"...Stop chewing
that gum!"
—
General Flagg
|
Breaker
was born
in Gatlinburg,
Tennessee. When he was ten years old, he was interested in Ham radio
and began to learn other languages so he could talk to everyone when he
got his operator license. He eventually became proficient in seven
languages. Early in his military career, the Army's Criminal
Investigation Division caught Breaker decrypting top secret
transmissions. When he was questioned by investigators -- including
Philip "Chuckles" Provost -- they realized
he hadn't done so with any
malicious intent. He simply wanted to see if he could. They also
discovered how many languages he could speak. Eventually, Colonel
Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy arrived
in the interrogation room and told Breaker they were going on a run, up
a mountain. He not only
kept up with Hawk, but outpaced him. Soon after, Hawk recruited Breaker
for the newly-forming G.I. Joe team.
As one of the
original
13 members of the Joe team, Breaker was part of many of the Joes'
earliest
missions, including the rescue of Dr. Adele Burkhart. He was later on
the
first
mission in which the Joe team met the Soviets' October
Guard. Breaker's
constant bubble gum chewing sometimes annoyed his teammates, but it
became useful during a Cobra attack. He, Clutch
and Steeler were driving the MOBAT tank in a parade when Cobra
attempted
to steal the tank. The vehicle was not carrying any ammunition, so the
Joes turned the MOBAT's external speakers up as high as they could go,
then popped one of Breaker's bubble gum bubbles into the microphone,
tricking
the Cobras into thinking the cannon had fired a live round. When Cobra
attempted to destroy a United States space shuttle, Breaker and Flash
became
temporary members of the shuttle's crew. Breaker was nearly killed by a
Cobra bombing raid during a mission to the small South American country
of Sierra Gordo before he was rescued, along with Stalker and Gung-Ho,
by the Joe team. He was involved in many other important operations, as
well.
After the
re-dedication of
G.I. Joe headquarters, aka The Pit, Breaker
and many of the other
original
Joes were taken off active duty. Shortly afterward, while on leave,
Breaker,
Clutch and Rock & Roll were nearly killed
when the Dreadnoks ran their
car off the road. They captured the Dreadnok
named Buzzer, and later
recovered
from their injuries. While not on active duty, Breaker became the head
of communications for the Pit.
Breaker
returned to the
field
many times despite being off active duty. He was the head of
communications
during the battle in the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield. During
the
Cobra Island civil war -- which the Joes entered on the side of Serpentor--
Breaker was part of the field headquarters team, answering directly to
Hawk. During the initial landing, Breaker was injured, but refused to
rest,
continuing the rest of the operation with his arm in a sling.
A few years
later, Breaker
was part of a mission sent into the middle eastern country of Trucial
Abysmia.
It was to be his last. The plan was to perform a hit-and-run mission to
destroy Cobra Terror-Drome bases in the desert of Trucial Abysmia. The
operation started out being fairly easy. But, the mission was
ill-prepared
for the large contingent of Cobra's military who were in the area. Many
of the team members were wounded, and the Joes were forced to
surrender.
The captured Joes were held for a short time, and then a Cobra S.A.W.
Viper
mercilessly gunned down a number of them. Breaker was among the
survivors
who escaped in a captured Cobra vehicle. Breaker sent the message to
Joe
headquarters for the team's rescue. They were tracked down, however,
and
the vehicle was fired upon and exploded. Breaker and several others
were
killed in the blast. Only Duke, Falcon and Cross Country survived.
Breaker
and his teammates were given an "open boot" ceremony in the desert. By
the end of the Joes' war in the middle east, fifteen Joes had lost
their
lives. Breaker and the other Joes killed in action were buried in
Arlington
National Cemetery.
At the start of
his career
on the G.I. Joe team, Breaker was at times a bit naive. He was always
quick
to joke during a difficult mission and sometimes annoyed his teammates
with his trademark bubble gum chewing and bubble blowing. Over the
years,
he became a integral part of the team and he stayed close to the
original
members. He became a tested veteran, but he kept his sense of humor and
optimism. Breaker died doing his duty and was given the hero's funeral
he deserved.
Artwork: G.I. JOE: Battle Files #1
(interior)
by Eric Wolfe Hanson; G.I. JOE #1 (interior) by Herb Trimpe and Bob
McLeod.