Lawrence Flagg, Jr. (GW)


 * This article is about the original commander of the Joe Team - for his son who succeeded this name, see General Flagg III.

General Flagg is an honorable and hard working man, doing his best to excel to the extent that he is practically the best there was at what he does, seconded only by Hawk himself. His 'bag of dirty tricks' is legendary, yet he wouldn't go so far as to put innocent lives at risk in order to succeed.

File Information
Real Name: Lawrence James Flagg, Jr.

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:
General Flagg came from a long line of soldiers. Early in his career, his skilled marksmanship earned him the position of captain of the Army pistol team. In the late 1970s, Flagg saw the need to combat terrorist threats at home and abroad. To do so, under the direction of General Colton he joined Special Counter-Terrorist Group Delta, code-named "G.I. Joe," after the legendary team of soldiers from the 1940s. As Flagg joined the team, the terrorist organization known as Cobra Command was rising in power. Flagg placed Colonel Clayton Abernathy, code-named "Hawk," in direct field command of the team. While Hawk reported to Flagg, Flagg reported to General Austin. Austin did his best to protect Flagg and the Joes from his superiors, the politically-minded committee of generals known as "The Jugglers."

Flagg's strength lay in his ability to know personnel and who was the right person for the job. Hawk became his first choice when Flagg saw him court-martialed after he accepted responsibility for the beating of a terrorist suspect to get information needed to prevent a bombing that could have killed a number of children. Though a sergeant serving under Hawk had been the one interrogating the terrorist, Hawk was not willing to place the blame entirely on him. Hawk's superiors were angered by the decision, but Flagg was impressed with Hawk's principals. When the general in direct command above Hawk hired mercenaries to kill the young colonel, Flagg and Alessandro "Sparks" Verdi threatened to expose the general if he did not drop the charges against Hawk. Soon after, Flagg appointed Hawk commander of the newly-reforming G.I. Joe team.

As the original roster of the team was filled, General Flagg trusted Hawk to choose many members of the team. Though Flagg did choose some himself, often relying on the advice of Sparks, who served as the team's liaison within the Pentagon. Flagg personally recruited team member Flash from the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Flagg was never an arrogant man and was under no delusions about his own abilities. His place was behind a desk making high-level decisions. The military operations and planning for the Joe team rested on Hawk's shoulders, but Flagg was always on hand for support.

G.I. Joe World
In the Joe world universe, General Flagg and Lieutenant General Hawk lead a worldwide peacekeeping force called G.I. Joe. They are assisted by their XO, Brigadier General Flint, who oversees the Ark Project. The Ark Project recovers and rebuilds damaged Autobots into G.I. Joe vehicles. With Optimus Prime as yet unrecoverable, the Autobots on Earth defer to Generals Flagg and Hawk.