Joseph Perkins

Joseph Perkins, also known as "Fightin' Joe", was a famous American soldier and founding member of Operation Mongoose.

Personality and Appearance
Joseph Perkins was boisterous, friendly and honorable to a fault. He could be distant and cold to even his closest friends at times when the red mists of battle clouded his vision.On his days off he would work on his planes quietly, adding new and inventive gimmicks to their arsenal. He had an aversion to processed sugar and any product containing it. His relationship to his son was strained and his mood could quickly turn sour if the topic of their feud was brought up. Though wartime propaganda would paint him as a relentless warrior with a thirst for danger, those closest to him know that all he truly yearned for was a quiet life of peace.

Joe was a ruggedly handsome and well built man. He typically dressed simply when out of uniform, his clothing often slightly stained from his work.

Abilities
Joe Perkins was an extremely adept hand to hand combatant, a skill he learned growing up in the mean streets of New York City. He often fought barefisted but sometimes deployed a knife or other similar small weapon. He was also a skilled mechanic, inventor and pilot of aircraft. Flight was a favorite hobby of his and something he seemed to have an endless supply of knowledge on.

Known History
Joseph Perkins was born at 12:00am on January 1st, 1900 to Richard and Magdelena Perkins, two Irish immigrants of little financial means. They raised Joe for six years before they were tragically crushed under the weight of an overturned delivery truck. With no other relatives, Joseph became a ward of the state and was transferred to an inner city orphanage. Joseph was already a free-spirited and mischievious young scamp and quickly escaped from the orphanage after only a few months. He worked several odd jobs in the city to support himself well into his teens, including dubious activities such as street fighting.

At age 17, Joe lied about his age to enlist and fight in World War I, where he made a name for himself quickly as a fierce soldier and devoted patriot in his first year of service. The army highlighted his outlandish feats and big personality in film reels to boost the moral of enlisted men and folks back home.

After the war, Joe toured the world and became of darling of the international press. While in France, he courted and eventually married a wealthy landowner named Sophie Roux. Sophie gave birth to twins(Jean and Madeline) shortly after, the marriage quickly fell apart due to Joseph's busy schedule and general wanderlust. Joe visits with his children sporadically in the years leading up to World War II, though each visit seems to strain his relationship with his son, Jean.

With the outbreak of war in Europe and appearance of the superpowered Firehawk, Joseph was tasked by the President and the OSS to rally and unite a rag-tag band of soldiers, scientists and oddballs to oppose extranormal threats from the Axis powers under the name 'Operation Mongoose'. The group is colloquially dubbed as 'The Frontliners' by the media and have a hand in several Allied victories in addition to thwarting the Nazi's plans to raise several extranormal threats during the war.

On June 9th, 1944, Joseph Perkins' plane was shot down during Operation Overlord. The Frontliners in France at the time quickly launched a search party for their comrade, but only found the wreck of his aircraft, the 'L'il Maddy'. Joe's body was never recovered and command of Mongoose passed to Brock Jackson.

Rumors

 * Joe had a four leaf clover shaped birth mark on his rear abdomen.
 * Many of Joe's closest friends suspect that Perkins was not inside the plane when it crashed.

Quotes About Joseph Perkins

 * “He was probably the best of us. Shouldn’t have gone out the way he did, but hey, the Jerries paid for it in the end, we all made sure of that. God rest your soul, Joe.” -Brock Jackson
 * “The man was somewhat difficult to relate to, but his legacy was something that cannot be denied.” -Ella della Torre
 * “The first day I met Joseph, I removed my gas mask to shake his hand and he nearly vomited upon me. Good man.” -Karl Ruprecht Wulff
 * “America produced many great things. The airplane. The automobile. And Joe Perkins. I don’t hold it against him for being absent for much of my childhood. He had a hard and lonely upbringing. He wasn’t always there when I wanted him, but always there when I needed him.” -Madeline Roux
 * “Joe more than earned his name, a goddamn dervish in a fight and a hero to boot. I miss the guy, that’s for sure.” -Andrew Grey
 * “Joe was an incredible man. A terrific friend and a terrifying enemy. He was a close friend of mine, and a genius with that plane of his. In fact, his design philosophy and innovations form the basis of my own exploration into aviation. I hope, wherever he is now, he forgives me.” -Wallace Bannon