Classic G.I. Joe Guide | Barrel Roll |
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| Tuesday, 19 February 2008 | |
 BARREL ROLL. The code name used by U.S. Army Corporal Dwight E. Stall. Growing up in Cincinnati, Barrel Roll seemed to be practicing to become a sniper all of the time. He could keep motionless for such long periods of time that teachers would think he was sleeping with his eyes closed. Still, he was a very bright student and a whiz at math. After enlisting in the Army, Barrel Roll became a sniper, and was skilled enough at it to be a marksmanship instructor. He is also a trained pilot. He combined these to skills, using a small, air assault hang glider dropped from a plane to silently reach his destination. Once in a suitable position he lands and stays there motionless waiting to take his shot. Barrel Roll joined the G.I. Joe team after its reinstatement, as one of the team's many "greenshirt" recruits. He was finally granted full status as a Joe shortly after the team's battle against the forces of a revived Serpentor.Barrel Roll's first mission was to infiltrate Cobra Island, posing as a glider-flying Cobra Raptor-Viper. Once inside Cobra's headquarters, he broke into their computers to give the Joes secret access to their system. He narrowly escaped a number of Cobra troopers and Tomax and Xamot. Dr. Mindbender, in hiding on the island, tried to force Barrel Roll to take him along as the Joe escaped in a jet-ski. He tricked the Doctor, and left without him. He was extracted by the Joes as he evaded capture by Cobra's navy. Barrel Roll's brother, Thomas, was also one of the team's greenshirts but did not fair well on the team. During a disastrous mission into the Cobra-infiltrated town of New Moon, Colorado, team leader Mirage considered Thomas to be a poor soldier, and he was soon charged with negligence that led to the deaths of two greenshirts and would even possibly be charged with treason.  Despite Barrel Roll's speaking on his brother's behalf, military judges went ahead with plans to address the charges in a court martial. Thomas angrily told his brother he didn't need his help as he was taken away by MPs to await trial. During a Cobra attack on the facility where he was being jailed, Thomas was offered a place in Cobra. He agreed and escaped in the chaos. He began working closely with Cobra Commander under the code name Blackout.During this time, the Jugglers began trying take complete control of the Joe team. Barrel Roll became a member of a smaller variation of the team under the command of General Philip Rey. He and the remaining Joes fought Cobra Commander's plans to unleash the deadly superweapon known as the Tempest. To end the threat, the government authorized a nuclear attack on Cobra Island. A somber Barrel Roll piloted the bomber that dropped the nuclear bomb onto the island. Most Cobra operatives escaped, though Cobra Commander set up the traitorous members of The Coil to die in the explosion. The Joes then discovered that the Tempest was now mobile and had been moved from Cobra Island. Barrel Roll attacked the device in a fighter jet until he ran out of missiles. He then flew his fighter on a collision course for the Tempest and destroyed it, but managed to eject at the last moment. He spent some time in the hospital recovering from his wounds while the other Joes battled a new threat known as the Red Shadows. After their defeat, the G.I. Joe team was disbanded by the president. One year later, the Joe team was reformed with a smaller roster. Like most former Joes, Barrel Roll was a reserve member of the team. During the conflict known as World War III, Barrel Roll went undercover as a Cobra Strato-Viper to steal a Night Raven jet upgraded with advanced cloaking technology. The access to the technology helped the Joes disable many of Cobra's weapons. As the war reached its conclusion, the Joes battled enemy troops at an old Cobra training camp in Appalachia. There, Barrel Roll fought and captured his brother, Blackout, as Cobra was finally defeated. (GIv2 28-30, 36, 37, 39, 40; SM:M; AE 33-36; Figures: 1, 2, 3) |
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