Conrad Hauser

## Background

### 1984 - 2002: Conrad Hauser

The man who everyone has come to know as Duke does not talk much about his childhood or life prior to joining the Joes. It's not a secret nor did he have rough upbringing, it's just something he rather keep to himself & feels is irrelevant to their job. With that being said, some facts are known about his formative years through conversation & some snooping.

Conrad "Duke" Hauser was born in Central City, Missouri as the only child of his parents. He spent a lot of time at his best friends Ramon & Ronnie's house, coming to consider the Raymonds as his second family. He did well enough in high school but was not a super genius. After high school, he immediately enlisted in the military & went on to graduate at the top of his class at the US Army Airborne School (aka Jump School) down in Fort Benning, GA.

### 2002 - 2011: Conrad Hauser

After graduation, he studied Han Chinese & Southeast Asian dialects at the US Army Language School before opting to join the Green Berets. As he continued to rise through the ranks at an accelerated rate, he received the Purple Heart & a Bronze Star Medal after singlehandedly rescuing dozens of POWs from a heavily-guarded enemy compound. He briefly became a senior instructor then took a field commission for over a year before he was picked by General Flag (uncle of Rick Flag) to join the Special Counter-Terrorist Group Delta that would come to be known as G.I. Joe. He was then elected First Sergeant & became the third in command behind the team's Commander, General Flag & Field Commander, Colonel Abernathy.

## Personality

Duke is a fearless leader that is always willing to go into the most dangerous situations, rather than send a member of his team to do it. He is much more comfortable being the military man than engaging in social situations, which is most likely the reason to why he keeps personal information to himself. He is also humble & selfless, as he didn't even want to be accommodated for saving other people's lives. He can sometimes be stubborn, putting the safety of his teammates first, even if they protest.

When is in command, he bellows his orders like that of a seasoned general. The troops follow him without question. Even high-ranking officers who know him well respect him & would even listen to his orders. And to think that he is simply just an enlisted man is to underestimate him.

## Powers & Abilities

* **Above Average Human Condition:** Though Duke has no superhuman powers or abilities, he is in exceptional physical condition & has undergone Special Forces training.
	+ ***Hand to Hand Combat*:** He is capable in both armed & unarmed combat.
* **Leadership:** He is very intelligent & a gifted leader.
* **Military Protocol:** Because of his Special Forces training, he possesses a great deal of specialized skills & knowledge pertaining to combat & espionage.
* **Multilingualism:** He is also a skilled linguist, and is known to speak English, French, German, Arabic & some Southeast Asian dialects.
* **Tactical Analysis:** Duke is capable of assessing situations & come up with quick solutions.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Strength:** 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Speed:** 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Occult:** 1 - Nonexistent
* **Weapons:** 6 - Expert / Advanced
* **Range:** 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Strategy:** 6 - Expert / Advanced
* **Combat:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **TOTAL:** 130 - Threat Level 3 / General Threat

## Trivia

#### General

* Duke has a scar on his right cheek from when he rescued the POWs.
* His father was also in the military & his mother is a former model.
* Duke is of German descent on his father's side.
* He played on the same high school football team as Ronnie Raymond & Victor Stone.

#### Relationships

* He is attracted to fellow member Scarlett.
* He is still friends with Ramon & Ronnie. He checks up on both of them regularly & was one of the groomsmen for Ramon's wedding.
* In 2010, Duke was a Sergeant First Class & was stationed in Kahndaq. His unit & the locals built a friendship but Duke had gotten particularly close to one woman named Aisha . The two quickly became lovers, with Aisha also acting as a translator & guide for him. The relationship lasted for around a year before Hauser was promoted to First Sergeant & tasked with commanding the Joes. He asked her to come to the states with him & she agreed. When he returned the next day to get her, she left a note explaining she couldn't go with him. He never saw her again. This encounter is one of the few verified accounts of Aisha's life.
* He is close friends with his teammate Ripcord. They refer to each other as brothers with Rip even saying that Duke reminds him of his late older brother.

#### Military

* Duke is Hawk's second in command & the Joes' Field Commander. Described as an honorable & straightforward military man, he is skilled in artillery & infantry.
* While with the Green Berets, he served with Flint.
* He once saved Lady Jaye's life when her helicopter crashed during a mission to stop a weapons trade. Since then, she has felt like she owes him.
* Duke is the one that had Cover Girl inducted into the Joes after sheeing her skills with the "Wolverine" Missile Launcher Tank.
* He currently has the rank of Sergeant Major (SGM), earning the enlisted grade of E-9.

## Notes

* Duke/Conrad Hauser is a character from G.I. Joe & its related media.
* Connie Noleski is a model & love interest of Wally West in the DC comics.
* Dating Aisha al-Fadhil from Losers is a nod to his relationship with his Arabic instructor, Aisha.