G.I. Joe timeline

1941:

 * Joseph Colton, Future General G.I. Joe, is born in Central Falls, Rhode Island.

1942:

 * Clayton M. Abernathy, Future General Hawk, is born in Denver, Colorado

1950:

 * Conrad Hauser, Duke, is born in St. Louis, Missouri (Enlisted in the Army at 17, sent to Vietnam in 1967)


 * Snake-Eyes, and twin sister Terri, are born.


 * Thomas "Stom Shadow" Arashikage is born in San Fransico.
 * James McCullen Destro XXIV is born in Scotland.

1952:

 * August 10: Shana Mae O'Hara, future G.I. Joe Operative Scarlett, born in Atlanta, Georgia. (Joes are in their mid to late 20's when the team is formed, except Hawk. He's a Colonel, and likely 5-10 years older than the rest of the team

1953:

 * Baroness Anastasia Cisarovna DeCobray is born in the DeCobray Baronary of the Ukraine, USSR (July 16)

1954:

 * Cobra Commander is born in Springfield, Illinois
 * Sebastian Bludd (Major Bludd) born in Sydney, Australlia (May 8th)

1955:

 * Blaine Parker, Mainframe, is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1960:

 * Hawk accepted into West Point.

1962:

 * October 31 - The man who would become the Interrogator is born in Krogdnz, Borovia.

1963:

 * NOVEMBER: A U.S. Army Special Forces team under the command of Lt. Joseph R. Colton is overrun by North Vietnamese troops in the central highlands of Vietnam. All team members except for Colton, 1st Sergeant "Top" Wenzel and Specialist Angel Vasquez are killed. Vasquez dies on the extraction chopper en route to Tonsunhut.


 * DECEMBER: President John F. Kennedy forms the Original G.I. Joe team, Lt. Colton is placed in command (Colton is unofficially code-named G.I. Joe).

1964:

 * Kimiko Arashikage, Jinx, is born in San Francisco, California.


 * Hawk Graduates West Point, #1 in his class, and is Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army.

1966:

 * June 10 - Alison R. Hart-Burnett, for Lady Jaye, born in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

1968:

 * Soldiers Lonzo "Stalker" Wilkinson, Thomas "Storm Shadow" Arashikage and "Snake-Eyes" are attacked on arrival at a military briefing in Saigon by two VietCong agents. A U.S. Army driver, Corky Barnett is killed. Snake-Eyes follows the agents to their meeting with humanitarian Baron Eugen DeCobray. Snake-Eyes sees the agents kill DeCobray and then kills the agents. DeCobray's 15-year-old sister arrives and believes Snake-Eyes killed all three men (eventually, disturbed by the death of her brother, Anastasia begins a career in international terrorism as the Baroness). Weapons dealer James McCullen Destro XXIII later arrives and proves Snake-Eyes innocent of DeCobray's murder. Destro is accompanied by his son, James McCullen Destro XXIV.

1969:

 * Conrad "Duke" Hauser joins U.S. Army Special Forces and works with tribesman in South Vietnam.
 * Joseph "G.I. Joe" Colton retires from active duty and becomes an adventurer and explorer.

1970:

 * FEBURARY 5th: Diana Anne Bourne, Future Cobra Operative (Artemis) is born.


 * G.I. Joe Colton joins the civilian group known as the Adventure Team, a group of explorers, adventurers and rescuers that sometimes worked for the U.S. government. Joe spends much of the next decade with the team.
 * August. In Vietnam, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow join the Long Range Recon Patrol unit led by Stalker. (They have not seen Stalker since the Tet Offensive.)

1971:

 * EARLY FEBRUARY: Stalker, Storm Shadow, Snake-Eyes, Wade Collins, Ramon Escobedo and Dick Saperstein fight North Vietnamese soldiers. Escobedo and Saperstein are killed and Collins is seriously injured. Believing Collins is dead, Wilkinson, Arashikage and Snake-Eyes retreat and head to a landing zone for rescue. Collins is captured by the North Vietnamese and held in prison for the next two years.
 * On the way to the helicopter, North Vietnamese troops fire on the landing zone, wounding Snake-Eyes. Despite Stalker's orders to leave him, Storm Shadow runs out in the field where Snake-Eyes is lying wounded. The helicopter's pilot and gunner give him cover fire. Storm Shadow somehow evades enemy fire and rescues Snake-Eyes.
 * FEBRUARY 26: Snake-Eyes returns home from Vietnam.
 * Snake-Eyes' parents and twin sister Terri are killed in a head-on car collision while on their way to meet him at the airport. U.S. Army Captain Clayton M. Abernathy (aka Hawk) travels to the airport and informs Snake-Eyes of the accident. The driver of the other vehicle, an unstable Vietnam veteran and the brother of the future Cobra Commander, is also killed in the collision.
 * JUNE: Duke turns down a Commision

1973:

 * JANUARY 23: The United States, South Vietnam and North Vietnam sign the Paris Peace Accords, ending America's combat role in the war.
 * Future members of the G.I. Joe team involved in the conflict included: Snake-Eyes, Stalker, Storm Shadow, Claymore, Duke, "G.I. Joe" Colton, Leatherneck, Mainframe, Payload, Spirit and Wild Bill.
 * FEBRUARY: Many American POWs are released by the Vietnamese and begin to come home. Wade Collins is among them.
 * Upon Wade Collins' return home, his wife's lawyer meets him at the airport and serves him with divorce papers. Collins, unable to find a steady job, travels around the country. He will eventually join Cobra Command.
 * The future Cobra Commander, blaming his brother Dan's death on Snake-Eyes, hires Firefly to kill Snake-Eyes. Using his status as a ninja master, Firefly becomes apprentice to Onihashi, the swordsmith of the Arashikage ninja clan.

1974:

 * While watching a practice session between Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, Firefly realizes he is no match for Snake-Eyes and refers Cobra Commander to Zartan. Cobra Commander hires Zartan to kill Snake-Eyes. Zartan becomes apprentice to Onihashi
 * Billy, son of the future Cobra Commander, is born.
 * Hawk Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

1975:

 * Stealing one of Storm Shadow's arrows, Zartan kills Storm Shadow's uncle, the Hard Master, believing he is Snake-Eyes. He escapes in a helicopter piloted by Firefly. Storm Shadow is blamed for the murder and leaves home. He will eventually join Cobra to learn the identity of the assassin.
 * Onihashi commits suicide after learning of Zartan's actions.
 * Snake-Eyes leaves Japan and moves to a cabin on Iron Knife Ridge in the High Sierra mountains, where he lives in seclusion.

1976:

 * Cobra Commander leaves his wife, taking his son Billy with him. He will eventually form Cobra Command, headquartered secretly in Springfield. Years later, Billy will leave his father but stay in the Springfield Anti-Cobra underground.=

1977:

 * Sean, the son of the future Fred Broca (and later stepson of Wade Collins) is born. (Kamakura)

1978:

 * General Flagg Reforms G.I. Joe, under the name: Special Counter-terrorist Group Delta, under the Command of Colonel Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy in command of the Team, called G.I. Joe. Hawk picks Specialist Lonzo "Stalker" Wilkinson to help him, and together they recruit Snake-Eyes.

1979:

 * The final roster of the new G.I. Joe team is completed: Specialist James "Grand Slam" Barney, Cpl. Eric "Short-Fuze" Freistadt, Cpl. Anthony "Flash" Gambello, Specialist Robert "Grunt" Graves, Pfc. Alvin "Breaker" Kibbey, Cpl. Craig "Rock'n Roll" McConnel, Cpl. Rafael "Zap" Melendez, Sgt. Shana "Scarlett" O'Hara, Lt. Ralph "Steeler" Pulaski and Cpl. Lance "Clutch" Steinberg.


 * The Joes are trained in hand-to-hand combat by Scarlett, who surprises them with her fighting skills. Snake-Eyes allows her to beat him, though she recognizes he's better than he lets on. Intrigued, she begins spending time with him while off-duty.

1980:

 * Grunt, Rock & Roll, Scarlett and Snake-Eyes travel to the Middle East to rescue George Strawhacker, a U.S. federal agent, who is being held hostage by agents of Cobra Command. En route, an Army helicopter loses control and collides with the team's helicopter. Grunt and Rock & Roll bail out while Snake-Eyes stays behind to rescue Scarlett who is trapped inside. The first helicopter explodes, causing a window in the team's chopper to shatter, spraying glass into Snake-Eyes' face. The helicopter crashes and Snake-Eyes carries an unconscious Scarlett out of the wreckage. Snake-Eyes suffers third degree burns to his head and vocal chord damage. Snake-Eyes convinces Hawk to allow him to continue the mission and the team (except the still unconscious Scarlett) meets with Stalker and complete the rescue mission. Snake-Eyes is hospitalized shortly afterward.

1981:

 * Snake-Eyes returns to active duty after spending six months hospitalized for his injuries sustained in the Middle East.

1982:

 * GI Joe save a noted pascifist Scientist: Dr. Adele Burkhart, from the clutches of Cobra.
 * The Joes inflitrate and shut down 'Strike First," a paramilitary group funded by Cobra that had Nuclear Capabilites.
 * While showing off the 'MOBAT' Tank in a Parade, the Joes Prevent the theft of the tank by Cobra Forces.
 * The Joes meet the "Oktober Guard" in a mission to recover a Russian Spyplane in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. They fight each other, and then together against Cobra, only to find out they both were a Decoy.
 * The Joes Fight off an attack by Cobra on the Johnson Space Center in Florida.
 * Zanya, daughter of Zartan, is born. Zartan will have little to do with his daughter's upbringing.

1983:

 * The Joes are expanded, picking up new members with regularity for many years.
 * The Joes Learn that Cobra has takne over a small town, Springfield, and made it their own.
 * Destro begins to be the Primary Supplier of Cobra's Weapons
 * On a Mission to Sierra Gordo, Snake-Eyes is believed to be killed, but later turns up alive.
 * GI Joe prevents Cobra from putting a poison into circulation with the US Currency, although Hawk is severly injured in the fight. Baroness and Major Bludd are captured in the Fight. However, they are not guests of the Joes for long.
 * The PIT is attacked, Cobra believes they destroyed the Pit. They didn't, but General Flagg is killed in action

1984:

 * Cobra Kidnaps Scarlett, and Snake-Eyes rescues her, running across an old... friend, Storm Shadow, working for Cobra
 * Duke becomes 'Top Kick' of the Joe team.
 * Cobra Commander is Captured, but escapes with the help of Storm Shadow, who is than captured, but he escapes on his own.
 * Zartan joins Cobra, along with his Dreadnoks, in their own way.
 * General Austin decides to reassign most of the original members of the G.I. Joe team to administrative duties at The Pit. New members are set to replace them: Blowtorch, Lady Jaye, Recondo and Ripcord.

1985:

 * Cobra Commander's Son, Billy attempts to assassinate Cobra Commander.
 * Flint Joins the Joes
 * Tomax and Xamot, and Extensive Enterprises, become affiliated with Cobra
 * Cobra Island Created!
 * Cobra Island becomes a Soverign Country, recognized by the United Nations.
 * Candy Appel is killed, and Billy is put in a Coma, by a Car Crash, while the Soft Master is killed by a Missile fired by Scrap-Iron

1986:

 * Storm Shadow Leaves Cobra, and he finds Snake-Eyes. He and Snake-Eyes invade Cobra Island to Kill Zartan.
 * Storm Shadow is killed by the Baroness
 * Serpentor is created.
 * Storm Shadow rises from the dead, or rather the Sleeping Phoenix, a ninja state very close to death.
 * Springfield invaded, and Cobra retreats to Cobra Island. Artemis' Father killed by Quick-Kick, while trying to defend the Springfield Airport from the G.I. Joe Springfield Assault Team.
 * The Joes are suspended, and the Pit closed.
 * Cobra Attacks The Pit, with Hawk and Some other 'Brass' inside. They Escape, with some losses, and Destro and Cobra Commander believed killed in an explosion that destroys the Pit.
 * The G.I. Joe team is taken off suspension. Low-Light, Dial-Tone, Lifeline and Mainframe become the team's newest members.

1987:

 * The prime minister of Frusenland purchases several Terror-Dromes from Cobra, though his nation has little use for the launch bases.
 * Spy satellites detect what appears to be the infrared signature of a Cobra Terror-Drome hidden in an oil storage tank in the middle east. The G.I. Joe team sends Dusty and Mainframe to investigate.
 * Cobra Commander and Destro escape the Pitt, and not long after, Cobra Commander is killed by a Crimson Guard Fred.
 * Fred takes over as Cobra Commander.
 * Stalker, Quick-Kick, and Snow Job captured in Borovia, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, and a few others, including Storm Shadow, Jinx, and Billy rescue them.
 * After failing to stop terrorists attacking the Cobra Consulate, the Baroness is removed as commander of the facility by Serpentor. She is replaced by Zarana
 * Newly-elected Prime minister Volff begins his term in Frusenland. He puts a stop to his predecessor's dealings with Cobra.

1988:

 * Sierra Gordo's General Villavaca breaks away from the provisional government and starts his own rebel faction, fighting against both the provisional government (backed by Cobra) and the counter-revolutionaries (backed by the United States). He gains the support of the army and many of Sierra Gordo's citizens.
 * After rioters storm the U.S. embassy in Sierra Gordo's capital, Rio Lindo, the state department decides to recall its ambassador, Winthrop.
 * Cobra Island Civil War.
 * Serpentor's Death.
 * Joes once again disbanded, but reformed when Destro informs "the Jugglers" who paid for the Ammo used in the Cobra Island Civil War

1990:

 * The REAL Cobra Commander Returns, locks his enemies in a Freighter, and returns to power.
 * The Start of the Benzheen War... Many Joes Killed by a SAW Viper in the Desert of Benzheen.

1991:

 * Benzheen War Ends, Joes Defeated by Cobra, when Cobra signs Deal with Emir of Benzheen.


 * Ninja Force goes to Trans Carpathia to rescue Destro and Baroness from Cobra Assassians.

1994:

 * Cobra defeated. G.I. Joe team disbanded. Members either discharged, or returnd to regular units.

1995:

 * Cobra operatives in captivity begin to escape and disappear. CIA, DIA, NSA begin to hear rumors of Cobra Commander reforming Cobra Command

1996:

 * Duke finds proof of High Level Cobra Command Meeting on Cobra Island. Confirmed Meeting Attendees: Cobra Commander, Baroness, Major Bludd, Firefly, Zartan, Zomax, Xamot, Wild Weasel, Dr. Mindbender, and Storm Shadow.


 * Cobra Launches Major Terrorist Attack on U.S. Mainland. Attacks blamed on Domestic Terrorists.

1997:

 * Cobra resurfaces, stronger than ever. G.I. Joe team Reformed, most members recalled to duty.

(more Coming: Note to all, Send me important dates, and I will add them. Any and all right up through 1997)