells Flaming Carrot and Astro-Boy toys....



On Cobra Island, Serpentor outlays his plans for the future for Zartan, including a new consulate building, in New York.....



In the mall, Destro and CC help themselves to clothes and sunglasses and false beards, to disguise themselves and end up looking like a Merry-Go-Round store threw up all over them....



Remember the Merry-Go-Round stores? Damn Ernst & Young!

Tomax and Xamot check up on the counter-revolutionaries and discover they are being led by the JOE team. Inside the Terror Drome, Dr Mindbender finally figures out that Flint's face is a rubber mask and pulls it off, then loses his lunch when he sees Snake-Eyes' face. Baroness recognizes him, but they are interrupted by word of the JOE-led attack and have to go prop up the defenses.

CC is able to hotwire a yellow Corvette and he and Destro.....



CC can' drive 55, either and they get a state trooper on their tail, but CC tells Destro to relax, as he has his real driver's license, with his given name and falsified papers from the dealer showroom, where they stole the car. It turns out that CC used to be a used car salesman, before he went into more legitimate enterprises, like terrorism.

In Sierra Gordo, Low-Light is using a tranquilizer gun to take out specific Cobra vipers, so that the JOEs can take their uniforms and infiltrate the Terror Drome. Guess Larry Hama never read the novel version of The Wild Geese!

Back on the highway, the trooper thinks CC looks familiar and then recalls where he has seen his face....



It seems little Billy survived the car wreck (minus a leg and an eye) and he had CC's picture on him.

In Sierra Gordo, the counter-revolutionaries breach the perimeter and Cobra recalls their troops. Baroness and Mindbender head for a waiting helo and she notices aviper with an M-16/M203 combo (rifle and grenade launcher), noting it wasn't standard Cobra issue. The viper claims to have captured it and she is impressed, detailing him to guard their prisoner, in the lab. He goes to find the lab and runs into a Viper who saw Viper Wilson go down and Leatherneck decks him. He locates the lab and Snake-Eyes and calls the others, who help unhook him, get him a covering for his face and get him out.

The Cobra helo is preparing for dust-off, when the twins spot the JOEs leaving the Terror Drome. One of them opens fire with a door gun and Stalker is hit in the chest.



Leatherneck pops a 40mm HE round into the helo and it's bye-bye birdie!

The JOEs head into the tree line and Stalker orders them to leave him and get moving, as Cobra reinforcements arrive. Snake Eyes takes Low-Light's Starlite scope and Leatherneck's M-16/M-203 and tells them to take Stalker down the trail, while he fights a holding action. Stalker tries to order them, but is told he was relieved, when he became disabled. Snake Eyes engages the Cobra troops and unleashes havoc.....



Back in the states, CC and Destro are brought to Billy and CC laments his bad parentage. Destro tells him to let it go and look to the future....



Thoughts: A nice blend of character development, with Destro and Cobra Commander, and action, in Sierra Gordo. Will Stalker survive? Will Snake Eyes? Well, yeah, duh, in terms of Snake Eyes. He is the most popular character and one of the best-selling toys. Stalker is 50/50.

The Cobra Consulate is all kinds of ridiculous as why would the US government agree to Cobra setting up a consulate, let alone have diplomatic relations with them or recognize the sovereignty of the island? Ask Cuba about all of that!

An interesting twist to things, though barely scratched, is Grunt leaving the JOE team and the Army. Grunt, by the very nature of his call sign, is the most faceless of the JOEs, someone who existed to fill out the numbers, without special equipment or training. Now, he gets to represent an ex-soldier's life, which Hama will further explore. During this period, a lot of people enlisted in the military for the Montgomery GI Bill, which provided money for a college education (you made out an allotment and had money deducted from your pay, and the military matched it). Others, like me, got a military-funded education up front, then paid back the obligation via a term of service, equal to or greater then the length of their degree program (longer for additional training, like pilots, special warfare, or nuclear). My father finished his college education with the 1950s GI Bill, after enlisting, with a couple of years in college under his belt (and turning down OCS). Even now, one of the provisions of No Child Left Behind is that struggling schools must allow military recruiters on school campuses, unless parents specifically bar them from speaking to their children (the parent has to take out an order, not the government ask permission to speak to the child.....gotta love America, sometimes). This is the Reagan 80s, when military enlistments were booming and things like Pell Grants were taken away, to be replaced by Guaranteed Student Loans. You want a college education and don't come from wealth and privilege or qualify for a scholarship, you can either go deep into debt (with the government guaranteeing the bank they will get their money back, no matter what) or you can join the military, survive, and get an education....provided things like PTSD or unexplained health problems don't interfere. Ask some Gulf War and War on Terror vets about that....or the previous generation of Vietnam vets (or even WW2 & Korea vets).

I was sent to the US Navy Supply Corps School, for 6 months, after being commissioned, to be trained in my job. At that time, it was located in Athens, GA, across town from the Univ of Georgia. That town took its footbal seriously. The Georgia Bulldog was painted on the bottom of the swimming pool, at my apartment complex. I bought some items at the local K-Mart and my receipt said, "Go Dogs; beat X". We had a bachelor party, in Atlanta (that's where the strip clubs were), for one of my classmates and came back the next day, and crept our way into town, as we had forgotten that it was the weekend of the Georgia/Georgia Tech game....their biggest rivalry. Took us an hour to move a distance of about a mile and a half. Nothing like being hung over and stuck in near motionless traffic, where all you want to do is get home and crawl into bed.

I double-checked the toys and no drilling machine, which is probably why it is never identified, by name.

Re; The Merry-Go-Round stores. For you young-uns, the Merry-Go-Round was a trendy clothing store, favored by the young and somewhat fashionable, located in your average mall. They used to run tv ads, with Slade's "Cum On Feel the Noize" (not the Quiet Riot remake)...



For women, you had better options in clothing, within size limitations. For guys, you were further limited, if your inseam was less than 34, like me. The sales people were on commission and I found that the males tried to steer you to more expensive clothes, regardless of things like the inseam issue (look dude, the crotch is hanging at my knees!) and the females tried to help you find things that suited you. I used to buy shirts there, for going out on liberty, and belts, as my usual attire was a collared shirt, blue jeans, boots and maybe a jacket, depending on the weather and locale. At that time, their jackets were all Ike-style, with short waists, which didn't suit a short person, nor were they professional enough for military functions, with civilian attire. I had a guy try to sell me Cavaricci pants and I told him to go find me another salesperson. Unlike MC Hammer, I did not dress like a genie!

The company went out of business after taking rather self-serving advice from Ernst & Young, the people who put out tax guides every year, when they were trying to reorganize, and they ended up in bankruptcy liquidation. it led to a lawsuit against Ernst & Young (Devan vs Ernst & Young), which resulted in the largest single defendant settlement in the history of the state of Maryland. Ernst & Young concealed its relationship with the law firm Swidler & Berlin, who recommended them to Merry-Go-Round, to handle turn-around accountancy. The lawsuit accused Ernst & Young of assigning incompetent junior advisors, thereby sabotaging reorganization efforts, under Chapter 11, resulting in the company filing for Chapter 7 liquidation. Ernst & Young admitted no wrongdoing, but settled for $135 million.

That is why I never bought or recommended their tax guides or bought services from them.

A DD-214 is a military discharge (Form DD-214, with the DD standing for Department of Defense), which a servicemember receives, upon discharge, officially returning them to civilian life. There is a provision, though, that you can still be charged under the UCMJ for offenses committed, within a limited window, upon discharge. So, if you op on your motorcycle and do donuts on the commanding general's front lawn, you are going to face military justice. You wait a week and then do it, though you first have to get access to the base. You will still be arrested and charged for trespass and destruction of government property, but will be tried in civilian court.

In the story, Hama mentions a "201 file." That is your military service record (File 201), which contains copies of all your previous orders, your awards, schooling, qualifications, disciplinary history and discharge. All of this is then turned over to you, though copies remain at the Personnel Center for your service. I have mine sitting in an envelope, in a drawer. I have used my DD-214 twice, once for veteran financing on my car (to take advantage of lower prices, as I paid off the loan in 4 months, since I had the cash to buy it outright, but couldn't get it for the same price, because new models were scarcer). and once when I applied for a job with the state of Illinois (waste of time and effort, without political connections). It also included my official photo, taken while at Supply Corps School. I was in shape, back then, though I did suck in my gut just a little. I can't inhale that deeply, anymore. Too much gut, not enough diaphragm.

The M-16/M203 looks like this.....



It's in an over-and-under configuration, with the M203 Grenade Launcher mounted on the underside of the M-16 barrel. To fire, you use a grenade sight (situated just behind the triangular front sight)and grip the magazine of the rigle and the underside of the grenade launcher tube, and pull the tripper. A firing pin ignites the primer in the 40 mm grenade round, which ignites the propellant charge, sending the projectile in an arc, to the target. There are different types of rounds available, including HE (High Explosive), fragmentation, anti-personnel, tear gas (CS), and white phosphorous (WP). A well armed grenadier can hold off an entire platoon with the right mix of rounds and still has a rifle that can shoot at targets. There is a modified version for the M-4 rifle, to fit its shorter barrel, adding to the compact firepower. I got to fire one, at Camp Pendleton, during Marine Week, on my CORTRAMID (Career Orientation Training for Midshipmen) summer cruise. I fired two rounds HE and one anti-personnel, which is basically a 40 mm shotgun shell, as it fires steel pellets. The fragmentation round is a bit different, as it is essentially wire, wrapped around an explosive charge, that turns the wire into fragments that spread out, in an arc, at high velocity.. Either one will F you up.

Next time, more Special Missions, as the JOE Team tangles with the Oktober Guard again.

ps A "quad .50" is a heavy weapon that consists of 4 .50 cal machine guns mounted on a rotating turret, to provide anti-aircraft fire, though they also are used for heavy weapons support for infantry.

I think it is mostly down to Trimpe wanting to draw a Catalina, but, the possibility of them recovering the Firebat at sea might have dictated that.  Still, there is no way you could get the Firebat, as depicted, inside the Catalina's hold, without dismantling it; and, yet, it appears intact.  Maybe if the Firebat was in sections, but it really required a bigger aircraft.

The other problem is where are the JOEs operating from?  It would have to be the Philippines or Thailand, I would think; possibly Australia but that would be a longer haul.  Same for South Korea, Taiwan or Japan.

That's one of those things that pops into my head, with Hama's penchant for starting things in the middle of an action scene.  It's not important, overall, to the story; but I'm a story guy and that's where my brain goes, in this kind of thing.  You could take the example of Escape From New York.  The film pretty much drops you into things, without much of a prologue (except the opening graphics and narration setting the premise of New York City as an island prison).  Air Force One goes down, the USPF scramble, are warned off by Romero, then Hauk has his recruiting pitch and briefing with a newly arrived Snake Plissken.  The novelization was based on the shooting script and included a bank robbery, at the beginning, carried out by Snake and an accomplice.  They hack their way into the control system for the trans-continental underground rail system and head west, but get caught in the terminal, at their destination.  This is how Snake is captured.  That footage was filmed, but edited out.  When I watched the film, I always wondered where those scenes were, especially after reading that they were filmed.  When they put out the Special Edition DVD, it included the prologue sequence, with upgraded finishing (it was also originally included on the laserdisc).  After watching it, I understood why John Carpenter cut it.  It starts out slowly and builds; but, it would definitely slow the pace of the film down, right at the start.  By cutting it, you are thrown into things and you have the idea of a ticking clock introduced, which keeps the suspense up, through the film.

With Hama's material, I get that he is trying to grab the audience from the start; but, sometimes, I am more curious about what happened before, than after.