Filecards Analysis

[john shaft]

So starting a thread where we delve deep into the filecards and try to interpret what real life MOS/Specialty/Rating each Joe Soldier/Marine/Airman/Sailor might be in. "Primary military specialty" and "secondary military specialty" may not necessarily reflect an actual MOS/Specialty/Rating but could also be additional training the Joes have received. I am attempting to get them as close to real life as possible.

The OG13 nearly make it impossible due to several of them having three types of Combat Arms listed (such as Artillery/Infantry/Enigneer). Also there may be some Joes who are more or less in an MOS but somehow received training in a field that is not even related to their actual MOS. Nonetheless I will attempt to make as much sense out of it as possible. This is an open discussion so please feel free to put your input in as well. My interpretations have changed over the years due to others bringing up excellent points.

[john shaft]

I will start in year order and today's featured Joe is Grunt (my first Joe). Grunt is listed as "Infantry" for PMS and "Small Arms Armorer" and "Artillery Coordinator" as his SMS. The codename "Grunt" to me signifies that he has always been just a "grunt". However with the addition of small arms armorer and artillery coordinator that to me would indicate he is more than just a typical "grunt".

An "artillery coordinator" sounds very much like a US Army MOS 13F Fire Support Specialist. These are the soldiers that sneak in close to enemy lines and call in the artillery strikes. For this Grunt would have had started his military career in the Field Artillery Combat Arms branch as a 13F. Maybe after a few years in this MOS he decided to transfer to the Infantry Combat Arms as a "grunt" i.e 11B Infantryman. My understanding is it can be difficult to transfer to another MOS and it is dependent on a number of factors such as "needs of the army", etc. Grunt would also be a higher rank than an E-4 for this to happen (he probably couldn't even get considered for a transfer until that rank in all likelihood). Plus I am not sure if the army would allow someone to go from a more highly specialized MOS (which probably has higher training requirements) to a lesser trained one (this is in no way meaning offense to 11B's.).

For Small Arms Coordinator that would be more in line with the Non-Combat Arms field of Logistics Corps as a 91F Small Arms/Towed Artillery Repairer. I seriously doubt Grunt would have been able to hop between three different MOS's during his time in service though. I think realistically to have all these skills he would have had to start with one of them and then go Special Forces (but it would negate his "Grunt" codename). Special Forces has schools for joint fires and small arms repairs so in theory this would make the most sense.

Another interesting remark on his (and seven other OG13's) is the mention of "Advanced Infantry Training". In the US Army there is "Advanced Individual Training" which is basically the type of training a soldier goes through for their respective MOS. The only indication I found of "Advanced Infantry Training" is from a movie called Tigerland. This movie is about Infantry soldiers going to Ft Polk, LA before they are deployed to Vietnam. It had conditions closer to the type of environment in Vietnam so as to get solider more accustomed to it. However I am not sure if "Advanced Infantry Training" refers to just this particular school and its training or if it referred to any Infantry school across the US. If this specific school then that would mean at least 8 of the OG13 served in the Vietnam War including Grunt. My understanding is they ceased sending Infantry soldiers to this specific school in '71.

[john shaft]

Today's focus is Rock-n-Roll. He is possibly the simplest of all the OG13 to figure out as he only has "Infantry" listed as his PMS and "PT Instructor" as his SMS. So going with that he is an 11B Infantryman who may have attained a Special Qualifications Identifier (SQI) H of Instructor. It is very possible he went to classes for it and attained this SQI and briefly was an instructor.

Years ago the US Army had a program where those who couldn't meet the minimum pushup requirements to get into basic were pulled to this program in order to get in shape. I believe it was called the Fitness Training Program (?) and was overseen by certified drill sergeants. The main focus was as the name implies "fitness" so there was a lot of cardio and machines the recruits were subjected to. At the end of every week recruits would have a chance to re-test the pushup test and if they failed it was another week at FTP. Those who passed had to wait until another basic training company had an opening so they may have still been in FTP for a week or more waiting on an opening. I do not think they had to re-test again but may be wrong about it. I think R'n'R would have been a perfect fit for being a drill sergeant at FTP.

Future filecards of R'n'R's did not deviate from his original PMS and SMS. R'n'R is probably my second or third favorite OG13 but compared to the rest of the team he does not seem to possess much in the way of additional skills. No mention of demolitions skills, medical skills, intelligence, etc. He just mans a machine gun, which I would think most of the Joes could do. This is not meant as an offense to those who have served and have had to man a machine gun but rather reading on other spec ops units their machine gunners typically have one or more of the aforementioned skills.

[john shaft]

Today we look at Short-Fuze. He is listed as "Artillery" for PMS and "Infantry Engineer" for SMS. What is interesting is there is not the usual longer space between "Infantry" and "Engineer" like what you see on other other OG13 filecards in regards to SMS. It most likely was a printing error but provided it is not then an "Infantry Engineer" would be in all cases a Combat Engineer (12B MOS). It lists Engineer School further in his filecard.

Provided Short-Fuze started his Army career as a Combat Engineer he went on to re-class as an MOS in the Field Artillery branch. His filecard is conflicting though as it states "Artillery School" yet indicates he is qualified with two different mortars (and comes with a mortar as well as being referred to as a "Mortar Soldier"). The only two MOS's that would be trained on a mortar are an 11C Indirect-Fire Infantryman (in the Infantry branch) or a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant (18B). I think the likelihood of him reclassing from a 12B to an 11C would be slim though. He could have possibly started as a 12B then went Special Forces 18B which would explain his proficiency with a mortar but why wouldn't he go into 18C Special Forces Engineer Sergeant which would have similar skills as a 12B?

I like to think he started as a Combat Engineer that re-classed to a 13F Fire Support Specialist. This would keep in his theme of being able to "plot artillery azimuths" in his head as he would be calling the shots on arty fire. Plus the term "artillery" is vague in regards to his PMS so it could encompass any MOS with the Field Artillery branch. Of all of them I think 13F makes the most sense. I do not know if a 13F calls in shots for mortar teams (I am thinking those are called in by an 11C but could be wrong).

Also his M-1 mortar was a WW2 weapon that saw usage until the 50's. It also had a crew of 8 and weighed 130+lbs altogether so no way a lone soldier would be able to haul that not including his pack and the ammo. He would be winded by the time he found a spot to fire from. Hasbro shorted us seven additional figures to come with Short-Fuze. lol

Also his filecard states "Advanced Infantry Training" and that he is qualified with the M-14. Looks like US Army Basic Training centers stopped use of the M-14 by 1970 with them switching to the M-16. So any Joe qualifying with an M-14 most likely joined the military around the time it was the standard weapon and qualified on it in basic. Later when the M-16 was introduced they probably would have had to qualify on it. With the mention of this and "Advanced Infantry Training" it is quite possible SHort-Fuze is also a Vietnam War vet.

[john shaft]

Clutch is listed as a PMS of "Transportation" and SMS of "Infantry". Looking up the Transportation Corps for the US Army the closest MOS that would be relevant to Clutch is the 88M Motor Transport Operator, which is basically a military truck driver. It is a combat service support position so he would not have been on the front lines fighting or anything.

I think it would be more logical that Clutch started out as an 88M then re-classed as an 11B infantry (so his PMS and SMS would be reversed). He would have picked up more skills as an 11B and be more marketable instead of just driving large semi's. Even though Ranger School (which is listed on his filecard) is open to all MOS's I would think Infantry MOS's would be higher up on the list to be able to attend versus an 88M. His filecard also states he attended Advanced Infantry School and is qualified with the M-14 so it is possible he is a Vietnam War vet.

Other schools mentioned include "Covert Ops School" and "Executive Bodyguard School". There is no such thing as Covert Ops School but it could be a reference to some of the schools taught by the CIA at Langley. Since the Joe team seems to be more into "covert" operations it would make sense that maybe Hawk sent him and other OG13's to these schools for them to learn tradecraft. This is something that Delta operators learn as well so would make sense for the Joe team.

I also figured Clutch has attended advanced tactical driving courses to set him apart from the other Joes. I also figure since he has the advanced driving skills the executive bodyguard school would have been taken afterwards and Hawk would typically employ him as his personal driver for this reason (which we see in Marvel issue #1).

[Kal-El]

Clutch is listed as a PMS of "Transportation" and SMS of "Infantry". Looking up the Transportation Corps for the US Army the closest MOS that would be relevant to Clutch is the 88M Motor Transport Operator, which is basically a military truck driver. It is a combat service support position so he would not have been on the front lines fighting or anything.

I think it would be more logical that Clutch started out as an 88M then re-classed as an 11B infantry (so his PMS and SMS would be reversed). He would have picked up more skills as an 11B and be more marketable instead of just driving large semi's. Even though Ranger School (which is listed on his filecard) is open to all MOS's I would think Infantry MOS's would be higher up on the list to be able to attend versus an 88M. His filecard also states he attended Advanced Infantry School and is qualified with the M-14 so it is possible he is a Vietnam War vet.

Other schools mentioned include "Covert Ops School" and "Executive Bodyguard School". There is no such thing as Covert Ops School but it could be a reference to some of the schools taught by the CIA at Langley. Since the Joe team seems to be more into "covert" operations it would make sense that maybe Hawk sent him and other OG13's to these schools for them to learn tradecraft. This is something that Delta operators learn as well so would make sense for the Joe team.

I also figured Clutch has attended advanced tactical driving courses to set him apart from the other Joes. I also figure since he has the advanced driving skills the executive bodyguard school would have been taken afterwards and Hawk would typically employ him as his personal driver for this reason (which we see in Marvel issue #1).

I always thought he probably was a Nascar Driver under a different name when he was on furlough. Would be interesting to know if the military has some kind of advanced driving programs. I never really thought about that before.

[john shaft]

Clutch is listed as a PMS of "Transportation" and SMS of "Infantry". Looking up the Transportation Corps for the US Army the closest MOS that would be relevant to Clutch is the 88M Motor Transport Operator, which is basically a military truck driver. It is a combat service support position so he would not have been on the front lines fighting or anything.

I think it would be more logical that Clutch started out as an 88M then re-classed as an 11B infantry (so his PMS and SMS would be reversed). He would have picked up more skills as an 11B and be more marketable instead of just driving large semi's. Even though Ranger School (which is listed on his filecard) is open to all MOS's I would think Infantry MOS's would be higher up on the list to be able to attend versus an 88M. His filecard also states he attended Advanced Infantry School and is qualified with the M-14 so it is possible he is a Vietnam War vet.

Other schools mentioned include "Covert Ops School" and "Executive Bodyguard School". There is no such thing as Covert Ops School but it could be a reference to some of the schools taught by the CIA at Langley. Since the Joe team seems to be more into "covert" operations it would make sense that maybe Hawk sent him and other OG13's to these schools for them to learn tradecraft. This is something that Delta operators learn as well so would make sense for the Joe team.

I also figured Clutch has attended advanced tactical driving courses to set him apart from the other Joes. I also figure since he has the advanced driving skills the executive bodyguard school would have been taken afterwards and Hawk would typically employ him as his personal driver for this reason (which we see in Marvel issue #1).

I always thought he probably was a Nascar Driver under a different name when he was on furlough. Would be interesting to know if the military has some kind of advanced driving programs. I never really thought about that before.

They typically do for anyone in a special operations unit such as Delta, DEVGRU, and MARSOC. It teaches things like evasive actions and such. I think all Delta operators take the course so if someone likens their Joe team similar to Delta then every Joe would be trained in this. Although it would make Clutch not as unique. Given that a lot of the OG13 have "Covert Ops School" then advanced defensive driving would probably be along those lines as well.

[john shaft]

Today topic is Scarlett. She has "Intelligence" listed as her PMS and "Classified" as SMS. Her filecard also mentions "Counter Intelligence" so that helps define what MOS she would be in, which is a 35L Counter-Intelligence Special Agent. From what I read a few years ago a 35L is not an entry level MOS but reading now on the US Army's website that has appeared to change. If you go by Scarlett enlisting years ago then she probably would have started out in another Intelligence Branch MOS (maybe a 35F Intelligence Analyst) before re-classing as a 35L. Besides Rock'n'Roll she is probably also the easiest to categorize what MOS she is in.

Scarlett has Advanced Infantry Training and qualified on the M-14 so like most of the other OG13 she is most likely a Vietnam War veteran. She is also a trained sniper due to attending the Marine Sniper School. Obviously Hama took liberties with a lot of these schools she attended as they were all closed to women during that time. It does seem odd though that an intelligence operative would take training in Infantry and Sniper schools (regardless of sex) as this is not the kind of work they perform in. She also did a stint training with the Special Air Service (which some special operations operatives will do), went to Ranger School and also the "Covert Ops School" (most likely Langley), which the last school would be more in line with what her MOS is.

Forty years later we are still unclear what "Classified" is supposed to represent. lol

[john shaft]

So Breaker is interesting in that he only has a PMS listed (Infantry) and no SMS. It also indicates he went to Signal School, which is what MOS's in the Signal Corps Branch (25 series) go to. So his Infantry PMS and Signal School are very conflicting.

What is usually not known is an RTO (Radio TelePhone Operator) within an Infantry platoon is not from the 25 series, but rather an 11B Infantryman assigned the radio. They usually give it to someone in the lower ranks (Privates). 25 series MOS's typically work back at forward operating bases and base stations (depending on their exact MOS) and are not front-line soldiers.

Another interesting tidbit on Breaker's filecard is that he served on Project Gamma. This was a unit within the 5th Special Forces Group (SFG) from 1967-1970 assigned to do covert operations during the Vietnam War. Technically the only U.S organization allowed to do covert operations is the CIA. So as long as there is a CIA operative assigned to a US military unit then that is legal within the confines of the U.S law in terms of operations defined as "covert". Breaker is technically the only OG13 from the initial filecards that confirms he served during the Vietnam War. Stalker and Snake-Eyes filecards indicate it later.

Since Breaker would have been assigned to 5th SFG it does not necessarily mean he is Special Forces (a Green Beret). Most of a SFG consists of other MOS's. However the fact he knows seven languages would tend to put him more or less as Special Forces. Not many other MOS's go to language training so it would make sense for him to be a "Green Beret". He could have started his military career in the Infantry, been assigned as the platoon's RTO and took an interest in going Special Forces as a Communications Sergeant. This would negate his Signal School as I believe Comms Sergeants in SF attend a different school for comms than 25 series. Or he could have started as a 25C Radio Operator Maintainer then gone Special Forces (and thus negating his Infantry PMS).

"Covert Electronics" school could have been attended during his time with Project Gamma. This would be training such as surveillance electronics, covert audio collection, advanced concealment development, etc. Or he could have gone to this "school" shortly after joining the Joes. Either time would be appropriate for the unit he was assigned to (Project Gamma or the Joe team).

Since he did server during the Vietnam War his rank would be an E-7 or E-8 by now as well.

[john shaft]

Today we look at Grand Slam. His PMS is listed as "Artillery" and SMS is "Electronics Engineer". So with "Artillery" he could have been nearly any enlisted MOS in the 13 series (Field Artillery). He could have been a 13B Cannon Crewmember, a 13F Fire Support Specialist or any other 13 series. His filecard states he served with a 155mm battery. However when you look at the HAL and its monitor that Grand Slam views it clearly shows an aircraft in his sites. Compounding this is the fact that a laser would be a direct fire weapon, not an in-direct fire weapon such as artillery. So this begs the question, is the term "Artillery" ambiguous and could mean either the "Field Artillery" branch or maybe even the "Air Defense Artillery" branch (14 series)? Air Defense would use direct fire weapons. However a "155mm battery" would be referring to an indirect fire weapon though so the Air Defense Artillery seems out of the question (except for target in his viewfinder on the HAL and being a direct fire weapon).

There is no such MOS in the US Army as an "Electronics Engineer". Some people may say maybe he got his Bachelors Degree in this before joining the Army. However since these are listed as "military specialties" I narrow these down to any MOS or training that was received while serving in the military. Later filecards state Grand Slam as being a "Special Electronics Device Repairer". The closest MOS I can see to this is under the Logistics Corps as a 94F Computer/Detection Systems Repairer.

So Grand Slam could have started his enlistment as a 94F then re-classed later as a 13 series. I know in my Joe-verse I place him as a 13F as I would think the Joes would need this particular MOS in the type of unit they are. I know the Ranger Recon teams employ 13F's in them so I figure this would be a good fit for Grand Slam and also keeping with the spirit of his character (he deals with artillery but in this case calls it in).

[john shaft]

Snake-Eyes is listed as a "Commando" and has a PMS of "Infantry" and a SMS of "Hand-to-Hand Combat Instructor". He would probably have enlisted as an 11B Infantryman and served in regular units and then make the move to a special operations unit (such as the 75th Ranger Regiment). The types of schools Snake-Eyes has attended would attest to this. Most standard infantry soldiers would not be trained in all hostile environments such as desert, mountaineering, jungle and arctic. Maybe one or two but generally not all.

In addition, his "underwater demolitions'" nearly screams Navy SEAL. About the only MOS that would do this sort of work in the US Army would be a 12D Diver. They are non-combatants though and generally do underwater demolitions as part of harbor clearing and such. In keeping with his Army background I would think the closest he could come to this line of work would be if he later went Special Forces as an Engineer Sergeant and assigned to a SCUBA ODA. Most 12-man ODA's will be trained in one particular type of infiltration method (SCUBA, Military Free Fall, Mobility and Mountain). SCUBA would make the most sense judging by the wording on his filecard. Also the Marvel comics had him serving in MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War. So this would also align more with a Special Forces soldier as they served within this unit.

I have not found any sort of SQI to identify a "hand-to-hand combat instructor" though. The only thing close is SQI H which is an instructor. So maybe he took the same type of courses as Rock'n'Roll and was assigned the same SQI. I do not know if one can specialize within that SQI or not though.

[john shaft]

Today we look at Steeler. His PMS is "Armor" and SMS is "Artillery" and "Transportation". He is listed as a "Tank Commander". A tank commander is actually a position in an armor platoon in the US Army (four tanks per platoon, four soldiers per tank). So there are four "tank commanders" per platoon, each leading their own tank. The actual platoon leader would be an officer of the rank of lieutenant and also serve as that tanks "tank commander". The other three tank commanders would be a Sergeant First Class (also the platoon sergeant) and two Staff Sergeants. So Steeler would be in charge of a tank platoon.

However given his low rank of an O-1 I doubt he could have been a cadre member at the XAFV Project. I would think he would need to be a minimum of a O-2 or O-3. I have not been able to find any such project so most likely something Hama came up with. i would think it would deal with experimental armored fighting vehicles (which is not the same as an actual tank). He could have been placed in command of actual armor units (tanks) and cavalry units (AFV's) during his time as an armor officer though.

A US Army officer typically focuses on one career path though so the addition of "Artillery" and "Transportation" is problematic. Those are two different branches. My only thought is he went in as an Armor Officer (19A MOS) and maybe he "clashed with a superior officer" who decided to put him in a Transportation unit as part of his punishment. Maybe once he served his time he was placed back into an Armor or Cavalry unit. I do not know how to integrate his Artillery SMS though. Armor is direct-fire whereas Artillery is in-direct fire so doubtful he would in his short military career have time to learn both and to serve on two different types of Combat Arms branches. Although it is a slight possibility that he attended a Joint Fires Observer Course to be able to understand calling in artillery fire. I would need to check the requirements for this course and see if armor officers are able to attend. If so it would cover his "Artillery" SMS.

Like most of the OG13 Steeler has Covert Ops School listed. I again go with the notion that he was sent to Langley to learn tradecraft CIA type skills after he joined the Joes. No reason why an armor officer would need such skills while overseeing an armor platoon.

[john shaft]

Flash is listed as having a PMS of "Infantry" and SMS of "Electronics" and "CBR". So like most of the OG13 he potentially has three different branches that he could have been in but realistically two probably would be the max. It seems most adaptations of him leans more to the "electronics" side of his skills whereas "CBR" is never mentioned (that I am aware of at least).

Later filecards state "Fire Control Repairer" which would seem to indicate he worked on firing systems on US Army vehicles. With this in mind possible MOS's to cover "Electronics" or "Fire Control Repairer" would be in the Logistics Branch as a 94E Radio and Communications Equipment Repairer, a 91G Fire Control Repairer, 94F Computer/Detection Systems Repairer, or even a 94H Test Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment Support Specialist. Yes a lot of possibilities since "Electronics" is very broad.

Obviously "CBR" (Chemical, Biological and Radioactive now referred to as CBRN with the inclusion of Nuclear) would be easier to translate to a 74D CBRN Specialist. And "Infantry" would be 11B Infantryman MOS.

I like to think Flash started as a 74D MOS then re-classed later as an 11B. Meanwhile he would tinker with electronics gadgets and develop an interest in this. Maybe he is the team repairer of their optic systems and such on their weapons. I think this would make the most sense as a 74D would need more specialized training whereas "Electronics" anyone can learn by tinkering and looking up some YouTube videos.

Flash also has "covert electronics" listed as one of his schools. So again going with the assumption he took this class after joining the Joes since an average Infantryman would not need it.

He also is one of the few Joes that does not have Advanced Infantry Training or qualifying with the M-14 so it is ambiguous whether he served during the Vietnam War. He could essentially be one of the younger Joes on the roster if not.

[john shaft]

Zap is listed as "Engineer" as his PMS and "Infantry" and "Artillery" as his SMS so again we are faced with possibly three different branches. I definitely see Zap as a combat engineer, especially since "demolitions" is listed in his filecard. I do not know if combat engineers utilize rocket launchers though (I will use that term instead of bazooka since those have not been used since WW2). Rocket launchers such as the TOW and Dragon are used by 11B Infantryman soldiers. Combat engineers would build fortifications to deny armor/tank units from progressing though.

Zap's "artillery" SMS is harder to justify since Hasbro has him depicted as using a direct fire weapon. I like to think that maybe Zap enlisted as an 11B Infantryman, was assigned to an anti-armor section and then re-classed later as either a 12B Combat Engineer or possibly as an 18C Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. He could have taken a Joint Fires Observer course to call in artillery to explain his "Artillery" SMS as an 18C. I doubt that kind of course is open to a 12B so it would make the most sense.

And like most of the OG13 Zap has gone to Advanced Infantry School and it qualified with the M-14 so another possibly Vietnam War vet.

[john shaft]

Today we look at Hawk. His PMS is "Artillery" and SMS is "Radar". Obviously from the toy he is sold with (the MMS based on the MIM-23 Hawk missile system) the term "Artillery" in this case would apply to the Air Defense Artillery branch. His MOS would be a 14A Air Defense Artillery Officer. "Radar" may or may not be difficult to justify. A MIM-23 Hawk battery deploys with 4-6 mobile radar units. These are manned by enlisted MOS's within the ADA branch but it could be possible Hawk took classes in radar reading to improve his understanding on reading radar (unless it is required of all officers in this branch).

Hawk has two fictitious units listed, North Atlantic Range Command (most likely Hama's version of NORAD) and USA ENG COM EVR Missile and Radar Training. I have not found a real world reference to that second one though.

Hawk has "Advanced Infantry Training" listed, which an officer would not go through nor is he even in the Infantry branch. Maybe we can write it off as he requested to be put into this training pipeline in order to show those under his command he is "just one of the grunts" or something. Again if this school does indicate Ft Polk LA then he would also be a Vietnam-War veteran.

A full bird Colonel would not be commanding their own missile system, but rather he would be in charge of an Air Defense Artillery Brigade with multiple MIM-23's assigned under his command. Looking over what a typical battery of Hawk missile systems deploy with it would take several hundred people involved to work just six of these missile systems. Again Hasbro short-changed us out of extra figures included with the MMS. lol