Major Jacob Asher
Name Jacob Daniel Asher
Position Chief of Military
Second Position Team Commander
Rank Major
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | b. 1984 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'2" | |
| Weight | 215 | |
| Hair Color | Brown with Blond Highlights | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Talk, muscular, and physically fit. Some might call him ‘ruggedly handsome’. As a member of the special tactics/special forces community, he can get away with longer hair and varying levels of facial hair. This is especially true with his most recent assignment at 24th Special Tactics Squadron/Joint Special Operations Command. |
Family
| Father | Joseph | |
| Mother | Miriam | |
| Other Family | Various |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Some officers are considered to be ‘no nonsense’. Jake is definitely not one of those officers. He’s got a quirky sense of humor and a bad habit of showing a certain…irreverence (for lack of a better word) towards the authority of the officers above him. It’s not that he’s disrespectful, so to speak. He shows respect. It’s more that he is neither fearful nor in awe of people who out rank him, and that he’s seen enough that he is no longer a blind patriot (if he ever really was). Jake has fun being an officer. He doesn’t abuse his authority, but he does have fun. He treats his subordinates well. The inexperienced he looks after. The experienced, like the NCOs and Senior NCOs, he brainstorms with and leans on them for advice and counsel. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | STRENGTHS: Jake’s training, education, and experience have led him to being a highly competent leader who can adapt mission plans to fit the mission as it unfolds, guide, train, and educate his subordinates, and generally bring out the best in them. In general, Jake understands the ‘science’ behind leadership as well as its practical applications. Jake’s training and experience have led him to becoming a highly competent operator as well. Expert marksmanship with the pistol and the carbine, excellent CQB skills, lots of training and experience in hand-to-hand combat starting when he was a child, and a knowledge of strategy and tactics and the ability to apply that knowledge. He also knows when to keep his mouth shut, as is expected of a ‘quiet professional’. WEAKNESSES: His lack of reverence and ‘fear’ of superior officer can be off-putting for his superiors and may be why he is still a Captain and not a Major. He’s never (or at least very rarely) openly insubordinate, but he seems relaxed when he stands at attention and even when a Code 6 or higher officer is chewing him out. He’s becoming somewhat jaded. He’s definitely lost some of his blind patriotism. This can be a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, he can see his job and his missions much more clearly now. On the negative side, he has to deal with questions of ethics, morality, and compassion, and the disdain of some of his colleagues for pondering these questions. |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Kali, Panantukan, Dumog, Kuntao, Judo, Boxing, Freestyle Wrestling, Jazz, Funk, Blues, Jazz Fusion |
| Personal History | Jacob Daniel Asher was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1984. He was raised in Newton. From kindergarten to 8th grade, he attended Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School, and, miraculously, managed to forget a lot of what he learned there. He attended Newton North High School. He studied Kali, Kuntao, Panankutan, and Dumog as a kid. In the summers he added boxing, and by Junior High, Freestyle Wrestling. Jake was an affable enough child. His father was content to be a librarian at Brandeis University where Jake’s mother was an internationally recognized scholar and educator. Jake always thought his father wanted more out of life and that his father had chosen to put his dreams on the back burner in favor of letting Jake’s mother pursue her goals. Jake’s father later told him that he had made a promise to Jake’s mother. If she slowed her career just long enough to have a child, she could go back to pursuing her goals full-tilt afterwards. It was a promise Jake’s father kept, though at times he chaffed under the yoke of his responsibilities. Almost five months after Jake’s 17th birthday, terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center in NYC and into the Pentagon. Jake wanted to run off and sign up with…any branch that would have him. Luckily for him, his parents refused to sign his age waiver. This meant he stayed in school. Towards the end of his high school career, there was a career fair at Newton North High School. He attended and met with military members from all branches. By chance, an USAF Combat Controller was there. Jake had not been seriously considering the USAF because he didn’t really want to be a pilot. The technical sergeant he spoke with described a career Jake felt he could enjoy. Jake applied to USAFA shortly thereafter. When his application was rejected, Jake was devastated, but then he got a letter offering him admittance to the USAF Prep School, where he would spend one academic year (10 months) shoring up his academics and preparing for the military environment he would experience at USAFA. Jake’s mother thought that the prep school was beneath him and hoped that his rejection from USAFA would lead to him going to Brandeis. It didn’t. Jake wanted to be in the USAF and if that meant going to the prep school and taking an extra year to accomplish his goal, so be it. Jake attended the prep school, then matriculated into USAFA as a 4th Class Cadet. He majored in Military and Strategic Studies and graduated with honors. Jake’s career field choices were ambitious. He selected Combat Control Officer as his first choice, Special Operations Combat Weather Officer as his second choice, and Combat Rescue Officer as his third. His grades and other aspects of his academy record, as well as a little bit of luck, got him his first choice. Training was physically, mentally, and academically challenging. The pipeline took about two years to complete…and that wasn’t including Jake’s later training to become JTAC qualified, which took another year to complete later in his service. Jake has served overseas in, Germany (Spangdahlem AFB, where he attended JTAC training), Iraq, and Afghanistan, and stateside, including time with the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, which is a part of the Joint Special Operations Command. In 2019, Jake was assigned to newly jumpstarted Stargate Command. EDUCATION: USAF Prep School (10 Months) USAF Academy Bachelor of Science in Military and Strategic Studies (4 Academic Years) USAF Combat Control Selection Course (2 Weeks) USAF Combat Control Operator Course (15.5 Weeks) USAF Basic Survival School (3 Weeks) US Army Airborne School (3 Weeks) USAF Combat Control School (13 Weeks) USAF Special Tactics Advanced Skills Training (15 Months) -Includes US Army Military Freefall Parachutist School (5 Weeks) and US Air Force Combat Diver School (6 Weeks) Joint Terminal Attack Controller Course US Army Air Assault US Army Pathfinder US Army Reconnaissance Course US Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course Squadron Officer Course, Air University Master of Science in Leadership, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University |
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| Service Record | SERVICE RECORD: 2002-2003 USAF Prep School 2003-2007 USAF Academy 2007-2009 2nd Lieutenant, Combat Controller Selection Course, Combat Control Operator Course, Air Force Basic Survival School, US Army Airborne School, Combat Control School, Special Tactics Advanced Skills Training (includes time for: US Army Military Freefall Parachutist School, US Air Force Combat Diver School) 2009-2012 1LT, STO, Combat Control Team (Service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Training in Germany to be a Joint Terminal Attack Controller [JTAC]) 2012-2019 CAPT, STO, Combat Control Team (Service in Afghanistan, Iraq [ISIS], Squadron Officer’s Course, Service with 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Joint Special Operations Command) 2019-Present Promoted Major, Assigned to Project New Dawn Award/Ribbons/Medals: Small Arms Expert Marksman Ribbon USAF Longevity Service Award Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Iraq Campaign Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal National Defense Service Medal USAF Good Conduct Medal Meritorious Service Medal -For service in Afghanistan in which he rescued trapped Green Berets who were about to have their position overrun by calling in a precision air strike. Bronze Star -For service in Afghanistan. Led a team deep into Taliban controlled territory and successfully eliminated a dangerous Taliban leader. Taliban forces became aware of the team's presence, forcing Jake and his team to evade and escape back towards a landing zone where they could be picked up. Despite being wounded in one of many firefights, Jake managed to successfully return with all of his team members alive, if somewhat banged up. Silver Star -For service in Iraq. While attached to Kurdish forces fighting against ISIS, Jake, serving as his team's Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), Jake managed air support over several days of intense combat. He called in so many air strikes he lost count, all with remarkable precision. None of the strikes he called in resulted in friendly casualties, despite the extreme chaos of the battlefield. He also arranged many evacuations of wounded personnel and resupply flights. Despite coming under sniper fire (when the terrorists got close enough) and at times light artillery fire, Jake did not flinch. Purple Heart -For wounds received in Iraq and Afghanistan |