Jack's military background

[CynVision]

Re: Jack's mil Hx

Originally posted by Rowan
Don't worry, Cyn. Tom has all the time in the world to spare. The Air Force pays him to stand around and talk. :}

My keen sense of embarrasment was from the fact that a fan fic writer was taking up his time. :blush: I'm just a fic writer with the bad habit of wanting a character I was writing to have a realistic background, instead of hazing it over like the show writers did with Jack. I'm sure he had more fun commiserating with people like Gail and yourself about the military idiosircancies.

 

[Rowan]

Jack, etc

>>The third way... ouch. Msgt. Giannazzo told me but I forgot. Rowan? Promotions? exceptional merit? uhmm?<<

Well, there's always the 'direct appointment as dependant of Congressional Medal of Honor reciepiant'. That's a straight chot to the Academy, do not pass go, do not collect $200. I don't think that's what he meant, though.

he was probably refering to what we in the Army call 'Green to Gold' - a program to allow an enlisted person to earn their degree *and* go to Officer Training Academy while still on active duty as an Enlisted member. However, I don;t think any of thise programs were around when Jack came in.

And I can't see him as a "Maverick' or 'Battle Field' promotion [you get called into see you CO and get told. 'Congratulation, Sergeant... you're noewa 2nd. Lt. 3rd platoon is yours.'] That pretty well ended with Viet Nam. And they generally didn't happen at all in the Air Force - usually the Army and the Marine Corps [ground forces]. The manpower loss wasn't as great in that branch of the service.

The 'Nam era ended July of 1975 [I missed it by 4 months on my enlistment - I joined when I was 23]. It's 2002 now, subtract 45 from that and you get 1956-57 as the possible year of Jack's birth. If he fudged on his birth date [like my husband did to get in the Nat'l Guard at 16], that would put him in basic in 1973 at 16 years old. I can see where it 'might' work, but it just doesn't hold up under the pressure of a canon story line for Jack having been in Special Operations situations for as long as he has... especially as an member of the Air Force where there would be little reason for him to put in those situation in the first place.

Part of me has always wondered if he wasn't a 'turncoat' [not used in a bad way, honest!] - someone who joined one branch of the service and then branch transfered to another. Say... Army to Air Force {I almost did it once...]. I could build a much more plausable back story that way.

As for Jack's degrees: my guess would be at least a Bachelor's in 'Military History' via college ROTC [another commision route] and a Master's in 'Military History and Tactics' from West Point - Command and General Staff College. Now... thoses would be considered the simpelest route to go, especially for a writer to use. If you want a degree in another field, well... Your Milage May Vary. :blush:

Row

 

[catgirl]

Wow, you're smart Rowan!!!!! And thanks Cynvision!! I think Jack would probably have taken the easiest and shortest route to get whatever he wanted- he strikes me as just a tad imapatient It's really awesome that you got to into the military!! I kinda wish that I could do that here in Canada, but I'm way to much of a scaredy-cat, and I don't think that my family would be to ecstatic if I did even if I could work up the nerve. I admire your bravery.
Maybe he did go "turncoat". He seems to like being in dangerous situations. Remember the time when Teal'c says that O'Neill seems more apprehensive of this hearing than of battle and O'Neill replies "I prefer battle, actually".
I'm not pretending to know anything, and I hope that all will excuse my ignorance. I still just like to talk about, and read about, etc., my favorite character, and his possible past.


Catgirl (meow)

 

[Rowan]

People's histories

Thank you for you comments, catgirl. I don't know that I've ever seen myself as brave... after all, I joined the medical corps and back then, there wasn't much chance of women being in the sort of situations I found myself in more and more as I promoted.

My original reason behind joining was simple. I was a good medical care provider and I wanted to do something for my country and the men and women who protected it. As both my parents did before me in WW II.

I suppose there were ways I could have gotten out of going. Sad to say, there were those who did. But... for all those years [at that time 15...] I had 'accepted the King's Schilling' and had given my word of honor that I would 'uphold any and all lawful commands given to me by my superiors'. To have done less - WWll, I don't think I could have looked myself in the eye if I hadn't gone.

[BTW: The 'King's Schilling'. Back in Old England, the Royal Navy would go from tavern to tavern recruiting sailors by placing a new schilling piece on the table and putting a mug of beer or ale on top of it. To join the Nacy, you picked up the mug, drank the beer and accepted the 'King's Schilling' - they signed you up on the spot.]

We all have our reasons. And sometimes the road can be very rocky. But dispite all the various things that happened as I walked down the road in Army green, I truely have no regrets in the end.

Rowan

 

[catgirl]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Medical Corps or not, what you did was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catgirl (meow)