G.I. JOE INSIDE THE FILE CARDS FEATURING “Rock-n-Roll”!
Today’s focus is the G.I. Joe character 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.
