LIGHTFOOT. The code name used by U.S. Army Sergeant Cory R. Owens, from Wichita, Kansas. Lightfoot is a explosives expert known for his vast knowledge from years of studying the military manuals' sections detailing the calculations needed to create explosive devices, as well as the types and amounts of explosives needed for demolitions work. He is extremely meticulous in his job to ensure the safety of himself and those around him. His skills made him a candidate for the G.I. Joe team. While most members of the team are simply hand-picked from the elite of the armed forces, some soldiers undergo the weeding out process of the Joes own version of boot camp. Lightfoot holds the unique distinction of being the only Joe to go through that training twice. After the first time through, Lightfoot made it all the way to his "final exam" -- and actual mission out in the field. A supposedly simple mission in the Middle Eastern nation of Trucial Abysmia to destroy a buried U.S. weapons cache became much more when the team led by Outback and Dusty were ambushed and captured by the local army. When the Joes refused to talk, the unit's overzealous political officer took charge and decided to torture the Joes into talking. He randomly chose Lightfoot, who was severely beaten for a time, but refused to talk. But when they used alligator clips to shock him with electricity, it was too much for him to bear, and Lightfoot revealed the team's objective. The young recruit, Mangler, chastised Lightfoot for giving in, but Dusty and Outback backed him after seeing what he'd been through. The Joes were left behind with a junior officer to execute them while the rest of the enemy unit went to find the cache. The officer disagreed with the torture of Lightfoot and let the Joes go rather than execute them. Left in the desert with only a small amount of water, the Joes were ready to head for friendly territory, but it was Lightfoot who pushed them to complete the mission. He could barely walk and Mangler carried him on his back through the desert. Lightfoot was on the mission to destroy the cache and the Joes did so and escaped thanks to Mangler sacrificing his life.

 It was months before Lightfoot returned to active duty, but was forced the undergo the rigorous G.I. Joe boot camp to be a member of the team. Only he, Budo and Repeater made it through. Their first mission for the team soon followed, and it was another  "final exam". The Piccatinny weapons arsenal was being raided by Cobra forces. After their team leader, Grand Slam, was injured in a firefight, the three new Joes performed well and repelled the attackers, learning in the process that it was actually Destro's Iron Grenadier army disguised as Cobra who had attacked the arsenal. Over the years, Lightfoot's missions included battling with Cobra agents in Manhattan -- during which the Joes met the original G.I. Joe -- and stopping a group of Darklonian terrorists in the heart of New York City. He served with the team until it was shut down in 1994. Some time after the team was reinstated in 2001, Lightfoot joined the team in New York, where he assisted in clean-up and rescue operations after Cobra detonated a bomb in a television studio where Hawk was appearing on the television show, "Twenty Questions."

(GI 82, 86; SM 13, 25; GIv2 29, 34; Figures: 1, 2)