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Machine Gunner

File Name: Craig S. McConnel

Birthplace: Malibu, California Rank: Sergeant First Class

Primary Military Specialty: Infantry

Secondary Military Specialty: PT Instructor

Status: Reserve

First Appearance: G.I. JOE #1 (July 1982)

     Living in Malibu, Rock & Roll was a surfer before enlisting. While still a teenager, he was surfing with his friend Manny, when the boy surfed under broken dock and was badly injured. A man pulled Manny out of the water and carried him to shore, where he saw to the boy's chest wound, making sure he survived long enough for the paramedics to arrive. Rock & Roll learned the man had been a famous local hero known as to surfers as Shotgun Don before he became an Army Ranger. The incident left a lasting impression on young Rock & Roll that would eventually lead him to enlist. Rock & Roll was also a weight lifter and played bass guitar in several local rock bands. After joining the army, his attraction to loud noises made him a perfect machine gunner. After a short time in the Army, he was assigned to the G.I. Joe team. Rock & Roll tends to enjoy his job, and is extremely loyal to his teammates.

    Rock & Roll was one of the original 13 members of the G.I. Joe team. Shortly after the Joe team was assembled, Rock & Roll was on the mission during which Snake-Eyes was disfigured and lost his ability to speak. He was part of many of the Joes' major missions including the rescue of Dr. Adele Burkhart and the defense of the U.S. space shuttle against a Cobra attack. During those early missions, Rock & Roll was often seen driving the RAM motorcycle. He was also one of the Joes assigned to guard Cobra Commander after his capture. Rock & Roll and the Joes were taken by surprise when the Cobra ninja, Storm Shadow, rescued the Cobra leader. After the re-dedication of G.I. Joe headquarters, aka "The Pit", Rock & Roll and many of the other original Joes were taken off active duty. Shortly afterward, while on leave for a trip to Malibu, Breaker, Clutch and Rock & Roll were nearly killed when the Dreadnoks ran Rock & Roll's classic 1956 Bel Air Nomad off the road. The ambulance that the three Joes were riding in came upon the Dreadnoks and Rock & Roll took control of the ambulance, chasing after the Dreadnoks. They captured Buzzer, and later recovered from their injuries.

    Rock & Roll returned to the field during the Joes' invasion of the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield. Later, the Joe team was on the losing side of the Cobra Island civil war. A group of corrupt generals in the Pentagon denied having any knowledge of the debacle. When many members of the team were unrightfully taken into custody, several other Joes went underground, including Rock & Roll. Along with Roadblock, he was one of the organizers of the mission to rescue Hawk and General Hollingsworth when they were arrested for acting without orders and entering the civil war. During the rescue, Hawk and Hollingsworth were cleared of all charges and the corrupt generals responsible were exposed. Some time later, while on leave, Rock & Roll and Clutch once again unsuspectingly ran afoul of Cobra. They drove to Broca Beach in New Jersey only to discover that the town was run by Cobra. The two Joes tried to escape but were captured. They were held prisoner in the town and brainwashed. They were eventually rescued, but they and the other Joes knew nothing of what Cobra had done to them. Once they were inside the "Pit" in Utah, Cobra activated Clutch and Rock & Roll's "programming," sending them into a "berserker rage". The two Joes overcame the brainwashing because, according to team psychologist Psyche-Out, their morality overrode the programming.

    Rock & Roll was later one of the first Joes sent into Trucial Abysmia on a mission which led to the Joes' involvement in the Battle of Benzheen. During the fighting, many members of the team lost their lives. He was part of a team sent in to defend Destro's castle in Trans-Carpathia from a Cobra attack. Later, Rock & Roll was a part of the Joes last major mission, which exposed the town of Milville as a Cobra front. From that mission, Rock & Roll and a few other Joes traveled to Washington, D.C. Rock & Roll and Stalker took the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetary and pay their respects to their fallen teammates and friends. From its inception, Rock & Roll was an integral part of the G.I. Joe team, and remained with the team until it was disbanded in 1994.

    In 2001, the G.I. Joe team was reinstated by the government in reponse to Cobra's return to the United States. Duke brought many of the older Joes to help train and lead a batch of new recruits and Rock & Roll became one of the team's field commanders. He took part in a number of missions including the battle against Cobra troops in Washington, D.C. and the fight against a Cobra BAT rampaging through downtown Chicago. Just before rejoining the Joes, a group of Joes met up with Rock & Roll to reminisce, but they stumbled upon a hidden cell of Cobras in a small town, true to Rock & Roll's luck when on leave. After a brief fight, the Joes escaped and the Joes returned to duty.  Rock & Roll was later one of the many Joes to take part in the battle against the forces of a revived Serpentor on Cobra Island. Some time later, members of the Joe team fought Cobra forces that were drawn into an attack on a train guarded by the Joes, believing that Destro was being held prisoner onboard. At the battle's end, Hawk was shot in the back by Cobra Commander and paralyzed. In Hawk's absence, the Jugglers began to take control of the team to reign it in, if not disband it altogether. Eventually, the team's roster was cut down to only a dozen Joes, and Rock & Roll was one of many reassigned to other units. After the remaining Joes stopped a plot by Cobra to unleash the weapon known as the Tempest, and defeated a new threat, the Red Shadows, the military again disbanded the team.

    One year later, the Joe team was reformed with a smaller roster of active members. Rock & Roll, like most former Joes, was made a reserve member of the new team. Rock & Roll was called back to the team to assist Jinx in infiltrating the Tokyo headquarters of Hayatu Toba -- a Japanese businessman who was secretly building an Army to topple his country's government. Though the mission called for stealth and subterfuge, the only Joes available to assist Jinx were Clutch, Rock & Roll, Gung-Ho and Wild Bill -- none of whom are noted for their stealth or subtlety. Instead, they all posed as obnoxious businessmen meeting with Toba and started to fight amongst themselves in his office to distract security. They were soon captured and learned that Toba's group was involved with Destro's forces, represented by Armada. When Toba refused to follow her orders, she killed him and started the coup without him. As the rebel forces rolled through the streets of Tokyo, many of the soldiers turned on each other. Budo had worked to subvert many of them away from Toba's control, and they and the Joes put a stop to the attempted coup. Rock & Roll and his teammates decided to spend some extra time in Tokyo after the mission, no doubt getting into trouble on their own.

Artwork: G.I. Joe 1991 trading card (front and back); G.I. JOE vol. 2 #36 (interior) by Tim Seeley