Help?

[brainofck]

So the point arises that Jack would have gone to college. He would have to have a degree to be an officer and would have had to be an officer before he could become a pilot. So he either went to school before he enlisted, which could be anywhere. Or went to the Academy. Anybody know if canon says anything about this? Wikipedia and Gateworld were unhelpful.

I'm thinking somewhere else. Pretty hard to get into the Academy.

Heh. Maybe he was a Golden Gopher. *snickers*

Comments

What, Jack go to school?

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Hey! I KNOW you don't buy into dumb!Jack. Don't think canon deals with it at all, but I've seen more than one fic plausibly describe him as having an aeronautical engineering degree.

Or yeah, maybe MN -- hometown boy and all that. They do have a hockey team. ;-)

Also suspect he's done language courses since with the Air Force in Monterey. We know for sure that he's been in Germany, Iraq and probably Central America. Frankly, his (or RDA's) Spanish accent is better than Daniel's (or MS's).

Re: What, Jack go to school?

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

Of course I don't buy into dumb!Jack! :) The Academy is freakin' hard to crack, though, and while I don't think Jack is dumb, I also don't imagine he was the kind of elite student to crack Academy admissions. On the other hand, he did pass the pilot's exam, which is also freakin' hard to do...

Aeronautical Engineering is of course an obvious choice for someone planning to take the pilot's exam. That would limit where he could have gone to school pretty severely.

Still, the idea of Jack as a Golden Gopher has huge appeal. :)

Re: What, Jack go to school?

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Er, I'm picturing you picturing Jack as working as the GG mascot while at school. Which leads me to furry kink, which leads me to screaming my head off. ;-)

Re: What, Jack go to school?

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

Regarding languages, I'm going for Spanish only, with a smattering of German and whatever they speak in Iraq, just from exposure. After all, though he was black ops, he wouldn't have been a "spy." He would have been a guy with a military assignment, and if he needed the local lingo, he probably would have had a local contact to help him out.

Re: What, Jack go to school?

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I pretty much figure he did a quickie phrasebook/travelers German study. Maybe a bit more in the Arabic, though not necessarily fluent. As a black ops agent, he may have been expected to have to deal on his own if the shit went down -- which it did. I'm sure he's quite fluent in prison slang as well. :-(

Hah!

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Sorry, no furry action. (Unless for his masters degree.) How long since you checked Wiki?

http://wiki.stargate-sg1-solutions.com/index.php/Jack_O%27Neill:_Military_Career (http://wiki.stargate-sg1-solutions.com/index.php/Jack_O%27Neill:_Military_Career)

Jack graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1974. He was recognized for 'Academic Excellence Achieved in Military Sciences and Engineering'. It is still not certain whether that was his major, or if he simply excelled in those areas. As of today, the Air Force Academy does not offer a general engineering degree, but rather several more specific engineering majors (Aeronautical Engineering, etc). It also offers a degree in Military Strategic Studies.

The Academy does not have degreess beyond the Bachelors, so it is certain that Jack received further education elsewhere during the course of his career, in order to achieve a Masters Degree or its equivalent, as is typically required to attain the rank of Major.

Jack completed the Air Commando Operations Course in 1992, and this may have been crucial to his participation in special operations activities in the Gulf. He has mentioned he was Special Operations trained, including resistance to mind control (1.14 "Hathor").

While a Major, he completed a course at the Defense Intelligence Center in Langley, Virginia, home of the CIA. While a Lt. Colonel, he was recognized for Excellence of Achievement While Conducting Special Operations under the auspices of the U.S. Air force Space Systems Command. It is not clear if this recognition was related to his work at the SGC, but it is unlikely the Space Systems Command was involved in Gulf War activities.

He received a statue with a plaque from the Air Force Special Operations Unit at Mildenhall Air Base, England, in 1990, about the time that the Cold War ended. He may have been stationed in England at that time, just before the first Gulf War.

Re: Hah!

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

I chekced Wiki! I did! *pouts at failed research effort*

I wonder if you need a degree to achieve the rank of major if you have seen combat?

So, so, so! Our Jack is a wonder boy after all! :)

Even if he did a master's at Minnesota, it's not the same when you're a grad student... And I'm suspecting that he could not have gotten a second job as the mascot while he was also an officer in the service. But what do I know?

I commented to Small Boy that I had a wicked urge to write mascot!Jack jost to make you squirm, but I had decided that was much too evil, if my *only* motiviation was to bug you. He seemed quite enthused by the idea and I believe was disappointed by my decision. :)

Re: Hah!

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

So, so, so! Our Jack is a wonder boy after all! :)

He certainly is in my pants.

I really, really, really hope SB does not know what furries are!! Oh, lordy, Daniel finding out Jack had worn a gopher suit in school and becoming increasingly obsessed with the image... downloading gopher mascot fics to his porn images folder... trips to costume shops... EEEEWW!!! It's so, so cracky. *horrified/cackling*

Re: Hah!

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

No, no! Small Boy was just delighted by the idea of Jack dressed up as a gopher! :) As are well all, I'm sure!

Re: Hah!

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

Oh. No. I did not check Wiki. Bookmarked the site, though. :)