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Age: 47 Rank: Lieutenant Colonel, US Army Hair: Salt and pepper Eyes: Blue Height: 6'1" Weight: 175 lbs. Marital Status: Divorced Distinguishing Marks: Shrapnel scars across upper left chest, shoulder, and upper arm . |
History:
Samuel Everett Wheeler was born in 1958 in the coal-rich mountains of Harlan County, Kentucky. The son of a mining foreman, he grew up in an imperfect, blue-collar world where health problems and poor living conditions were the norm. When he was old enough, Jim worked alongside his older brother Jess deep under the mountain, carving out the black coal in deplorable conditions. An honors student and a natural athlete, Jim was an All-American with the Cumberland High Redskins football team, earning himself a football scholarship at Notre Dame.
After his graduation from college with a degree in history, Sam entered the Army as part of his ROTC commitment and never looked back. He came to love the Army for its structured and orderly atmosphere, the camaraderie, and the highly charged and competitive environment. During his tenure in the service, Sam would also further his education and receive a Master�s degree in both American and Military History. As a young aspiring officer on the fast track, Sam met and later married Kate Lipscomb, a friend of a friend and the ambitious daughter of an Army General.
Everything was picture perfect in Sam�s life until he entered the world of special operations. Asked to try out for the Green Beret�s Qualification course, Sam passed it and was invited to join the elite Army Special Forces. He was intrigued by the unit�s dual-fold purpose; that of fighting and of providing relief and succor to people in underdeveloped countries. The latter appealed to him, considering his own childhood in the poor hills of Kentucky. His wife was opposed to his decision, knowing that spec ops were viewed as mavericks and promotions came slower to those that risked it.
Sam�s decision revealed a growing sense of the unconventional in a largely conventional army. Assigned to the 3rd Special Forces, he found himself involved in a variety of roles in West Africa where he soon began looking at things �outside the box.� Once in command of his own A-Team, Sam would find himself butting heads with the higher brass over politics and further alienating himself from the career he once sought. His bull-headedness and his willingness to buck the system proved to be his downfall as his career finally tasted the kiss of death.
As a consequence to his actions, Sam found himself as a chair warmer and another faceless bureaucrat working in the basement at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC. His wife, bitter at him for losing his chance at a gold star and not getting any younger herself, pressed for an end to the marriage. After two years of mind-numbing boredom and a nasty divorce, Sam threw in the towel and resigned his commission. He found a job teaching history at a small private college in Virginia where he languished for five years writing and grading papers until receiving salvation in the form of a phone call. The call was from General Hammond of the SGC offering Sam a job, a very unique job. Looking to fill the CO spot for the newly-minted SG-3, Hammond was impressed with Sam�s combat record, his experience working with different cultures in less than peaceful conditions, and his unconventional mode of thinking. Sam was a bit of an academic as well, which Hammond thought was an asset when working with civilians in a military operation. He had no reservations giving Sam the job, thereby reinstating him to active service with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Personality:
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